What’s your running pleasure?
Are you an occasional jogger,
wanting only to get a
little aerobic exercise now
and then when the
weather is warm and the
humidity low; winter always
finds you pacing the
treadmill for a couple to
three miles? Are you a
beginning runner who has heard that you can lose
weight and strengthen your cardiovascular and pulmonary
systems by running, so you thought you’d
give it a try? Have you been running for months
now, or maybe even years, and are content to run
five or six mile distances; or as you run with others
and hear them talk about qualifying for Boston do
you begin to harbor aspirations to someday run a
marathon?
Have you run a number of marathons all ready and
are in fact training hard to qualify for Boston, or
“have you been there done that” and count Boston
as one of your many marathons run in many
places? Have you taken the plunge and moved beyond
the marathon distance into the rare atmosphere
of ultra running and now look at the marathon
as a training run for something longer? Do you prefer
the challenge of trail running, navigating rough
terrain, fording streams, braving inclement weather
to running on paved surfaces in urban environments?
I’m happy to say that there is at least one person,
most likely more, who is reading this newsletter and
who will answer yes to at least one of the above
questions. This club can take satisfaction in knowing
that it is an organization that welcomes, supports,
and encourages runners of all abilities, and
applauds accomplishments at all levels. As proof
of our members’ wide range of progress and
achievement, the club recognized those who had
personal road racing “firsts” in the preceding year.
The successes ranged all the way from a first 5K to
a first 100 miler.
I was cajoled into running my first 5K a little more
than ten years ago, entering on a dare, having not
run one step since my days in the Air Force more
years ago than I care to reveal. The sadist who
talked me into running the race (and to whom I will
always be grateful) clued me in on the fact that my
Converse All-Star canvas shoes weren’t advisable,
so the night before the run, I bought the cheapest
pair of Asics running shoes I could find.
The next morning I put on a heavy cotton Myrtle
Beach Fire Department t-shirt with lettering on the back that read, “Keep Back 500 Feet,” pulled on a
pair of everyday shorts, laced up my really white
running shoes, and drove to the race in time to
register and get my bib number (#144 – yes, I still
have it, sentimental guy that I am.) It was early on
a Saturday morning, and what I noticed right away
was the cheerfulness of all the people gathered
there. I don’t remember a frown on a face, or a
discouraging word. These were happy people.
Someone shot a starter pistol and we were off.
No one paid any attention to the lettering on the
back of my shirt, and though I was never at the
back of the pack, I was close. Due to an ill informed
road monitor, the 5K came near to being a
4-mile run instead of the regulation 3.1 miles, and
I was one tired fellow when the finish finally appeared.
I was elated with my feat, but my feet, in
fact everything from the waist down, hurt, and
would for a couple days after. No matter, I was
hooked.
What captured me even more than the satisfaction
of having run a distance I had thought ridiculous
a few days before, was the spirit of the people
there. During the run, those who ignored my
warning to stay back 500 feet, spoke words of encouragement
as they went by. The last person to
cross the finish line (for the record it wasn’t me)
received as much, if not more, applause than
those who came before. I thought, “These are
people I want to be around. These are positive,
hopeful, helpful people, and maybe this running
business can be good for me.”
I recount that story only to emphasize that no matter
where you are on your running journey, you
are surrounded by people in the club who will
cheer you on, who will assist you in achieving
whatever goal you set for yourself, whether it’s
running a 5K or a 100-miler, or simply running
without entering any race. It’s all up to you.
Spend some time looking at the spring running
schedule. There are a couple of traditional breakfast
runs on it that you shouldn’t miss, and a new
adventure scheduled for June 21. Also, don’t fail
to read the new recipe column in this newsletter.
Good recipes make for healthy eating, and
healthy eating makes for happy running, so whenever
you run, wherever you run, please, run
happy.
