Running Through Rosemead

Los Angeles Skyline

When traveling for work I have found that it is more difficult to fit in my runs.  Whether it be the change in my daily schedule or simply that I am unfamiliar with the area, I always seem to talk myself out of it.  This weekend I was in Rosemead for 4 days and was determined to make an adjustment in my training and not skip my runs.  Unsure of the area and how safe it was, I mapped a 1 mile route around my hotel and although it was a little boring and repetitious, I pounded 4 miles on 2 different days.  In the future, I will continue to plan ahead to avoid skipping runs while traveling. As a side note: I don't think I have ever seen more trash on the side of the road as I did on these runs, pretty sad.

DOWNHILL DOG

Nothing like a post-run snack on the couch

Man's best friend... who last night I caught chewing on one of my running shoes.  This is my 2 1/2 year old Labrador and recently we tried running together in order to avoid him having the excess energy that leads to me buying new shoes. 

We started with a 1.5 mile loop around my house that starts out with a downhill, then flattens out, before a half mile push uphill to complete the run.  It started out great, other than a few stops to sniff or claim a bush, we plugged right along.  On the flat he actually picked up the pace on me, pulling the leash tight and we cruised into the last turn and the uphill leg.  As soon as we started the uphill, he slowed to my side, then quickly fell behind, then began to walk.  I encouraged him to keep going and instead he simply stopped.  With me being his Master, The One in Charge, the Alpha-male, I looked him right in the eyes and said "Let's go! Now!"  Upon hearing this, he sat down, looked me straight in the eye... and yawned.  We walked the rest of the way home.  Maybe next time we will try a route with no hills.

This Time, I'm Here to Stay

Growing up my father was an avid runner.  However, with age he slowly stopped running and adopted a mantra: "The only way you'll see me running now is if someone is chasing me.... and they better be a hell of a lot bigger than me at that!"  And as I began childhood sports, my father would also offer words of encouragement like: "C'mon kid, get the piano off your back!"

I have been consistently running now for two years (except a doctor and wife ordered 2 month break for a hernia surgery) and the good news is that I have managed to do so without anyone chasing me.  The bad news though, is that I am still lugging that piano around on my back!  Over the years I had tried to take up running on several occasions, but it always seemed to end within a few weeks or months mostly due to sore knees or hips.  This was probably in part because of my ego and my attempt to run every day at a ridiculous pace each time I started.

I have been an athlete my entire life, so two years ago I made the painful decision to give it one more try.  With my wedding on the horizon and the need to lose about 30 pounds so I wouldn't look like an Oompa Loompa in a tux, I told myself I would only take up this laborious endeavor for the 6 months leading up to the big day.  I enlisted the help of a great friend and avid runner and together we started with what seemed like the impossible task of running 3 days a week for 3 miles.  Let's make this much clear; I did NOT fall in love with running instantly.  However, as the weeks turned to months my body reacted well to the slow start and I began to enjoy the runs and even came to the point where I craved them.  On a whim I signed up for a half marathon and when I finished that race with a "blazing" time of 2:07 the euphoria I felt captured me.

When I look back on my introduction to the "running world", I now realize that it would have been impossible to forge this love affair without the sense of this running community around me.  Having fellow runners to talk, or complain to and having someone on a run with me to take my mind off of the pain made it possible for me to reach a place where I can't imagine my life without running.  Embracing this sense of community around running has also allowed me to understand that I am not the only one to experience many of the quirky things that happen before, during or after runs and that maybe, just maybe, I'm not the only one who has to run with toilet paper in his pocket!

As I said before, I have always been an athlete, but even more accurately, I have always been a competitor.  As I get older, I find that it gets more difficult to compete in certain sports with the younger athletes, but with running I have found the most ideal person to compete with... myself.  Running allows me the opportunity to seek PRs or even simple milestones like when I ran for the 8th day in a row last night.  But more importantly, it also allows me to break from the competition when I need to and just run for enjoyment, to clear my head, to strengthen friendships or to create new ones.

I am never going to be an elite runner, but I know that because of running I will always have an astounding running community surrounding me and when necessary, that worthy competitor in myself.

Morning Run

Mt. Rubidoux, Riverside, CA

6.7 Mile out and back at 6:30am

It was a hot and humid morning, and our 3rd day in a row making our trip from Riverside City College to the top of Mt Rubidoux and back.  Despite the morning heat, the company was good and the views of the city, although limited by the haze, were still stunning.