In the late 80s I had a demanding job, I had too much stress in my life, I was eating too much of the Southern food I had grown up with and was carrying extra weight and I was smoking, a habit I had picked up in school. One night after dinner I had chest pains radiating up into my neck, the classic signs of a heart attack. Luckily I lived just a couple of miles from the hospital so my wife drove me there.
After arriving at the hospital and having an EKG test, that was sent to the staff cardiologist, he called the hospital to tell them I had not had a heart attack but to put me into CCU for a couple of days to watch me and run further tests. A few days later I was released with no other symptoms.
So my running career began. At first I just ran occasionally, not thinking about keeping track of my mileage but just running for health. It should not be required to mention that I quit smoking, lost weight and began running on a more regular schedule.
I ran my first race on July 28, 1989 the Life College Run For Life 5K. I didn't record my time but I do remember how hard it was. I continued to train and the following year in May 1990 I began keeping training logs of my running and racing. I learned early on that you needed to keep track of what you were doing so that you would know what worked and what didn't. Also it was helpful to go back into a past training for an event and see how you compared now.
FRIENDSHIP
As I ran more and raced more I began to make friends. I joined the Atlanta Track Club and the Chattahoochee Road Runners. I have so many wonderful memories with these groups, the Ekiden Relay, the bus trips to run the Hogpen Hill Climb, gathering together after the Peachtree Road Race, planning and working the Chattahoochee Road Runners 10K Race, traveling together out of state for races, and the monthly club meetings and weekly group runs.
Some of my friends from a mid-week run.
Hog Pen Bus Trip
Great fun with these friends at Cades Cove, TN
As a result of my running a couple of years ago I was contacted by a high school classmate, Kayward Davis, who had just moved back into the area and wanted to get together. We met and initially did a power hike together then I wrote a training plan for him to train to run a 5K event with his family.
One of my most memorable friendships was with Jim Sheadel, whom I will talk about later.
So many good friends and good times together.
But my biggest thrill was running the Peachtree Road Race with my son, Clint.
Since I have moved to Colorado I am beginning to make some new friends.
EXPERIENCES
RUNNING WITH THE LEGENDS
Because of running I have had the opportunity to run with some of the legends of running, Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers and Dick Beardsley.
A group run with Dick Beardsley
I have had the opportunity to meet and spent time with others great runners including Adam Goucher, Pete Pfitzinger and Benji Durden.
Had an opportunity to meet and listen to Sister Marion "The Running Nun", a very funny talk.
Running also connected me with Scott Rigsby, who I later coached for running a couple of Boston Marathons.
EXPERIENCES
CHARITY/VOLUNTEER
As is the case for a lot of runners, after I had been running for a number of years, gradually increasing the distance of the races, I heard from my dentist, who happened to be one of the coaches, about the Team In Training Program that was being started in Atlanta and the plan to run the Big Sur Marathon in 1995.
Since I had an interest in running my first marathon, and since I knew that his daughter had died of leukemia, I knew this would be an opportunity to raise money for research and to run with a purpose.
I eventually raised funds and ran in several marathons in support of TNT and later became one of the mentor coaches.
As part of the TNT program you could run in honor of a leukemia patient. I ran in honor of Michele Champion, a leukemia survivor. When I met with her she gave me her favorite Lion King finger puppet, which I still have.
During the training for my first Big Sur is when I met and became friends with Jim Sheadel who I had mentioned earlier. We did most of our runs together and became good friends. On the day of the race we ran together until we reached the Bixby Bridge at the half-marathon point (see picture-that's Jim just off my left shoulder) at that point we each ran our own pace to the finish.
I went to the event with the club president to make the award. After the presentation almost all of the athletes there stopped by to thank us for the contribution and commented that it surprised them that a running club would do this. Our club member who was involved with the program came to me afterwards and asked if I would come the next weekend and help. He said they had many participants but few volunteers. I said I would come and help.
The next Saturday I had to do an 18 mile run that didn't go very well. When I arrived at the tennis center I was complaining to a friend about the bad run I had that morning. As the young kids began to arrive and as I began working with some of them, shagging balls or tossing balls for them to hit, I realized I had nothing to complain about, this was their life every day. I promised myself that day that I would never ever complain about a bad run or race again.
The program was held for 6 weeks every spring and fall and I continued to volunteer for several years.
Because of my association with the wheelchair tennis program I was noticed by Blaze Sports, an organization that was formed after the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta. They approached me about helping with their track & field program.
I worked with their athletes for several years including coaching athletes for the 2007 USA Paralympic Track & Field National Championships held in Marietta, GA. Several who went on to the University of Illinois that has outstanding wheelchair programs in basketball and track & field.
This was some of the most rewarding coaching that I have ever done and was inspired by their grit and determination.
Because of my association with Blaze Sports the Shepard Spinal Center in 2009 asked me to work with a group of Egyptian athletes that Blaze Sports was bringing to the Roosevelt Rehabilitation Center in Warm Springs, GA. It was an amazing experience, not only because of the exposure to their culture but to work with a gold medal athlete from Egypt. I made many friends during that week, some that I am still connected to on Facebook.
COACHING
I kind of backed into coaching, as I ran more and became better at running and starting having some success I began getting questions from others about how to train. I decided that if I was going to give advice I had better know what I was talking about.
I started a process that took several years to accomplish. I went back to school, I read almost every book ever written by almost every famous coach, I traveled to Albuquerque to test for my first running certification, I spent a week at James Madison University in VA to test for my USA Track & Field Level 2 Certification, I spent a week at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to test for my Elite Level 1 USA Cycling Certification, spent 3 days in Clermont, FL for my USA Triathlon Certification, along with CPR and First Aid Certifications and testing by the American Sport Education Program and an Associate Member of the American College of Sports Medicine.
All of this exposed me to some exceptional athletes. I have athletes that have competed on the National, World and International level with some success. But some of my most satisfying coaching has been with new athletes just getting started or with athletes that keep setting higher and higher goals.
One of those athlete is Kacie Darden. I had been coaching her husband George in cycling when I first met with Kacie. She had done minimal running and wanted to get into triathlons. It would take another long blog just to cover what she accomplished between 2010 and 2013 but here are some of the highlights:
2010- Set Personal Best times at almost every running distance she competed.
Completed her 1st Ironman Distance race in Louisville, KY on 8/29/10
Was 1st Overall Female and set new course record by 8:40 at the Tashka Trail 50K
2011- Competed as a sponsored athlete for REV 3, a triathlon team.
Completed 3 Ironman Distance races with the final event in Cozumel and cutting her finish time from her 1st Ironman a year earlier by 1:07:41.
2012- Finished the Florida Double Iron Distance Race as 3rd Female and 5th Overall in 28:48:06
Competed in several REV 3 triathlons
Competed in a 200 Mile RAAM (Race Across America) Challenge Race and finished 1st Female.
2013 - RAAM (Race Across America) 3000 Miles -
With teammate Dani Grabol they broke the 2 Person Female World Record.
8 days 2 hours 35 minutes
What is not mentioned is all the dozens of other events in cycling, running, triathlon and swimming that she accomplished in these 3 years.
TRAVEL
I have run 11 marathons to date and all but one have been outside of Georgia. This has taken me to some beautiful places.
I have traveled all around the South to races and have seen some unique and interesting locations.
RACES
Although I have run over 320 races there are certain ones that stand out for different reasons, some for the course, some for the difficulty, some for the scenery. These are my favorites:
Big Sur Marathon - As I mentioned before I have run this race 3 times and to me it is one of the most beautiful courses.
Avenue of the Giants Marathon - Humbolt Redwoods State Park - The trees are incredible and awe inspiring.
And for the young athletes that I ran the race with.
Monument Valley Half-marathon - So much sand but so much beauty and such a spiritual place to run.
The other marathons that I ran in beautiful locations:
Chicago - 1996
Vermont City Marathon - Burlington - 1999
Atlanta Marathon - 2000
Walt Disney World Marathon - 2000 & 2001
Wineglass Marathon - Corning, NY - 2002
AWARDS/RECOGNITION
Although I have had success at many races for different distances there are a few that mean the most to me because of the effort it took.
2015 - USA Track & Field 10K Colorado State Championship - 1st Age Group 65-69
2016 - USA Track & Field 10K Colorado State Championship - 2nd Age Group 70-74
2017 - USA Track & Field 5K Cross Country Colorado State Championship - 3rd Age Group 70-79
2016- USA Track & Field Phidippides Gold Award
As a member of the Chattahoochee Roads Runners for many years I was given several awards:
the President's Award in 2000, 2002 & 2006 and the Service to the Club Award in 2001.
RUNNING INJURIES
I have been extremely lucky and resilient in the fact that I have had very few running injuries. Some issues with plantar fascia, some issues with shinsplints, some issues with Morton's neuroma but the only serious running injury I suffered is that I did one time develop a stress fracture in my pelvis as I was marathon training. A few months off, a slow comeback and no issue since.
So what is the biggest thing that running 20,000 miles has given me? Patience and goal setting.
A goal without a plan is just a wish.
There are no shortcuts.
You get out what you put in.
The last miles are always the longest.
Running is a social sport, the best miles run are with friends.
On an out and back run the wind will always be a headwind.
Hard runs make for harder runners.
If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right.
I will finish with my favorite quote from my favorite president:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man
who points out how the strong man(woman) stumbled,
or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man(woman) who is actually in the arena;
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again;
who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions,
and spends himself(herself) in a worthy cause;
who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions,
and spends himself(herself) in a worthy cause;
who, at best, knows in the triumph of high achievement,
and who at the worst, if he(she) fails, at least fails while daring greatly,
so that his(her) place shall never be with those cold and timid souls
and who at the worst, if he(she) fails, at least fails while daring greatly,
so that his(her) place shall never be with those cold and timid souls
who know neither victory nor defeat.”
---Theodore Roosevelt---
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