Archives For marathon

If You Read One Book on Sport

Chris —  July 6, 2011

To be fair, this is the only book I’ve read on Sport.  But it was amazing.

You can read my original thoughts about Born to Run, but here’s a few reason that EVERYONE should read it.

1.  It’s really fun.  At it’s core, the book is a mystery story: how can seeming Stone Age Native Mexicans accomplish feats that allude the best trained American athletes?  The journey takes you through badlands, past drug dealers, to the Rocky Mountains and Death Valley, and back in time thousands of years.

2.  It’s a must read for runners.  The stories of average people doing things that seem superhuman inspires you to get out there and push yourself.

3.  It explains the funny toe socks everyone is wearing. It will convince you to wear them, too.

4.  It will make you proud of your sweat. It’s the reason you can outrun a deer.

But seriously, one of the most fun and fascinating reads ever.  When you’re done, let me know, and we’ll discuss it over a chia fresca.

 

One Year After the Marathon

Chris —  February 14, 2011

It’s exactly one year from February 14, 2010’s Love Austin Marathon.

A few weeks before I ran my marathon last year, someone mentioned that it would change my outlook on life.  Not automatically, but some point, maybe weeks or months after the marathon, I’d be doing something something difficult and would say to myself “this isn’t that hard, I’ve run a marathon.”

I wish I still run.  Even during the training my knees started giving me trouble, and they’ve never been the same.  I’ve run a handful of times since then and always regretted it. I haven’t given up on running.  I have high hopes or rehabbing my knees and making a few yearly half marathons part of my lifestyle.

But I do keep going back there in my head.  Marathon analogies are so obvious that they’re painful.  That is, unless you’ve run one.

My friend was right.  When I start a project for graduate school, set a new goal or even think about some of the big life changes I need to make, I think about the marathon.

You can do amazing things when you make a plan and work at it consistently.

The race isn’t hard.  It’s the training.

Whatever I’m dealing with now isn’t nearly as difficult as a marathon.

Baby, We Were Born to Run

Chris —  September 2, 2010

“You don’t get old and stop running, you get old because you stop running.”

The adage shapes much of the story and science in Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run.  I first came across the story of the hidden tribe of the Tarahumara and the idea of barefoot running in McDougall’s Men’s Health article in 2005.  It’s always stuck with me, so I was thrilled to see a more detailed explanation of how 50 year old Native Americans can run ultramarathons in their sandals.

The book is part sports biography, part memoir, and part science textbook.  McDougall is a washed up marathoner, to injured to ever run again, who travels to the Copper Canyons of Mexico in search of a lost tribe, that apparently eats corn, drinks beer, and never gets injured.  Much of the book is made up of his stories of navigating drug country and foreign cultures.  Beyond that, he tells stories of the American cult of ultrarunning, seemingly superhumans with the ability to run over a hundred miles a day.

One main thesis of the book is that human beings are natural born runners.  From an evolutionary standpoint, we’ve got the ability to outrun any prey.  Our only hindrance is running shoes, which allow our feet to atrophy and our heels to unnaturally strike.  If we ran correctly, we could go for days, and never get injured.

The book is enthralling, addicting and will inspire you to put on your gym shorts, ditch your Nikes and hit the trail.

Why You MUST Run a Marathon

Chris —  February 18, 2010

If you’d known me before I started training for my marathon, you would have laughed at the idea.  My only memory as a child of playing any sports was sitting down on a soccer field, while the rest of my team chased the ball.  I have never been mistaken for “athletic.”

This is why you MUST run a marathon.  For me, or at least, pre-marathon me, an accomplishment like this  would have been impossible.  I’m not saying “you can do anything if you just put your mind to it!”  But I have come to believe that life isn’t worth living if you are not aiming at incredible, meaningful accomplishments; goals that are out of reach of the person you are today.

If you read this blog, I hope my story will encourage you to set BHAGs and accomplish them.

For my single friends, what if you stopped focusing on things like getting your career off the ground and finding the perfect someone, and set a goal like rebuilding a village in Haiti or writing that book you have in you.

For those who are parents, what if you set the goal of being so involved in your children’s life and schooling that every single student in your community graduates.

For those who are retirees, what if you decided to devote your time and energy into coaching young couples in marriage, and personally destroying our nations 50% divorce rate.

What is impossible for you?  Why aren’t you doing it?

The Marathon

Chris —  February 17, 2010

The marathon began one year ago. Out of work, broke, stranded in San Antonio, I started running, mainly to keep from going crazy. It took about three or four  months to get up to the point I could jog the three mile loop behind my house. It took even longer before I could say that I “enjoy running.”

When I moved to Austin, I knew that it would be months or years before I would be accomplishing many of my life goals . So I set a new goal, run a half-marathon. I trained for about 3 months and completed the run in November. My life  is still a mess, but I was in the best shape ever, so I started training for a full marathon.

Since I’m obsessed with podcasts and audiobooks training wasn’t that bad. Runs became special times for me to hang out with my favorite public radio hosts, church leaders, and authors.

The worst part of the race itself was getting up far earlier than normal and charging off into the cold to find parking. Some smart people made jackets out of trash bags, which they could easily discard.

I started the race off listening to David Crowder’s “Church Music.” Though I’m not a big CCM guy, the Christian themes and heavy dance beats seemed like a good idea.

The race looped as far south as 71 and as far north as Anderson Lane. Although it was well supported, there weren’t as many fans, drinks and food as there were in San Antonio. I stopped every time for water, and grabbed every random snack I could along the way, from boiled salty potatoes to animal crackers.

I had hoped to come in under 4:30, but began to drastically slow down around mile 16. At mile 19 my playlist hit Green Day’s 21st Century break down. Someone offered me an orange. I exploded with juicy goodness and punched the sky in my old punk rock fashion.

Running became a spiritual experience for me when I heard Billy Joe singing a chorus of “you are forgiven” in a style reminiscent of the nah-nah-nahs of “Hey Jude.” Overwhelmed by the truth of the lyrics and the reality that I was just a few miles from completing a task I never would have imagined possible, I burst into tears.

At mile 25 I reached the capital of Texas, which for the first time struck me as majestic. I switched to David Crowder’s cover of “Oh, How He Loves Us” and sang along at the top of my lungs. I can only imagine what the other runners thought, but I hope they heard.

Reaching the 26 mile marker, I found myself sprinting faster than I knew I could, knowing that I had to give my best, finish strong, and move on to the other goals in my life.