your dad runs like stupid - Part 1

Dear Chicken Nugget,

I wanted to write briefly about my running.  If all goes well and I manage to keep it up after your birth, then you'll see me run off every now and then and come back looking like death.  Please don't be scared when this happens. 

I started running at the age of 24, six years ago, when my doctor told me I needed to exercise more.  At first I could barely run two blocks.  No joke.  Little by little I increased my running, first by just a few blocks, then a mile at a time.  It took several months for me to be able to run four miles without stopping.  And, by the end of those runs I would basically collapse in a heap of uselessness.

Soon after being able to complete four miles, I decided to run the NYC Marathon.  When you grow up I'll make sure to point out how stupid this decision is.  You should not ever run a marathon with less than a year's running experience.  But, your daddy can be silly and he started training anyway. 

Having missed getting picked by the NYC Marathon lottery, I signed up for the Marathon in the Parks in Bethesda, MD.  I had lots of friends in the area at the time and thought it would be a scenic marathon.

Around this time I started feeling so athletic that I began playing sports like softball and ultimate frisbee.  I wasn't great at either but at least I could run across the field without getting winded.  Then, the unthinkable happened.  I twisted my ankle twice playing these sports.  A month before the marathon.

Needless to say, the marathon was a bad idea.  But, your dad can be stupid a little stubborn, and I ran it anyway.  Although it was a beautiful marathon - through the woods, with deer and racoons watching the silly runners - it was a hard one too.  There were lots of hills and by Mile 10, I started feeling pain.  I continued on, having to walk a little around Miles 15,18,20,22,23,24 and finished my first marathon in 5hours 37minutes and 46seconds. 

It took me months to recover from that.  But you know what?  I'm glad I did it.  It changed my life.  I started running for good and it became part of my lifestyle.  Now, when I don't run I feel like a slob.  I'll write in another post about the health benefits, meditative aspects, and all the other positive stuff that comes with running. 

But for now, just know that I'm a runner and plan on being one until my legs can no longer carry me.  Oh, and try to keep your distance after daddy runs, papa smells.


Eternally yours,

Your papa