On Running

Thursday April 7th, 2005 is the day I became a runner.  My friend Dory convinced me to run the Fatboy 5k on an upcoming Saturday.  I had used the treadmill for a couple of years and had never really run outside.  To prepare for the race, we decided to run around the big LSU Lake.  Since that day I have never gone back to the Treadmill again.  Those first couple of months around the lakes were unbelievable.  I had a continuous runners high and could not believe that I had waited till I was 25 to experience running.  

As time wore on, the periods where I felt unstoppable began to be replaced by times where I began to struggle.  I started to developed shin splints and back aches.  On my 6.4 mile run, my feet would sometimes fall asleep.  I never gave up because I always wanted to get back to the feelings I had those first couple months.   Every once in a while I would have a couple of good runs and that helped keep me going, but for the most part, it was a joyless thankless task.  I rarely ever had a runners high. 

During my period of diminished running, I was a pretty unhappy person and there are several contributing factors. I had broken my leg in 2004 and gained a lot of weight.  The company I had help found was going through some major issues and I began to dislike my line of work.  A large portion of my friends moved away and Katrina put a tree through my house and disrupted my business.  I think that I felt trapped in my life with no way out.

Not to get into the why, but my life changed these past couple of months.  There are many factors and they belong to another post.  The thing that is most amazing about the turn around is what has happened to my running.

In December I was hitting the lakes 3 times a week for a total of 12.3 miles.  Each time I would stop about 3 times for breaks.  At the end of January I am running 4 times a week hitting about 29.4 miles.  On Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday I run the big lake twice and never stop to walk.  On Saturday I run the big lake once.  My shins never hurt, there is no back ache, and my feet have not fallen asleep.  The second time around the lakes is easier then the first and at no point do I consider quitting.  I have that high after every run and am grateful for everyday that I am out there. 

You always here that old adage that Running is Mental.  There is truth to that statement but I think it needs to be clarified.  The way you run is a reflection of your attitude towards life.  If I am grateful to be alive, love my job, friends, and family, I will run with out quitting, with worrying about pain, and with a tremendous satisfaction.  If I am in a rut and just going through the motions I will quit, walk and feel miserable.

Several important running events will be coming up for me.  At the beginning of March, I will start running 12.8 miles every Sunday which will be the entire lakes twice.  On March 31st I will be running my third Fatboy 5k which will also mark  the end of Weight Wars 2007 for Clark as he will be going into the Marine Corps.  At this time I will also decided if I am going to run a marathon in the Fall. 

"We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves...The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom.  No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.'  The human spirit is indomitable."
          - Sir Roger Bannister

Thats Just One Man's Opinion