Monday, July 22, 2013

At a Plateau,But I Can Still See More to Climb

There comes a point in every runners competitive life that you start to see a decline in your performance . It becomes harder to set personal records and harder to reach goals that you have set for yourself. This usually comes even though that runner gives his/her all during training , but nature just takes over.

I am not sure if this applies to my situation or not. I have run four races and have had disappointing results in all 4. Yes I have won awards in 3 out of the four, but my times are much slower than I had hoped . I have tried to attribute these to many things , such as health issues, haven't done enough speedwork and things like that. But this could be the beginning of my decline.

If it is how do I accept that?

Honestly, if I do accept the fact that I am starting to decline and showing my age, that means that I am giving up. I think I need to continue to train hard and let the chips fall where they may. I think that if you give something everything you got and don't achieve your goals , then you can live with yourself , if you give up before trying or use something like getting older as an excuse then you will have a hard time looking at yourself in the mirror.

I still see much more peaks that I need to climb . I may not succeed at climbing all of them, but I know I won't succeed if I don't try.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

The World of Running is Forever Changed

I have felt it.

You can not line up at the starting line of any race without feeling the world of running has changed since April 15, 2013. There is a certain fear for both participants and those who watch , what if it happens again? I have to say I have been thinking about this frequently lately.

The bombings at the finish line in Boston at the marathon have forever changed the way organizers plan for races. There are new rules that are in place, more security measures and just a different feel to races . I have ran three races since then and you can definitely feel the change . The mindset of the runners and spectators have changed as well.

The best example I can think of was this years Buffalo Marathon. I have run larger marathons before and there was always security , but not like this. There were helicopters flying overhead, several Coast Guard Boats in the water and police and security at every turn . You knew there were eyes everywhere, I felt secure, but I still worried , not for me but for the spectators , particularly my biggest fan , my wife.

She was downtown , in with the crowds , if anything like Boston were to happen in Buffalo then it would most likely happen there. I was a moving target, she was stationery . Although I knew that the chances of anything happening were almost zero, it still doesn't erase the fear or put the thought out of your head.

On Monday July 15th I start training for the biggest race of my life , the ING New York City Marathon. I have always dreamed of running this race since I put on my first pair of running shoes  . Although I am super excited I do worry about my wife , my sister and my sister in law, who will be watching me and my brother run the five boroughs of New York. Am I putting them in harms way because I am being selfish?

I know the answer to that is no. They are grown adults who make their own decisions . Also I know that New York will be the most secure place on the planet that day, but again it doesn't stop the fear of something happening to them.

Then this morning I read an article about Bill Iffrig
Bill Iffrig

He is a 78 year old runner from Washington state. You know him as the man in the orange tank top who was knocked down by the blast at the finish line in Boston. He got back up and finished the race. 

I guess that is what we runners do, we press on. We fight through many obstacles such as weather, injuries and other environmental challenges just so we can experience running across that finish line again. The people who watch us give everything that we have to cross that line want to experience that with us  , that is why they are there. It is a relationship that should never be torn apart by fear of something happening, because if it does then the terrorists have won.


Friday, July 5, 2013

What is Going On

It seems like life has slowed down a bit for me lately so I figured I would try to catch up posting my thoughts on a few things lately here. As my many (tongue in cheek ) followers can tell I have changed things up on the way my blog looks. Tell me what you think!


    The Colors Riley will be wearing in the Fall
  • My son Riley has joined the Cross Country team: This was his own decision, I did not push him into it , but I am excited about it . We have been training and he has been improving . My biggest worry is that he only joined to try to please me because I run. I am just proud of him because he is trying something new, and for the most part he is giving his all. I can't wait to go to his first meet and cheer him on ! (Although he will be wearing black and gold.... yuck!)
Me on the Jumbo tron @ Ralph Wilson Stadium
  • Update on my running: It feels good to be back on track after many issues that caused me to have a sub par Buffalo Marathon and before that a not so good 5K in April. Comparing last year and this year , I came pretty close to my time at the  half marathon from last year, so it looks like I am back on track and I hope to build on that as I move through the summer season and into fall. I start preparing for the Ing New York City marathon on July 15th, I hope to keep you updated on my progress preparing for that.


  • Moving Forward: It is never too late to turn things around, I always find it inspiring when people fight addictions and can overcome them. I have someone in mind right now and I am very happy to see that the "Polish Hammer" is turning things around. I am sure it is a fight for him everyday, but I am sure it is one he will continue to win. Whether it is alcoholism, quitting cigarettes, losing weight or the many other challenges that people overcome, those who are successful at it have to take ownership to the challenges they face and go from here. Those who blame others for their personal challenges, usually end up not winning.  Get help, but remember it is ultimately you who decides if you win or not.


  • For those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, you may have noticed that I have not posted anything political in a while. This is because I am pretty fed up with all of politics right now and honestly am just going to let my voting do the talking from now on. Starting a war on Facebook doesn't solve anything .
Well I guess that is it for right now, as always please feel free to comment below. Have a great day!