Not too terribly long ago, I had a job that was extremely stressful. In an attempt to reduce some of the stress that I found myself holding onto (and as a method to reduce some of the additional pounds I've been holding so near and dear for the last, ahem, decade) I decided to take up running. Now, for those of you who don't know me that well, here's a fun fact: I'm not exactly a toe-in-the-water kind of guy. Nope, I'm all in…whatever it is. So, clearly as a new runner I needed to get myself equipped properly and, more importantly, promptly. Naturally I did what every new to running individual should do; I sought the professional guidance and advice of THE most trusted source available. Google. And, after what had to be minutes of searching I found some sweet looking, neon (that's how you know they're good), fast sounding named running shoes and just like that, they were on the way. Now the waiting begins. Shoulda gone with the express shipping…these two days are causing me to lose momentum, I should out on the road right now! At last, they arrive. I wish I had a picture of the day I first put them on because words cannot even begin to describe how 'official' I had to look. I mean neon yellow AND green!?! I should probably practice posing for over the shoulder photo ops because of the speed these bad boys are about propel me to in the races to come. After a quick spin around the block (we didn't live anywhere near a block but hey, that's how the saying goes) I came back inside to collapse and die.
Who's idea was this anyway? Why would anyone ever do this intentionally? I'm not sure at this point.
So, day one came and went. Day two, time to get back out there. It gets easier every time they say. All I can say in response to that is that 'they' are liars! However, on I shall go. After an even shorter run, if you can call it that, I return home to commence what has now become my post run ritual: collapse and die. My lovely wife, who can just pick up and run for miles without a care in the world after literally years of not running, happened to notice that I was walking strangely. Or, stranger than usual anyway. And, after making the observation, immediately switched into mom mode when trying to buy new shoes for a child. Ok, now walk towards me. Stop doing all that, just walk normal. Now walk back. Let me see where your toes are. You get the idea. Unless you don't have kids, in which case, just stick with me, it's almost over. (She's an amazing mother and our kids shoes fit perfectly by the way!) After my walk around test it has been determined that these shoes are made for someone other than me.
Time to seek real, actual professional help now. You know, like I should have done prior to day one. My wife and I head over to Riverside Runners to figure out if there is A) better equipment available or B) if I should find another hobby. The people at RR take one look at my feet in those fancy neon shoes and then look at me, head slightly tilted to one side and stare at me like I have a third eye in the middle of my forehead as if to say, "bless his heart". Ok, so that is what should have happened but it did not actually happen. The RR folks are awesome! No judgement about the shoes, or anything else, for that matter. They did confirm my wife's suspicions that, perhaps, the shoes I had purchased were not the most conducive choice if I wanted to continue to be able to walk, much less run. And, they carefully took the time to measure my feet (apparently most people have one bigger than the other), try on multiple styles in various brands, asked lots of questions, and really made sure that, before I left that day, I was truly satisfied with my purchase. They also have an absurdly generous return policy just in case by the way.
So, now I'm all geared up and ready to go again. I've got shoes that actually fit properly, a GPS watch, and every article of Dri-Fit Nike makes that says 'running' on it…back to looking official. It's go time! So yeah, despite the fact that the shoes literally did make a HUGE difference since they were the correct fit, level of arch support, and all that jazz I realized that I am not the athlete that I once was (and I'm not sure I was one). This running stuff is hard work. But, what I very quickly came to realize was the relaxation through it all. Running has become very therapeutic for me in a matter of only a few months. I'm significantly faster than I was and can certainly cover more distance than the day one fiasco. But, conversely, I'm no where, and I do mean no where, close to when I ran in, brace yourselves, elementary school. I still remember my fastest mile in the fifth grade: 5:34. And I remember the two people who ran it faster than me as well: John Michael Hyman and Lindsay Wray. Those two were legit!
Throughout this rediscovery of running I decided that I would try to do one race every single month in 2014. And, wouldn't it be a nice win-win if the races I chose actually benefited something too? So, I fire up the ole googlenet and find a few right off the bat. January 1st there's a Resolution Run in Roanoke that benefits Bethany Hall, a long-term residential program that provides substance abuse treatment for women and women with children. Boom! First day of the year and I'm one race in the books. This one was especially nice because I was able to run it with my wife and my buddy Andy. These two have been the biggest victims of my new found infatuation with running. February 15th I find a race in Christiansburg. That'll work nicely. *Roadblock* We bought a house that we moved into instead that weekend. Oh, and we got a little over a foot of snow. That was the closest (geographically) race at about an hour and a half away so looks like February is shot. March, ah March. Ok, so I fell off the wagon in March. Don't judge. I'm chalking this one up to new house projects, quitting my job, etc. I mean honestly, we did have a lot going on. Enough with the excuses, let's get back at it.
April is here and with it comes The Color Run.
Now this particular run has intrigued me for a while. I actually registered for this one back in December and now it was finally here. My wife and I were discussing the logistics, as we often have to do with three kids, and wondered if this run would be a good one for Mallory, our oldest. She's a beautiful five year old with a genuine love for exercise and has completed a few runs of her own already. But, this would be, by far, the longest. We decide she's ready for it so we pitch the idea to her so that she can make her own decision. We show her pictures and videos and try our best to describe being hit in the face with paint as she's running (seriously, go to the website and check it out). And, our beautiful, girly, girl wants in. Perfect, we've got her really amped about it now so my wife shifts into prep mode: this girl needs a tutu, stat!
I'm really glad that she had a tutu because it seems having one is a basic requirement at these things. Seriously, we got passed by more burly, bearded men wearing tutus than I could possibly count. It's ok, I'll wait so you can read that again, it wasn't a typo. Now that the stage has (somewhat) been set for you I can assure you that you have no idea what it's actually like. It was quite the production and very professionally done. If you're looking for a 5k to set a new PR (that's Personal Record, see how hip I am in the running world?), this ain't it. On the other hand, if you're looking for a ridiculous, family friendly, wholesomely dirty opportunity to get outside and burn a few calories while having a great time…this should be right up your alley.
Mallory and I cruised through this 5k in just under an hour, hand in hand the entire way (with the exception of photo ops). As her first time going this distance her time impressed at least me despite the fact that timing is the last thing on participant's minds there. I'm really excited about the fact that she loves to run and hope that it helps in the promotion of a balanced and healthy life for her. But, what I'm more excited about is that fact that this beautiful little girl wanted nothing more today than to be in a race with her Daddy and that she had so much fun that she's ready for the next one. I'm extremely proud of her and can't wait to do it again myself. I'm also incredibly grateful for a loving, supportive wife who, two other kids in tow, came out there to cheer us on and help clean up after all our shenanigans.
What are some of the special moments that you share with your family and friends under the guise of fun? Feel free to share your ideas so that others might be able to experience them as well.
><
Jefferson
Who's idea was this anyway? Why would anyone ever do this intentionally? I'm not sure at this point.
So, day one came and went. Day two, time to get back out there. It gets easier every time they say. All I can say in response to that is that 'they' are liars! However, on I shall go. After an even shorter run, if you can call it that, I return home to commence what has now become my post run ritual: collapse and die. My lovely wife, who can just pick up and run for miles without a care in the world after literally years of not running, happened to notice that I was walking strangely. Or, stranger than usual anyway. And, after making the observation, immediately switched into mom mode when trying to buy new shoes for a child. Ok, now walk towards me. Stop doing all that, just walk normal. Now walk back. Let me see where your toes are. You get the idea. Unless you don't have kids, in which case, just stick with me, it's almost over. (She's an amazing mother and our kids shoes fit perfectly by the way!) After my walk around test it has been determined that these shoes are made for someone other than me.
Time to seek real, actual professional help now. You know, like I should have done prior to day one. My wife and I head over to Riverside Runners to figure out if there is A) better equipment available or B) if I should find another hobby. The people at RR take one look at my feet in those fancy neon shoes and then look at me, head slightly tilted to one side and stare at me like I have a third eye in the middle of my forehead as if to say, "bless his heart". Ok, so that is what should have happened but it did not actually happen. The RR folks are awesome! No judgement about the shoes, or anything else, for that matter. They did confirm my wife's suspicions that, perhaps, the shoes I had purchased were not the most conducive choice if I wanted to continue to be able to walk, much less run. And, they carefully took the time to measure my feet (apparently most people have one bigger than the other), try on multiple styles in various brands, asked lots of questions, and really made sure that, before I left that day, I was truly satisfied with my purchase. They also have an absurdly generous return policy just in case by the way.
So, now I'm all geared up and ready to go again. I've got shoes that actually fit properly, a GPS watch, and every article of Dri-Fit Nike makes that says 'running' on it…back to looking official. It's go time! So yeah, despite the fact that the shoes literally did make a HUGE difference since they were the correct fit, level of arch support, and all that jazz I realized that I am not the athlete that I once was (and I'm not sure I was one). This running stuff is hard work. But, what I very quickly came to realize was the relaxation through it all. Running has become very therapeutic for me in a matter of only a few months. I'm significantly faster than I was and can certainly cover more distance than the day one fiasco. But, conversely, I'm no where, and I do mean no where, close to when I ran in, brace yourselves, elementary school. I still remember my fastest mile in the fifth grade: 5:34. And I remember the two people who ran it faster than me as well: John Michael Hyman and Lindsay Wray. Those two were legit!
Throughout this rediscovery of running I decided that I would try to do one race every single month in 2014. And, wouldn't it be a nice win-win if the races I chose actually benefited something too? So, I fire up the ole googlenet and find a few right off the bat. January 1st there's a Resolution Run in Roanoke that benefits Bethany Hall, a long-term residential program that provides substance abuse treatment for women and women with children. Boom! First day of the year and I'm one race in the books. This one was especially nice because I was able to run it with my wife and my buddy Andy. These two have been the biggest victims of my new found infatuation with running. February 15th I find a race in Christiansburg. That'll work nicely. *Roadblock* We bought a house that we moved into instead that weekend. Oh, and we got a little over a foot of snow. That was the closest (geographically) race at about an hour and a half away so looks like February is shot. March, ah March. Ok, so I fell off the wagon in March. Don't judge. I'm chalking this one up to new house projects, quitting my job, etc. I mean honestly, we did have a lot going on. Enough with the excuses, let's get back at it.
 |
| Me and Jaci at the Resolution Run 01.01.2014 |
Now this particular run has intrigued me for a while. I actually registered for this one back in December and now it was finally here. My wife and I were discussing the logistics, as we often have to do with three kids, and wondered if this run would be a good one for Mallory, our oldest. She's a beautiful five year old with a genuine love for exercise and has completed a few runs of her own already. But, this would be, by far, the longest. We decide she's ready for it so we pitch the idea to her so that she can make her own decision. We show her pictures and videos and try our best to describe being hit in the face with paint as she's running (seriously, go to the website and check it out). And, our beautiful, girly, girl wants in. Perfect, we've got her really amped about it now so my wife shifts into prep mode: this girl needs a tutu, stat!
I'm really glad that she had a tutu because it seems having one is a basic requirement at these things. Seriously, we got passed by more burly, bearded men wearing tutus than I could possibly count. It's ok, I'll wait so you can read that again, it wasn't a typo. Now that the stage has (somewhat) been set for you I can assure you that you have no idea what it's actually like. It was quite the production and very professionally done. If you're looking for a 5k to set a new PR (that's Personal Record, see how hip I am in the running world?), this ain't it. On the other hand, if you're looking for a ridiculous, family friendly, wholesomely dirty opportunity to get outside and burn a few calories while having a great time…this should be right up your alley.
 |
| Mallory and Daddy, pre race at The Color Run 04.05.2014 |
 |
| Annnnd, post race. |
Mallory and I cruised through this 5k in just under an hour, hand in hand the entire way (with the exception of photo ops). As her first time going this distance her time impressed at least me despite the fact that timing is the last thing on participant's minds there. I'm really excited about the fact that she loves to run and hope that it helps in the promotion of a balanced and healthy life for her. But, what I'm more excited about is that fact that this beautiful little girl wanted nothing more today than to be in a race with her Daddy and that she had so much fun that she's ready for the next one. I'm extremely proud of her and can't wait to do it again myself. I'm also incredibly grateful for a loving, supportive wife who, two other kids in tow, came out there to cheer us on and help clean up after all our shenanigans.
What are some of the special moments that you share with your family and friends under the guise of fun? Feel free to share your ideas so that others might be able to experience them as well.
><
Jefferson
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