It's Not Always About How Fast You Go

 Today I am 186.8 pounds of rolling thunder.

Sometimes it's amazing how different two siblings can be.

Take for example my two sons. Last weekend we went to the final cross country meet of the high school season. The day was crisp and clear and the track was rolling and wet from showers the evening before the race.

A year ago, we were at the same race and both boys were running. Over the course of four years our older son willed himself to become a runner with respectable times. His form was never textbook, but he was so determined to decrease his time that how he ran the race really never mattered much.

Son No.2 is cut from different cloth. He's out there giving it his all but times don't matter nearly as much. But that's OK. As parents, we're all about the exercise and camaraderie that comes with being involved in a team sport like cross country. Our only rules are you start -- you finish.

So on this fine October day we took our normal places alongside the course and watched as the runners went by. In many ways there is nothing better than watching athletes run around a beautiful course that is adorned by the colorful changing of the leaves.

Son No.2 kept his normal choppy plodding pace around the course. He made it through the finish line at a trot and then headed off to gather up his gear for the ride home.

Sure, his times could be faster. But you know what, he's still well ahead of me, the world's slowest human. But I know we both benefit from being out there moving our bodies.

So the next time you see the world's slowest human plodding along some roadside, give me a wave!

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

March 29, 2013

Today I am 194.0 pounds of rolling thunder, trying to find grace in my life.

Songster Tom Petty told us years ago that the waiting is the hardest part.

About mid-afternoon yesterday, I got tired of waiting for the mail carrier, so I decided to go out for my daily run. We’ve been waiting about a month for some news about colleges, and April 1 was supposed to be a D-Day of sorts for the announcement.

It was one of the first mild weather days we've had in about two weeks. That early spring snowfall had coated the streets and sidewalks, making running tricky and treacherous, so it became more a labor of love than a fruitful jog.

April 1 was D-Day, but we had it on good authority that the news would come earlier (thanks, Twitter), every day this week I've played a game of hide-and-go-seek with the mailman. To this point, the waiting game has been the hardest part, and March the cruelest month.

 "Every day you see one more card," Tom says in his song. And every day, we waited by the mailbox for a decision that would change all our lives.

The next line in the song goes, "you take it on faith, you take it from the heart," and while everyone remembers "the waiting is the hardest part," perhaps that line about faith says more about how we live our lives than any other.

For countless generations we've all taken our existence and fate on faith. Every day you get to see one more card -- sometimes a couple, if you're lucky. But every day, you put your faith and hope into a belief that things will work out OK. That your kids will grow up safely. That you will grow old gracefully. That you will be surrounded by a world of grace.

I ran six miles for the first time since last fall. It was a mixture of walking and running, but it was a distance I needed to cover, even if it required a mix of walking and jogging. My hope was that I would turn the corner, heading to home and see a large envelope hanging from our mailbox.

I knew from my research that big envelope meant in and small was ... small. The run helped me get my mind off the wait -- at least for a bit. No matter how creaky your body feels, it's always good to get out and move your body.

While I wasn't going to win any speed races, at least I was moving. And so were countless others on a Thursday afternoon.

 As I dropped down the final hill, heading toward home, I my mind drifted back to the decision at hand. I looked around to see if any of the houses on my route had mail sticking out of their boxes.

I turned the corner for home. I spotted my mailbox off in the distance. You take it on faith. You take it from the heart.

The waiting is the hardest part.

No Business Like Snow Business

Feb. 22, 2013

Today I am 194.4 pounds of rolling thunder.

I've got to say that it was a day better suited for mushers in the Iditarod dogsled race than stomping around my neighborhood, but riding that stationary bike in the basement was getting pretty darn old.

Besides, somebody once said that if you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done -- at least nothing worthwhile. So I bundled up and took advantage of a snowy but otherwise sunny day.

Unfortunately, my excitement to get back out on the road was not met with the same vigor by homeowners who were yet to clear the 12 inches of snow off their sidewalks, or the additional pileups provided by the snowplows who had swept the roads relatively clean.

Overwhelmed by the promise from sunny skies and light winds, I decided to chance it and get back out on the streets, only this time it literally was the streets because hardly any sidewalks were visible, let alone navigable. So I ran in the road, which normally I don't like doing, but stuck closely to the side of the lane facing traffic.

It was nice getting back out in the open, even if it met mixing it up with people trapped inside those motorized metal boxes. Most were polite and gave me a wide path, even quite often changing lanes to make way for the world's slowest human.

And while it wasn't a great run -- I could feel those tight muscles in my back, drawn taut like piano wire by two days of snow shoveling -- it was a good run. So good, in fact, that I didn't beat myself up over my periodic bouts of walking.

There's definitely no business like snow business, and if you wait for the perfect day in the winter to go for a run, walk or ride, you'll be well into March or April before you get outside. Sometimes, you've just got to put on your boots and make do.

So if you see me out on the snowy roads -- thank you Storm Q -- just give me a wave and wide berth if I'm running in the streets again.

Run, but don't forget to bring home chocolate

Monkeys Made of Sockies

Feb. 14, 2013 -- Happy Valentine's Day

Today I am 195.2 pounds of loveable rolling thunder.

I usually caution my children not to use Wikipedia as a reliable source for their research, but what the heck, it's Valentine's Day, and I need to make some time for a run.

Our friends at Wikipedia who have chosen to enlighten us on the topic say that St. Valentine's Day owes its origins to a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. Hmmm. One or more, eh?

So they go on to say that the favorite story of martyrology involving the saint claims that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were not allow to marry, and, of course, ministering to Christians.

So how did we get to the chocolate-covered greeting card high holy day that we now celebrate? The Wikis tell us that the holiday was first associated with romantic love in the High Middle Ages in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer. Dang, I knew I should have paid more attention in Lit class in high school.

Sending flowers, cards and of course candy on this day goes back to the 15th century, so Wikipedia tells us. And the handwritten sentiments gave way to mass-produced cards by the 1800s. Soon to give way to the Billy Bass Christmas singing mounted fish, I'm sure (Wikipedia didn't have that; I'm just adding my own facts for dramatic effect).

So what does this all have to do with running? Squat.

But I figured if you were going to sneak in a run after work and before dinner with your sweetheart, you better come bearing the facts about the holiday while you suffer the grief of leaving her or him alone for an hour.

 I say enjoy the day. It looks like another fine one for running. And with any luck, you'll see the world's slowest human out there with you, so give me a wave ... and don't forget to bring home the chocolate.

'The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.'

McDavid

Feb. 4, 2013

Well, we're a month into the new year and all those resolutions have worn off for almost everybody I know. If you are the exception to the rule, take an atta-boy out of petty cash and have yourself a party, it's on me.

Today I am 194.8 pounds of rolling thunder. On Jan. 4, I was 194.0 pounds of rolling thunder. And in the meantime I have been as low as 190 and as high as 196 pounds of rolling thunder.

While some people might accuse me of limp-syncing my entire January workout regimen, I can assure you that it was actually me out there pounding out the miles on the road. But it was also me pounding down the carbs and cookies, which are my greatest nemesis.

Now my excuses usually begin, but certainly don't end, with the fact that I come from a long line of pear-shaped German people who love their carbs in every form, but especially cookies. You combine that with a dread of all things green and it's a recipe for a weight-loss plateau like no other.

While it would be nice to look and feel like those super athletes on TV, the fact is, we're learning most of them have some sort of chemical helper that assists them in looking that way and achieving miraculous physical feats.

William James

Today's inspirational quote comes from American philosopher William James.

"The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook."

How true this all is in our daily lives. How many times have any of us wasted the energy of going down a path of worry only to find out later that it wasn't worth the stress and anxiety that we had put on ourselves?

Or like the line from ""Peggy Sue Got Married" where Peggy Sue says, "Well, Mr Snelgrove, I happen to know that in the future I will not have the slightest use for algebra, and I speak from experience"

But we're not movie characters, and the plots of our lives can't be wrapped up in a 90-minute story complete with a happy ending. So that is why I pound the pavement and run, walk or ride whenever I can.

While I might be the world's slowest human, I know my health is not something to overlook. But at the same time, I think minor fluctuations in weight can definitely be overlooked as long as you're at a healthy weight and you're moving every day.

So my advice, be your own philosopher and dictate your own fate for the day. Run, ride, roll or walk but do something active. It will make you feel better, New Year's resolutions be damned.

Sometimes You Just Need a Day Off

Happy Groundhog Day!

Feb. 1, 2013

“For me, a day without running is like a day without eating. It's like going without food.”

Samuel Bueno, Runner's World Challenger of the Week

OK, Sammy, pass the plate I’m hungry.

Yesterday turned out to be an unexpected rest day. Yep, took the whole day off. Didn’t run. Didn’t walk. Didn’t spin. Didn’t pass go and collect $200.

So I guess it was a day without eating. Well I really did eat, but I didn’t feel good about it.

If I miss a day or two of working out it makes me kind of cranky. I need that feeling of getting my heart rate elevated and sweat pouring down my brow. I need to know that I’ve done something healthy for my body.

But experts tell us rest days are good. They help your body heal and keep you mentally fresh.

Yesterday’s was totally unplanned. I’d been working a 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. shift for a couple of days, so my body was telling me sleep might be nice. Plus 10-degree weather and gusty winds gave me every excuse to stay in and be warm.

But it didn’t give me an excuse to not go down and ride the bike. Indoor riding is great cross-training. It works many of the muscle groups that are used in running as well as others that you don’t hit while you’re out pounding the pavement.

But indoor riding can become tedious if you’re not in the right frame of mind. There are times when I’ll just power through by flipping on the TV and riding for 45 minutes or an hour.

Yesterday, however, I did not eat. I didn’t run, I rested. I let my mind and body catch up – at least that’s how I’m getting past the guilt.

When I opened my eyes today, the TV weatherman said it was 9 degrees outside. But I’m ready to eat. I’m going to dine on the food provided by my stationary bike and hope that tomorrow brings warmer temps.

Be safe out there today if you brave the cold.