To Excel In Life...Run!

I call them magic legs. Deep in REM sleep, cozy and comfortable in the queen-sized bed that has given me years of dream-filled slumber, I am running with such ease I would swear I am flying! Runners, like writers, have good days and not so good days. We have runs that are called grinders because it takes all we’ve got to grind out a few average training miles. Writers know this same feeling. Once beyond the dreaded ‘block’, or as runners say, once out the door, you can be ready to write page upon page and yet the pen, full of ink, dares you to make a mark on the page. The grip feels awkward, your chair off kilter, the lighting too dim. And yet, after the cursory perp, the writing, as rough and chunky as it may be, is begun! You finish, in a time longer than expected, and are quite glad to turn the tablet to a fresh page for tomorrows effort. On the morrow, the sun rises within minutes of the previous days peak above the horizon. My routine for a morning run...

Running barefoot on grass was a mainstay back in the '60's and early '70's. My brother, Al, has told me stories about workouts when their coach had them run barefoot on grass fields. Not that their shoes were much to speak of, usually thin layers of crepe for an outsole ( no midsole to speak of ) and a thin nylon upper. A good friend of mine, Laser, has hit a plateau with his running, so I surprised him with a short workout last Saturday. We had previously discussed getting back to ground zero with his running; shoes, training schedule, racing, nutrition, cadence, etc. We even discussed the need to rediscover the joy of running. If it's a chore, don't do it any more. Take a break. He was on the precipice of a long break from running. We drove to a nearby middle-school track. Classic cinder, a few weeds here and there but overall in nice shape. The bleachers were at least off the track. And the grassy infield, used for lacrosse and soccer, was in...

Potential. While tough to fully realize, we all hope to bust through our inhibitors and squeeze as much from ourselves as we can. Along the paths we travel, life choices are made, wayward directions are embarked upon, and parameters are set that inadvertently hold us back. Standards we will hang onto form around us for all to see, so we push our boundaries in secret, not wanting to expose true goals to others for fear of our possible failure. Hidden behind our best, no matter the level, is a desire for more, nestled in the harsh reality that we may not get there. My running life has been a roller coaster ride on the Potential Train. As a high-school sophomore in the mid ‘70’s, I ran times that showed potential. 2:08 for the half-mile, 4:45 for the mile and 10:17 for the two-mile. Unfortunately, the rest of my high school seasons were marred with running injuries and disrupted by a less than perfect home life.  Garden Grove, California 1974 High School Cross Countr...