Running

All of the running I did growing up was tied to practicing for soccer or football, and then it was often a punishment. In high school, we would run a mile to end many practices, and I would often be one of the first to finish my laps around the practice football fields. I was not ever fast, though, as evidenced by my move from from receiver to offensive line when I joined the varsity football squad. It seems that distance running, and the endurance it requires, was always more of a strength than my quickness.

I suppose that I got my start in running with my wife. We signed up for the Coach Fran Charities 5K that was held on her birthday in 2003 and made an annual tradition out of it. A couple of years later we decided to train for the Houston 1/2 Marathon and joined the A&M Marathon Training group. This group introduced me to The Non-Runners Marathon Trainer, which helped us train for and complete that race. My stepdad and father-in-law also ran with us. At the end of that race, I remember saying that I didn't care if I ever ran again, but Chris Field and his project to rescue children from slave labor in Ghana helped motivate me to train for the BCS Marathon in 2012 and again in 2013.

I started training with the Lake Conroe Running Club for the 2105 BCS Marathon, using the Hanson's Marathon Training guide. I didn't follow it religiously, but even the half-hearted effort I made paid huge dividends in my finish time.

A haiku for running

An (almost) complete history of my races:

Coach Fran Fran Charities 5K

August 16, 2003

2004

2005

August 19, 2006 - 33:59.6

Capitol 10,000

Houston Aramco 1/2 Marathon

January 15, 2006 - 2:36:29

Buffalo Stampede 1/2 Marathon

October 6, 2012 - 1:51:38