To Excel In Life...Run!

Stan Brouillard, Brian Siddons nearing the 5 mile point at Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon. CK Photograpy, Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon An Unexpected Running Experience: The 2017 Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon By Brian James Siddons Having just finished Matt Fitzgerald’s book, “How Bad Do You Want It? The Psychology Of Mind Over Muscle,” I was intrigued by the mental toughness tools used by the world-class athletes Fitzgerald cited, specifically race day focus, as aids to improve my own running performances. Looking back at my BQ (Boston Qualifier) in the fall of 2012, for a spot at the Boston Marathon in 2014, and then missing the revised cut by six seconds, I wondered if my focus had been better, wouldn’t I have run at least seven seconds faster?   While the stories Fitzgerald recounted were truly inspirational, I realized my quest for sharper mental performances might best be served through the experiences of runners fighting battles for improvements much less daunti...

Optimistic About The Long Road Ahead I’m forever an optimist. It’s how I choose to fuel each day with the passion that drives me toward discovery, fills my heart with joy, and in countless other ways turns a world of incredible potential into a daily endeavor to maximize a life that includes blessings of all kinds, thanks for so much and fulfillment in many small and big ways. Certainly, not every day is perfect, but every day has that potential.    I’m also a recreational long distance runner, and I feed off the same optimistic outlook to get me through my yearly marathon training seasons. Like life, not every run is a joy filled experience, some can be an outright grind to get through. More often than not, I still find things sunny side up. Sometimes it’s as simple as enjoying the beauty of an early morning run through Bunker Hills Park, or training with my running partners as we banter away during a Saturday morning long run. I can’t pinpoint if the distance runnin...

1.      The Long Run, which is your longest run on the week, normally on a Saturday or Sunday, is, pace wise, classified as a recovery run.          In and of itself, a long run of 12 miles or more should also be considered one of your three weekly effort runs due to the distance, and due to the time on your legs. Don’t overlook the fact a long run, at any pace, is affected by your workouts earlier in the week, and will have a direct effect on your runs of the following week. A long run can be the building block of a great foundation for your training, or, if not monitored with diligence, it can become the straw that will break the camels’ back. Long runs build your foundation when you train at a pace that won’t leave you feeling like you couldn’t run another step. Enjoy what you have worked up to during the week by making your long run more pleasant than painful, and leave the heavy breathing for your two other effort d...

Shoe Review: New Balance Vongo June 25, 2016 by Brian J. Siddons      For those of us that have spent decades enjoying the passion of running, it's a blessing to have a training shoe that remains fairly constant over a period of years. Sure, tweaks happen, but a shoe that provides the basics for training and racing and is off the radar in regards to running ailments is a gold medal winner in my log book. There are plenty of non-shoe, running-related issues to worry about for those of us over 50, and shoes, while still a joy to take out on a maiden voyage, are something I prefer to keep status quo.      Don't get me wrong, I enjoy trying on a few different styles at my local running shoe stores when it's time to replace a pair and the urge for a new model rises up, although I continue to slip back into a proven shoe for me...albeit a new colorway or with slight upgrades to 'this years model'. And, I love reading about the y...

     Admit it, you love walking into work knowing your morning run mileage is more than 95% of your network will run in a week. You stay humble, because you also know your running can be knocked back with the simple twist of a knee or the hyper-extension of a hamstring.      At this time of year, as dawn breaks a few minutes earlier each morning, and the sun lingers longer in the evening sky, we are anxious for the days of shirts and shorts as our only running gear, and  yet we are melancholy as we peel off the winter hat, tights and windbreaker for what may be the last run in our arsenal of layered, cold weather, tech gear running.      It isn't that we're going to miss the extra fifteen minutes of gearing up for a six mile run, or doing loads of laundry each week, or trying to remember to keep enough batteries stocked for our headlamps. What we will miss most is sharing the roads and trails with just the few other ha...

Spring Marathoner Runners - Top Ten Training and Race Day Do's and Don'ts It's that time of year again! Soon, the crowds will be massed and the voices will be cheering! No, I'm not talking about the next Presidential primary, this is something much more intense! It's spring marathon season! As we emerge from our winter slumber of lumbering miles and bouts with cold weather, head colds and, well, just way too much cold stuff, spring is here and we are dreaming of that one line that reels us back every time we step over it: The finish line! Parks are now being populated with runners, walkers, hikers and bikers that have dug out shoes and sprockets. Asphalt trails are filled and flowing like the avian flyways of Nebraska's wetlands. People are out and runners are gobbling up the miles, gearing their training for what may be their very first marathon, or one in a string of 26.2 jaunts that may date back years, if not decades. As the excitement builds...