Somewhere along the line I found the show Marathon Talk . It's a podcast about all aspects of marathoning and is updated weekly. Run by two Brits, Tom Yelling and Martin Williams, it's interesting not only for its wide ranging quality content of training tips and motivation, shout-outs to regular runner's accomplishments, humor, and interviews with elites and lesser knowns, but also for the English take on things long distance.
Plus it's just cool to listen to them speak, being all Brit-ish and everything. Give it a try, they have tons of shows archived.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
My running history, Part 1
Seems I ought to provide some background to set up some perspective here. I was born many years ago as a small child...
The first memory of running I can come up with is tearing willy-nilly through the woods behind our house in my hometown of Logan, Ohio. I can still remember the fun of just running as fast as I could while dodging around trees, ducking under branches and jumping over low spots and fallen trees. I liked the feeling of going fast and the sound of wind going past my ears. Simple pleasures are indeed the best.
I ran track and cross-country in High School and had an astoundingly average career. I was second best miler on the team and also ran the 880. Events were still in yards back then, and run on cinder tracks (which I still like!). We ran mostly on golf courses for cross and I can remember running barefoot a lot of the time then, sometimes in races. We moved from Ohio to Madison WI after my Sophomore year and I truly became one with mediocrity in the much larger school. I have sporadic memories at best of those two years but I do remember our coach. Coach Murray yelled a lot so I didn't hear him much. During cross practice we'd do laps at a large park near the school, and Coach would sit at a picnic table and drink, slumping worse as we passed with each lap until he'd basically pass out with his head on the table. You go, Coach. We had an assistant coach who ran with us though, and he was friendly and helpful. Graduation, jobs, onward.
I ran off and on the next 20 years, sometimes with long gaps but never really quit. I can remember some road races in Madison, I did the Syttende Mai 20 miler from Madison to Stoughton several times, and ran the Chicago Marathon in 1986. I was a house painter for many years and have always run late afternoon after work. I also biked a lot then, sometimes going on the roads around Lake Monona.
In 1996 I moved to Bloomington IN, and Part 2 will take it from there...
The first memory of running I can come up with is tearing willy-nilly through the woods behind our house in my hometown of Logan, Ohio. I can still remember the fun of just running as fast as I could while dodging around trees, ducking under branches and jumping over low spots and fallen trees. I liked the feeling of going fast and the sound of wind going past my ears. Simple pleasures are indeed the best.
I ran track and cross-country in High School and had an astoundingly average career. I was second best miler on the team and also ran the 880. Events were still in yards back then, and run on cinder tracks (which I still like!). We ran mostly on golf courses for cross and I can remember running barefoot a lot of the time then, sometimes in races. We moved from Ohio to Madison WI after my Sophomore year and I truly became one with mediocrity in the much larger school. I have sporadic memories at best of those two years but I do remember our coach. Coach Murray yelled a lot so I didn't hear him much. During cross practice we'd do laps at a large park near the school, and Coach would sit at a picnic table and drink, slumping worse as we passed with each lap until he'd basically pass out with his head on the table. You go, Coach. We had an assistant coach who ran with us though, and he was friendly and helpful. Graduation, jobs, onward.
I ran off and on the next 20 years, sometimes with long gaps but never really quit. I can remember some road races in Madison, I did the Syttende Mai 20 miler from Madison to Stoughton several times, and ran the Chicago Marathon in 1986. I was a house painter for many years and have always run late afternoon after work. I also biked a lot then, sometimes going on the roads around Lake Monona.
In 1996 I moved to Bloomington IN, and Part 2 will take it from there...
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Introduction
I had several goals for my running in 2011. Early in the Spring I had switched almost completely from roads to trail running and I wanted to find some fun trail races to explore. That said, I also wanted to do a full marathon on the road. The over-riding number one goal of all was to stay healthy and enjoy running. I also had a sort of vague goal of running 2000 miles during the year, but I didn't track mileage specifically to make this happen. Still, as it turns out I will be tantalizingly close anyhow, looking as of today to be about 150 miles short. So- a firm goal for 2012 is 2012 miles, and this time I will track it closely and make it happen, and have decided to document it here to provide a little motivation for me and a little running information for all who care to read.
I did find several trail races ranging from 5 and 10Ks to several half marathons and a 40K as well. I ran the Chicago marathon, and several half marathons on the roads as well as a few shorter races. I still love running on the trails and will mostly stick to that, but I will include more road miles this Summer as well.
I haven't set a list of goals for this year yet but will soon. I have already signed up for the Carmel Marathon and will repeat several races from last year as well, including the Indy Mini, the IU Half, and will find more to list here soon.
And, as always, my over-riding number one goal remains to stay healthy and enjoy running.
Here we go...
I did find several trail races ranging from 5 and 10Ks to several half marathons and a 40K as well. I ran the Chicago marathon, and several half marathons on the roads as well as a few shorter races. I still love running on the trails and will mostly stick to that, but I will include more road miles this Summer as well.
I haven't set a list of goals for this year yet but will soon. I have already signed up for the Carmel Marathon and will repeat several races from last year as well, including the Indy Mini, the IU Half, and will find more to list here soon.
And, as always, my over-riding number one goal remains to stay healthy and enjoy running.
Here we go...
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