The Reminder

The Summer heat and humidity has made my running a bit more difficult this year. The fact is when it's this hot, I shouldn't be running outside. The doctor told me last year that I shouldn't run in extreme heat an humidity. I have been running, but at a far reduced scale.

Ideally I would like to be running 3-5 miles at a time, but with a heat index of 100, I'm running 1.5-2 miles. I want to be active, but I don't want to really stress my body, specifically my heart. It's a reminder to me that I need to be cautious.

People who know me, know that I hate having to be like that. They know I would rather be using myself harder than that, but the reality is I can't. I want to live to run another day. Runners by nature are stubborn people, who believe they should push through whatever. Well, I'm breaking that tradition. If I push myself, and something bad happens, I may lose the ability to run - period. I'm not sure how I could handle that prospect, so I listen to what the doctor says, and I back off a bit.

For Hood to Coast, I already have it in my head that if it is this hot and humid, I will be walking the legs, more than running them. This makes sense. My team might want me to be a bit faster, but I bet once I explain to them, they'll be in agreement with me.

In the end, I think it's better the be able to live to run another day.

Charlie

Hood to Coast 30 Days Away: Update

I'm getting asked quite a bit about how I feel about the race. I feel good, nervous, anxious and excited. That's quite a bit to feel, but to be honest, that's no different than how I feel before any other race.

My running is going well. Yes, I would rather not be running in this damned humid weather. It makes it unpleasant to run, but I can't really do anything about that. I feel good out there running.

I wish I knew which legs I was running so I could better prepare. I'm told I will know soon, but because there are two companies involved in putting the team together, soon means....not soon. I think that is where the anxiousness comes from.

The nerves come form the unknown. Not sure what I will face, so I'm about nervous about how I will tackle things. I've driven through the parts of Oregon we will run, so I have an idea of what it's like. Of course running and driving are two different things, but I am mentally, and physically preparing for a rolly, hilly run. Flat takes on a new meaning when you leave Illinois and Indiana.

I was asked yesterday if I feel like this is a dream coming true. I do. When people have asked me what races I want to do, Boston, Paris, Comrades and Hood to Coast are the ones I talk about. Comrades I will never do, but I would love to go watch. Paris, I can do in my lifetime. Boston is the ultimate dream, and until I worked for my company, I could not imagine how I would do Hood to Coast. It's the only relay race I have wanted to do. So yes, dreams can come true.

30 days away.....things are good.

Charlie

Hood to Coast 35 Days Away: What Will I See?

One of the amazing things about running long distance races is what you see. In Chicago, the marathon takes you through 26.2 miles of unique neighborhoods. Chinese dragons, Mariachi bands, drag queens, and about one million people line the streets to cheer you on. In Indianapolis, you can a run a race which takes you around the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In South Bend, IN, you can finish on the 50 yard line in Notre Dame Stadium.

A relay race like Hood to Coast gives you something more. You get to see the passage of land from a mountain to an ocean. You start in a high elevation, surrounded by trees. You wind your way through small towns, in the woods, through Portland, making your way to the sandy finish at the Pacific Ocean. That sounds incredible.

I want to take in the scene. I want to take in the people who will come out to cheer us all on. I want to see some runners in costumes. There will be silliness, perseverance, joy, sorrow, all of the emotions. This is one thing running does, that few other sports allow - you get to see the world around you.

So while I will be busy trying to get from point A to point B, I will also take it all in. This may be my only Hood to Coast and I want to be sure I see all I am supposed to see.

Charlie

Hood to Coast 37 Days Away: Who Runs?

As we draw closer to Hood to Coast, I've found myself wondering who runs this race? Of course the documentary gives you a glimpse into some of the people who gather at Mt. Hood to start their journey across Oregon. They are young, old and any age in between. They are seasoned runners, with a great deal of years under their belts. There are also those who are attempting to run for the first time. This relay is where all the stories come together.

This blog has been about my story, and what I bring to running, and now Hood to Coast. I've been running about 10 years. It's been an interesting ride, as I have experienced: learning how to run, losing weight, entering races, finishing my first 5K, 8K, 10K, half and full marathon, training people to run, loving running, not always liking running, surviving a heart attack, and coming back. My story feels unique, yet at the same time, similar to a good many other stories out there.

A relay like Hood to Coast, brings people together as a team for a shared and solitary experience. You have a bond with your team, yet you are on your own on your legs of the race. You share stories. You laugh. You may even cry.

Races like this are a part of the human element, where one person shares their love of running with another. 99.999999% of the teams won't win the actual race, but they will win in what they accomplish over 197 miles.

Who runs? Everyone runs a race like this. This is what I love about running. It's isn't for a select few, it's for anyone who can go right foot, left foot, repeat....quicker than normal,

Charlie

Summer Running

Every year I think I can do a Summer race, then I get to running in the actual season, and I hate it. I would rather run on a 25 degree Winter day than 94% humidity as I did this morning. Now if it were 72 degrees and low humidity, I could feel could about this seasonal running, but no.

Yesterday was the Narragansett Bay Half, which I had thought about doing. As I walked around Providence in 90 degree weather, I was so glad I didn't run it. I've never had a race I've enjoyed in the Summer. So I am really hoping Hood to Coast can break that for me. :-)

Today I just checked miles, not time. I ran 1.5 miles, and really that was all I could muster at 5:45am. Maybe I should run at 3:30am?

I just hate peeling clothes off me at the end of a run. To be honest, they were sticky getting on, which I also didn't like. Did I mention how much I dislike running in this heat and humidity?

Charlie

Hood to Coast 40 Days Away: From Here On

The training up to this point has included speed work, hill work, two a days, and just running in various temps. Things are going to be a bit different from here on. Now it's time to increase the miles. I feel I have a good base, now I need to add the miles.

I know how to navigate a rolly area. I know it takes a bit of a toll on me, so now I have to add the miles, so I can have the stamina to do 5-8 miles of such a route. The only way to do this is to increase miles. In stifling humidity, that can be difficult. I need my base to me 3.5 miles, and then take it from there.

This is very different than training for a marathon. At least my long run isn't 4-5 hours. In this case, I am looking at 1.5-2 hours of a long run. That's more manageable to say the least.

I also need to figure the nutrition. I have really embraced Honey Stinger products. They are natural, and they seem to give me the boost I need. Of course NUUN is always with me on hot or longer runs.

My shoes are beginning to wear down, I can feel it in my legs, so now it's time to transition to my newer shoes(thanks Brooks). I know I will need an additional pair as I get closer to the race.

If I am frustrated about anything, it's that I still don't know which legs I am running. The team has not heard from Nike(our sponsor), and I am told there was a personnel change, so we aren't sure who is helping us. Ugh! No stress there.

Still I feel good. I'm excited. I will also watch the Hood to Coast movie a few more dozen times between now and the race.

Charlie

Hood to Coast 42 Days Away: The Course

I've been asked where exactly are we running in this race? Easy, we are running from Mt. Hood to the Pacific Ocean. It's a course which weaves 197 miles through the northwest part of Oregon.

Elevation changes are fairly extreme. The infamous first leg of the race has you descending 2500 ft. Yes, 2500ft down!

Now for the casual person it's easy to run downhill. It isn't. It's very hard on the body to run downhill, especially at that steep a decline.

We will run on roads, trails, gravel, dirt, all kinds of terrain. We will encounter solitude and big city. We will run through the woods, and in wide open spaces. We will see a snow capped mountain, and squish our feet in the sand at the ocean. The course is varied and diverse.

Since I don't live out there, training for whatever comes my way is not easy. In fact, I can't. So my training has involved lots of rolly and hilly runs. I've run twice a day a few times. I've worked on speed, but mostly on endurance and feeling good during my run.

My team won't win. Sorry to break that to them. We won't. We will see some marvelous sites. We'll meet new people along the way. We will run Hood to Coast!

Charlie

Hood to Coast 50 Days Away: Two a Days

From the start of this I knew at some point I would have to run two a days. Seemed fitting with 50 days to go, I would start today. This morning I headed out around 5:45am and ran 2.42 miles. I chose my mostly uphill route around the neighborhood.

I felt good out there. Everything seemed easy going. It was warm out already, but no overly so. Usually there are a few folks out running, not so this morning. It was just me, and that suited me fine. Like I said, it felt good out there, like I hadn't put too hard an effort into it. At the end, the GPS said I did a 15:50/mile pace. That's pretty good.

I went about with my day. I did dishes, a bit of laundry. When Mark came home we went to a mall and walked around. All the while I knew I wanted to run later.

I ran around 5:00pm. I wasn't sure how it would go. It was more humid, so I thought I should take it easy. Off I went. Because I've never run twice in one day, I thought this should be a shorter run. I did 1.55 miles. I thought it had to be slower, because I didn't feel like I was pushing hard. It was a 14:56/mile pace. That's my fastest pace since I moved to RI.

Now, one thing I know I have to do is develop how I want to run the two a days. I don't want to go full out on the first run, because I want something for the second. At some point I want to make my second run the longer of the two. I can't do two a days every day, but they'll become more common in my running.

So today was a success. Of course now I have to take my second shower of the day. I feel grosser after run #2 than I did this morning.

Charlie

One Year

My life has been marked by the major events in my life. How I dealt with them has pretty much dictated how I moved through life. I lost my brother at a young age. I coped with being Gay. I lived through a false HIV+ diagnosis and suicide attempt. I've had love, lost it, and found it again. I've lost a parent. I've dealt with pre-diabetes. And....a year ago I had a heart attack. I imagine this would make an interesting book.

How do you come back from a heart attack? For everyone it's different. Some people get depressed and wallow in it. Some people fight back. Some use a more measured approach. I fought back. I didn't want this to define me. I wanted to define me.

I plowed through rehab with the goal of running again. When I got the ok to run....I did. Now, I don't run like I used to, and that has taken some getting used to, but I am running. Better to run, than to not run.

I also had to make changes in my life. My work was not in a good place for me. It's safe to say the stress caused by certain people in my work contributed to the heart attack. I decided to make a change. Mark and I left Indiana to move to Rhode Island, where I have opened and manage a running store. No stress there. :-)

Since we moved, I've felt more at ease, happier. I've explored running areas in the Providence area, and are still finding new places to run. I've developed a running routine.

I've come from a place where I didn't know if I would live or die, to training for Hood to Coast. I fully understand most people don't come back from heart attacks and go run relay races. I'm not most people. I've watched myself. I've monitored my food, my meds, and my running. If I don't feel well, I don't run. If I don't feel well on a run, I walk. My Hood to Coast team won't win, but we will be winners for doing it. I'm already anticipating an emotional race.

The year has been a learning curve, and I am still learning. It hasn't been easy for me or Mark. We both forget at times I have heart disease. He gets frustrated, as do I.

I have had amazing support from family and friends. There are people in my life that I don't see on a regular basis, or haven't seen in years, who have been so kind and wonderful to me. I feel very fortunate.

So here I am a year later....feeling good....taking on challenges...living life. It's easy to say this is a new lease on life, but really, it's a continuation of life....I'm just getting better at living it.

Charlie

Hood to Coast 56 Days Away: In Oregon You Can't Give Up

Running has enough challenges for me. There are days the right foot, left foot repeat are harder than others. This morning was not a difficult one. I ran my 3.1 mile hilly loop near my home. My focus was more on speed this morning. I did this loop a couple weeks about, and I finished in about 52 minutes. This morning I did it in 48 minutes plus change.

The old saying is, in order for you to go faster, you have to go faster. The only way to make sure I did this route faster was to tackle the first incline faster than I had previously. The first incline is the first  1/4 mile. When I got to Smith St., which is the top of the hill, I saw my pace was 15:49. I knew I was good.

The challenge for the run was ran the second loop around the park. It's tough sometimes to sustain a pace. This is where you have to go into your head and get into the pace. I like to use phrases. Usually I use "World Peace, " and I say part on the inhale, and the rest on the exhale. Today I wanted to say something different. "In Oregon, You Can't Give Up." This made sense. I'll be running a race, in 100% unfamiliar territory, with people waiting for me. I can't give up. So I pushed myself every time I said it.

I saw my pace drop as I got through the middle of the run. Towards the end I slowed a bit, but wow. I liked my overall time and pace.

Over the last couple months, I've gotten a sense that my running has improved, and I have felt very happy with my running. With less than 2 months before Hood to Coast, I like where I am, and how I feel. I like the notion that I can't give up.

Run on!

Charlie

Hood to Coast 60 Days Away: Closer

60 days until Hood to Coast, and my enthusiasm only increases. The team is being assembled. RSG will have two teams, and I am on Team A. At this point 7 of the 12 are confirmed. I think we need to kick the other 5 in the butt to get them confirmed.

My running has gone well. I'm able to run longer without taking walking breaks, which makes me happy. I haven't decided how I will do this yet out on the course, but I seem to have more stamina in my running. This actually surprises me because of all the hilly roads I'm running.

At this point though the training gets ramped up a bit. Now I look at days where I not only run longer, but I run a couple times during a day. I won't do two a days every day, but will incorporate that into my running.

While I don't know the legs I'm running yet, I am studying the map so I won't be too surprised. In that respect this is no different than other races I've run. I typically know the course map pretty well going into a race.

I feel healthy. I'm eating better and better, which is a key. My body appreciates it to be sure. Mark has concerns now and then about how I will do. The answer is you don't know, but you train to do your best, and you hope everything comes together. More often than not, it does.

The elephant in the room for some folks is how is my heart doing. I'm great! My heart is great, and I am doing all the right things. I'm confident heading into this race.

I've ordered a Hood to Coast shirt which should arrive any day now. That is when I will really know this is happening.

Thumbs up for now....with 60 days to go.


Charlie

Hood to Coast: Concerns

I'm not too far into the euphoria of being IN Hood to Coast, that I don't have some concerns.  I've never run a relay race, so this is akin to dropping my in the deep end of the ocean.

Concern #1 - my legs and feet. Depending on elevation/distance/terrain I worry about how my feet will feel after each leg. There will be time in the van where I'm sitting and getting stiff. My initial thought is to wear compression socks. Also, at each stop to get out and stretch and move, so I am not too stationary.

Concern #2 - weather. This is Oregon. My arch nemesis - rain could be there. I hate rain. I know, I know, get a jacket and suck it up.

Concern #3 - fatigue. I'm told there will be little to no sleep, how will I do on little sleep? Just how much adrenaline do I have in me?

Concern #4 - team. I don't want to fail my team by being too slow. I've been up front, I'm not a turtle, but I'm no gazelle. I don't want to disappoint.

Training is going well. I'm going to increase miles this week. I feel very good out there running. I'm officially registered, so I'm good there. So far so good, with 63 days to go.

Charlie

It's the Little Things

Every run is different. It doesn't matter if you run the same route every day, there is always something different about it. It's the little things.

One reason I love reason is I get to see the world around me. After living a life in a car, seeing the world through windows, running gives me the opportunity to be in the world, and not an observer of it. Little things happen which make me so glad to be part of the world.

Yesterday on my run I was coming up on a house where an elderly woman was on her front porch area. I saw she had a cane, and I saw she was trying to do something. As I got closer I saw she was trying to use the cane to maneuver the delivered newspaper so she could try to pick it up. She was having a great deal of trouble, and looked like she was in pain.

I startled her, as I ran up, and said, "Let me help you with that." I picked up the paper and handed it to her. She looked relived she didn't have to bend over and pick it up. She thanked me, and told her to have a great day, and she smiled.

We live in a world now where we spend a good deal of time looking down, texting, surfing, interfacing. We are forgetting to be part of the world. Sometimes it's the little things that happen that help you realize there is a world, we need to be part of it.

Charlie

Hood to Coast 74 Days Away - Why?

The question comes up as to why I want to run this race. I first heard about Hood to Coast a few years ago when a documentary came out about it. The film follows various teams and their journey. Stories include; first time runners who have no clue what they've gotten themselves into; a woman who had died briefly with a heart attack the previous year and was coming back; a family who had lost a loved one; a group of men(jocks) who love the race and running, and more. 

What I found fascinating was their desire to run, be part of a team, and see some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Most of all I appreciated the challenges each had. I love a challenge. I love the idea that it's you challenging whatever comes up on the run. Typically this is why I run marathons. While this is not a marathon, it is a kind of marathon. It's endurance over a period of time. The marathon is one long race. This is a combination of races you have to do within a certain period of time. 

Once I saw this film, I knew I wanted to run this race - somehow. Now, thanks to my company, I have the opportunity. I had this opportunity last year, but something called a heart attack kept me from running it. Anyone who knows me, knows how devastated I was about not running Hood to Coast. I've spent the last year talking to anyone about how I want to do this. Now I can.

Other members of my team have various reasons for running it. Some are just happy to have won a contest and are happy to be running. Others may have had this as a goal. Some were advised to do the race. We are all training in various ways. I've already laid out my training plan. 

Everyday I try to read up on the race so there are few surprises. I think my staff would like me to shut up about Hood to Coast. I am prone to be of over excitement about it. I have 74 days to train and stay healthy....and I can and will.

Charlie

Hood to Coast 77 Days Away - The Solitary Run

Hood to Coast is two races at the same time. First it's a relay. You and 11 other people are out there running, tacking a long and winding course from Mt. Hood to the Pacific Ocean. Each one of the team awaits the next person to come in so they can go.

At the same time this is a singular endeavor. Each leg is it's own course, of which you, and you alone are running at that time. In this respect, I think this is a solitary run.

I thought about this on my run this morning. I've not done a relay, but I have done many races on my own. This will be a race I think of as three races, for the 3 legs I'll do. Once I have my legs assignments, I can better plan how I will run each one.

On my run this morning I thought about the solitude of the race. I know there will be a few thousand others out there, but basically it will be me and the Oregon scenery. I look forward to that solitude.

Charlie

Hood to Coast - 78 Days Away: Do I Have a Plan?

Do I have a training plan for this race? Nothing on paper, but in my head yes. This is a different kind of race. I've never run a relay, so I look at it differently.

First you have to respect where you are running. Think about it, you are running 197 miles, starting at a mountain, and going to the ocean. There is any and every type of elevation and terrain on this route. How do you train for that? I've been running on the road and a gravel trail since I moved to Providence. Yesterday I talked about hills, but there are step grades that I am going to have a power walking training on.

Distance is a bit easier. Few of the legs over 7 miles. I'm going to work on getting to 6 miles in training. Because I want to run a half in the Fall, I will have some longer runs in there. For now though, this is my main focus.

I will have to run multiple times a day. This is going to be a challenge for me. So I am going to have a few days where I run twice a day. I also want to run in the evening, because that will be more of a challenge for me.  While I may need to run at 2am during the race, I won't train at 2 am.

No music! The rules say you can't run with a MP3 player, and that isn't a big deal for me. Mostly though, I want to hear what's around me. Some of the run is along busy highways, and I want to hear things coming and going. Of course being partly deaf plays a big role in this. Music will keep me from hearing all the sounds around me.

Speed? No speed. Sorry team, we aren't going to win this thing. I've been working on an even pace, and am pretty good at the 15-16 min/mile pace. Elevation will make it slower, though through the flatter areas I will "kill" it.

Team work. Because I know Christy and Katie, who are on the team,  I can depend on them for moral support and whatever team work we may need out there. We are already messaging on a daily basis, so this is a no brainer. Of course if we are in separate vans, that could be a problem.

Training plan is set....I just need to do it.

Charlie

Hood to Coast - 79 Days Away: Hills

Having done 99% of my running in Chicago and Indianapolis, the idea of running hills just has never been there. Because of my various feet issues, my doctor in Chicago told me not to run hills. No problem in Chicago or Indianapolis - hills are virtually non-existant. Not so in Providence.

This is one hilly town. Everything is rolly around here, and I have had to adjust. Now, this isn't a bad thing, it's just different. A 3 mile run here feels like a 5 mile run. I feel like I've had quite the workout when I'm done. I'd like to think it makes me a better runner.

Who knew that moving here would provide a good training ground for Hood to Coast. I can train on hills here. Granted, these are not mountains, nor are they close to the elevation changes I could potentially deal with, but it gives me some experience.

One of the things I will have to do in training is hill repeats. The College Hill area has some significant inclines, and I plan on speed walking those so I can prepare for Oregon. That's going to be tough, but it needs to be done.

Charlie

The Life We Are Meant to Have

Every year I watch the Tony Awards, and every year I find myself asking "What if?" No, it's not a fair thing to do. It's not fair for anyone to do.

In high school, when you have the world ahead of you, you think you know what you want to do, but you don't know what the world has in store for you. I've written before how I thought I would be an actor with an Oscar by the time I was 50.

I had wonderful theatrical friends like Todd Cerveris, Chris Runge, Sarah Pickett, Michael Haithcock, David Ferguson, and so many more. I wasn't a big fish in a high school small pond, but I thought I was a decent sized fish. Not getting into NC School of the Arts showed me a lot at the time. It showed me that I was someone who once I kicked down, I didn't know how to get up and go on. Instead I got up, and I said, "Ok....what else can I do?" Fact of the matter is there are days I still wonder what I can do, but it's different now.

My life has been a series of defining moments. The loss of my brother, not getting into NCSA, being raped, falsely testing HIV+, being a gay rights activist, working at Southwest Airlines, running, heart attack. All of these things have led me to the life I was meant to have, and am still having.

As my friends will tell you, I am not always the one who shouts my accomplishments from the rooftop. I think I get that from my parents, who kept things private. Don't get me wrong, I have a mouth on me, but when it comes to tooting my own horn, I do so in bits, and I make sure there are others who also get credit(where credit is due).

My running though has been a singular effort. That is me doing what I call, right foot, left foot repeat. That's me overcoming clubbed feet, obesity, self doubt, arthritis, heart disease and age to do what I love.

A lot of people have been very nice to congratulate me on winning the sales contest to get into Hood to Coast. Again, give credit where credit is due. That was not me. That was Josh, Theresa, Frances, Will, Sarah and I coming together to make sure runners and walkers have what they need to be active.  To be number one in the company is very satisfying, but I know this is just one contest, and there will be others, and I won't always be successful.

This though was meant to be. A year ago when I lost the chance to run Hood to Coast because of my heart attack, I was devastated. It truly reminded me of how I felt when I didn't get into NCSA. That sense of I've been knocked down, and now what will I do.

What I did was get back up, figure out the next step in life, but this time, I was still determined to get into this race. I didn't give up. I told anyone in the company who would listen that I fully intend on running this race, and somehow I have to get there. Hard work and team work got me into the race.

The hard part now is back to the singular me. I'm the one who has to put one foot in front of the other and succeed.

The life I was mean to have was where I learned not to give up on what you truly want. If could talk to 18 year old Charlie, I would let him know that the important thing is figuring out what you want to work towards and go do it and do it hard and well. Know that life is not just you, but it's about who works with you. It's about who gives you the chance to prove yourself. It's about what you do with the chance. That is how you get the life you are meant to have.

While I like to think there is a bit a reincarnation out there....really this is it. This is the life we get. Don't we owe it to ourselves to make the one we are meant to have? So now and then have the "What if?" moments. Just don't make those the moments that define you.

Charlie

The Road to.....Has Changed

In running you have to be prepared for anything. In this case, I'm changing up my running plans. I'm going to have to back out of Brooklyn. Money is a main consideration. A trip to NYC is not cheap. Too many other things(like bills) to pay for. It's ok though, I have other races to do. 

I'm beginning to think about what I want to accomplish in running. There are races I want to do before I can race no more.Some of those are well known(Boston). Others are not. I would love to run in Paris one day. If I can't live there, I sure would love to run the streets of Paris. I'd like to run a race in Florida so my family can come watch. I would like to go back and finish a Chicago Marathon. One of my must runs is very close to happening - Hood to Coast. 

For those not familiar, Hood to Coast is a 200 mile relay race in Oregon. It starts at Mt. Hood, and winds its way to the Pacific Ocean. A team of 12 do various legs. I first heard about this race when the documentary on the race came out a few years ago. At that moment this race rose towards the top of my must run list. 

My company sponsors a team every year. Last year they selected me to go, but it was a few days after my heart attack. I wasn't able to go, and it devastated me. I've made it no secret to the powers that be that I would like to be considered this year. There's a twist though. The company decided to have a contest, and winners would be on the Hood to Coast team. All you have to do is be one of the top 6 stores in the country to surpass your sales goals by the largest amount. 

My store is the newest store in the company. People are just finding us, but I challenged my staff on this. At the same time the company was offering a sales contest for full time hourly employees, a sort of bonus. My assistant manager is my only full time hourly person, so I made a deal with him. I help him get a bonus, he helps me get to Hood to Coast. DEAL!

The sales contest ended, and he is getting a great bonus. So how am I doing in the Hood to Coast contest? Going into the last weekend, my store is sitting at ..... #1. Yes, we are number one. The fight for the other 5 spots is close, but I am looking very solid going into this last weekend. I have a dedicated staff, who is doing their best. While I benefit from this, so does my store. We are only 3 months old, and we are exceeding expectations, and I could not be happier. So it's a win - win right now. 

So while I'm hoping I'm not jinxing it, it is looking good for me to fulfill this dream race. Send positive vibes....cross fingers....say a prayer....whatever you like. I feel this can happen....now it's time to get it done!

Charlie

The Road to......

Typically when I begin a running journey I call it The Road to _______________. Since last July I have been on the road to recovery from my heart attack. I've had my ups and downs, mostly ups. The move and new job have added stress to my life, and as a result,  I have not eaten as well as I should, but that is now changing.  As I'm beginning to get into a rhythm, I find I'm doing better on the health front.

Now I turn my attention to my running, which for a while has not been a top priority. I've been running 3 times a week the last couple of weeks and feel better about me and my running. My key to running is the goal I set for myself. Just getting back into it isn't enough, I need to have something to work towards. I began to think about what I want to accomplish this year. I want to run a half marathon. A half marathon, like any other long distance race is a step by step process.

I've started the process with the 3 runs a week. Now I need to build on that. In looking for a half marathon, I wanted to go somewhere I've not run before. Well I have not run most places around here, so that was the easy part. I wanted it to be exciting. I wanted a crowd. I wanted fun.  I found the race.

This October I will head to New York City - Brooklyn to be specific, to run the Rock n Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon. Those who know me, know I have a love/hate relationship with RocknRoll organizers stemming back to the ill fated Rock n Roll Chicago a few years ago. At that time they stopped my race prior to what their own rules stated. This time I double checked the course limits, and I can finish well within the 4 hours....as long as they follow their rules.

So now I'm on the Road to Brooklyn, but in reality, this Road is a big longer. I'm gearing for a marathon in 2016. So this is a step on the way towards that goal.

Along the way I will be running, training and racing. I may be running the Falmouth Road Race this summer, which is a well known 7 mile road on Cape Cod. We will see.

In the meantime, the more important thing is that I am enjoying running, and I feel good doing it. All is well running wise.

Charlie