Running 4 Your Life

A couple of nights ago, my running group had the end-of-the-season’s get together. End-of-the-season doesn’t mean we stop running or stop getting together. For a few weeks, we’ll suspend formal practice. But soon, we’ll be back out there together to begin our winter running groups. We’re all still running and training for something.

Our gathering was a time for people to share their success stories with the group and acknowledge those who helped them reach their goals.

• Amber shared with us her accomplishments and how she got through the rough patches and crossed the finish line of her marathon with the help of her new friend Chele.
• Joyce shared with us how she reached her goals in events she’d never done before.
• Paul shared funny stories of  going the “extra mile” and expressed gratitude to his running partners and coaches.
• Machelle shared her personal story of weight loss and getting on the path to health and wellness.
• Sue shared with us her personal story of how Donna, her running partner, literally saved her life.

This is just a sampling of the stories we shared. Everyone has a story. Every race has a story. And, people (especially runners and walkers) love to get together to tell their stories.

Six months ago, I knew only a handful of people in Boise. I had lunch with Steve, the “head” of a local running/walking group and offered to help coach. He didn’t know me at all, but he decided to take a chance on me and allowed me to join his other coaches in a successful program known for its dedicated, knowledgeable coaches.

Runners are welcoming folks. At our end-of-the-season gathering, I looked around at all my new friends - just since I had joined the group 6 months ago - and I was filled with gratitude.

I’m looking forward to getting back on the path with them very soon…and hearing more of their stories.

Throughout my running life, I’ve had the good fortune to run (and walk) with so many different people. There have been days when I was the one who had to do all the talking so that the others could focus on breathing. Other times, I was the one who needed to concentrate on breathing.

Over the past 13 years, running has brought me so many great friends - I can’t even begin to name them all. Some of us have moved to different places, but the friendships that we forged have withstood the distance. One thing is certain: We meet as strangers, but we become friends as we run and walk together.

I treasure my running partners - there is a mutual sharing of who we really are as we’re out there on the road together.  No cell phones. No emails to check. No distractions. No pretenses. No judgment. Just time spent with a friend on the road. What could be better?

So, what is it that bonds people together as they run or walk long miles?  Is it common interests? Common goals? Common challenges? Common pain?

If you have made good friends through your running or walking, I’m sure you understand this concept. I’d love to hear your thoughts and/or stories.

Do you know how fortunate you are? Just take a few minutes to think about all the things you have to be grateful for - even the smallest things. Write them down. You’ll find that once you start writing things down, it’s hard to stop. Everyday, I record something in my Gratitude Journal - sometimes I get going, and the list gets really long.

All of our successes - no matter how large or small - are accomplished with the help and support of other people. Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

A big “THANKS” to all my family and friends. I am honored and grateful that you are with me on my path.

Frank A. Clark said, “If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.”

Like most things in life, there are peaks and valleys. And, if we can just weather the valleys, we’ll make it to the summit. As I embark on my ultrarunning series, I like to keep this in mind.

My first race in the series is coming up on November 15 - a 50K (31 miles) in Stinson Beach, California. It is a trail run on a challenging course along the Pacific coast. Throughout my running history, I have not been a trail runner. Living in Chicago for mosts of my running life has not afforded me the opportunity to run on trails. A gorgeous lakefront yes, but trails no. And, since the marathons I’ve run have been road races, even in the past year in Boise, I’ve trained mostly on asphalt running paths.

New adventures bring new challenges. Most ultramarathons are run on trails - trails with lots of hills. So, that is my new challenge. Last weekend, I ran the Royal Victoria Marathon in Victoria, Canada - on roads. Most of my training was on roads for this race; however, for the past couple of months, I have been introducing trails up to about 6 miles. And, with a trail run coming up in a few weeks, I have been putting in short trail runs on a regular basis.

Yesterday, I ran 10 miles in the hills on trails, my longest trail run to date. It was challenging to say the least. But remembering that if I could just get through the rough patches, I would make it to the summit, I succeeded and felt great afterwards. Notice I said, “afterwards.” There were patches where I didn’t feel so great during the run. But I am getting better every time I go out there.

There were so many highlights of that run, but one of the bonuses of running that particular path was seeing the gorgeous fall leaves. I ran on a trail I haven’t run before, and I thought about all the people who will never see the beauty I saw yesterday - either because they are unable to hike those trails or they are unwilling. I ran along the top of a ridge above a gulch. Besides seeing for miles in every direction - which was so cool - I saw the trees below in the gulch. Every shade of color you can imagine - it looked like the photographs you see on travel brochures beckoning travelers to come see the fall colors. The beauty took my breath away (or it could have been the uphill running and the altitude).

I am so fortunate to be able to run in the first place, but doubly fortunate to have the foothills and trails to run on here in Idaho.

Yesterday, I literally experienced the peaks and valleys in my running. And, everyday we experience figurative peaks and valleys. And, as we weather both the literal and figurative valleys, we get stronger everyday. I’m excited about taking on new physical and mental challenges, and I’m already enjoying the process.

George Sheehan said, “Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.”

I saw that courage and determination two days ago as hundreds of athletes gathered to run the Boise City of Trees Marathon and Half Marathon. I had the good fortune to be a spectator this year for this monumental task.

Two of my friends from Chicago came to Boise to participate in the events, and many of my friends here in Boise ran as well. We couldn’t have had a more perfect day for running. I managed to make it to several spots along the course to cheer them on and even get a few photos through the window of my car.

Whether you are running 13.1 or 26.2 miles, it is a long way to run. And, completing a long distance event takes months of discipline and practice. Making it to the starting line is an accomplishment in itself, and I applaud everyone out there.

Special congratulations to Ann for completing your first marathon! And, to Joan and Roz: Thank you for coming from Chicago to visit me in Boise to run in this event. Congratulations to both of you on running a great race.

Courage, determination, will…George Sheehan uses these words to describe success. Add to those discipline, persistence, encouragement, mental and physical toughness - and you are describing Joan, Roz, Ann, Kit, Matt … and so many others. Congratulations to all the City of Trees athletes!!!

On September 13, three of my friends - Matt, Amber, and Chele - ran a marathon. Matt ran the Salmon Marathon (Salmon, Idaho); Amber and Chele ran the Timberline Trail Marathon (Mount Hood). For all of them, it was their 2nd marathon.

By all standards, these three runners would be considered novices - as is the case with any sport in which you have been competing for only a few years. But, the great thing about running - anywhere - is that we are part of a community of runners where it doesn’t matter if you have run 1 marathon or 41 marathons…if you run a 2:48 or a 5:48…you are a special and equal member of that community. And, runners everywhere support each other - fast or slow, old or young, novice or veteran.

Amber said, “It’s awesome how a group of runners can jump into conversations with each other so easily.” Chele said of running with Amber, “…to share it with a friend made it all the sweeter.” Matt met runners at the pre-race pasta party and ran with them the next day in the marathon. I talked with Matt the afternoon of the race, and he was on “Cloud 9.” Four days later, when I talked to him again, he was on the same cloud.

Runners often have an instant connection with each other. I’ve run races in which I was “with” the same runners for almost all of the 26.2 miles. You share a certain kinship with them - maybe because you know it’s as hard for them as it is for you - and you find yourself helping them get to the finish line because in a strange way, their success is also yours.

Running is technically a solitary sport. But it is the supportive running community that keeps us running. I’m so happy for Matt, Amber, and Chele that they had such wonderfully inspiring experiences. Running a marathon is hard, and it’s a monumental achievement. I am even more inspired every time one of my friends runs another marathon.

Matt, Amber, and Chele: Thanks for the inspiration!

Coach Joe Henderson said of Dick’s camp, “We come as strangers, and we leave as family.”

Pat Loebach, a friend of mine whom I met at the inaugural camp in 2003, said, “I came to came to be a better runner; I left a better person.”

This is what Dick’s camp is about. It is a running camp, but it’s not just about running. Sure, we practiced strides, ran hills, learned about lactate thresholds, and some even set PRs in Dick’s 1/2 marathon on Saturday. But we also made new friends and invited them to stay at our homes to run races in our cities. And, unlike offers that people often make when they say, “You’re welcome to come stay at my house,” we actually take each other up on their offers to visit.

It’s always good to go home after being gone for a week, but it’s also hard to leave camp. What makes it easier is that I know I will be talking to my new friends through email, phone calls, and meeting up with them again at races all over the world.

At camp this year, I gave a talk on “Running & Friendship,” and I enumerated the dozens of friends that I have made just through connections at Dick’s camp. I met Jan Seeley - without whom there would not be a Dick Beardsley Marathon Camp - at the Napa Valley Marathon expo in 1998.

So, to Jan, I say “Thank You” for making all these friendships happen. And now that we have completed yet another camp, I am so fortunate to add many new friends to my “list” of running friends.

As I was running down Spearfish Canyon last Sunday taking in the gorgeous view of the rocks, trees, waterfalls, and stream, I had lots of time to reflect. I’m not sure what mile it was exactly, but I think it was around Bridal Veil Falls when the words of Dan Milman, author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior, popped into my head: “There are no ordinary moments.”

I found myself focused on my surroundings, noticing things that I’ve never noticed before - even though I’ve run this course 2 other times. And, rather than just getting into a “zone” and running - not really thinking about anything - I took in everything my surroundings offered and reflected on all I have to be grateful for. Every moment is special - every moment is a gift.
Running in Spearfish Canyon is a truly extraordinary experience - there are no ordinary moments.

An extraordinary group of women gathered last week for the inaugural Women on the Move Conference & Retreat. We held the retreat in conjunction with the premier all-women Leading Ladies’ Marathon in Spearfish, South Dakota.

And, when I say extraordinary, that is not a strong enough word to describe these women. I cannot give an exact number, but the combined number of marathons and ultramarathons of our group of 10 retreat athletes and 8 coaches is several hundred. And, the list of different marathons, ultras, and hikes reads like a catalog of extreme challenges: Comrades in South Africa, Kilimanjaro, Badwater, Tahoe Triple, various Ironman Triathlons, Pike’s Peak - to name only a handful.

These “super women” (some of whom are 50-staters) aged in range from 39 to 68 with only 6 women under 50 in the whole group of campers and coaches. Women on the Move campers: Bonnie, Isabelle, Diana, Katherine, Anita, Jane, Benita, Laurie, Jean, and Peggy; coaches Kathrine, Jan, Lori, Mary, Chris, Elaine, Rhonda, and me.

Kathrine Switzer, running pioneer who broke the gender barrier at the previously all-male Boston Marathon in 1967, was our featured speaker and guest coach. For 3 days, we had seminars, round table discussions, and training runs. The retreat culminated in the stellar Leading Ladies’ Marathon and Half Marathon with Elaine Doll-Dunn, one of the Women on the Move coaches, as race director. Coach Mary of our group won the Half Marathon in a time of 1:22 (that’s really fast).

I am so inspired by all these wonderful women on the move. They include wives, mothers, grandmothers…all setting examples of facing challenges with dedication, commitment, determination, and personal achievement. I am humbled, grateful, and honored to be a part of such an extraordinary group of Women on the Move.

Last night I read an article called “Chasing Happiness Together: Running and Aristotle’s Philosophy of Friendship.” It’s been a long long time since I read Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics, and I should probably revisit it. According to Aristotle, everything we do, we do in pursuit of our ultimate goal - Happiness. And, “friendship” is a critical component of living a virtuous life and ultimately being truly happy.

Aristotle says that developing a friendship based on virtue requires time, familiarity, trust, mutual good will and mutual sacrifice. Running provides a perfect setting for developing friendships. (more…)