Running Transforms

No doubt. Running transforms lives. It doesn't do it right before your eyes, it takes time, sometimes a lot of time.

My friend Anthony was featured on the news last week for losing 100 pounds and using running to make it happen. Running and transformation were good topics for reflection Tuesday on my run along the Hudson River.

The first WTF thought was that I actually was running on vacation. Years ago, I would haven't brought running clothes with me, I wouldn't have even owned any. I certainly wouldn't have used vacation time to workout. Hell I wouldn't have even walked more than 10 blocks, it would have been "let's just hop a quick cab."

I went for a 12 mile run in Central Park last Sunday. I think for the very first time I started to admit that I do love running. I use love lightly at this point, but it's still a long way from HATING it. I thought how lucky am I to have found this sport? What other sport can you pack a pair of shoes and then go anywhere to get your workout in? What other sport lets you explore so many other parts of the city you wouldn't normally see if you hadn't been out for a run.

Sunday as I entered Columbus Circle with this thought, I took off on a trail and just followed it until I found an intersection, then randomly picked a direction. Then went in another direction. Dirt, pebbles, road; it didn't matter. I didn't really look at my watch, just followed where the day took me. For the first time on a run, I hardly walked at all, mainly only to go up some of the hills as I realized that I have shitty hill training and they kill me!

It's been a long road, and I'm still on it for a long time. But it's fun to see progress. It's exciting to see things I NEVER thought I would. It's rewarding to know that hard work does produce rewards, although it may take a while to realize them.

This past Saturday I had a goal to run a 2:45 half marathon. Slow to so many of you, yet lightening fast to me. It was a cold and super windy day. The first mile I ran 2 minutes ahead of pace and I PAID for it miles 2-3.5. My legs hurt so bad as they started to thaw out. I couldn't get my ankles to move and my legs simply were not doing what my brain was telling them to.

Going into mile 4 I knew I wasn't going to make my goal time, there was no way. It was my last chance to ditch out to go back to the finish. I really considered it, I could go get my warmer clothes on and cheer for all our Back on My Feet team members at the finish. My legs hurt. My lungs hurt. I was just done.

Then I remembered I had 50 set of eyes paying attention to what I do. Quitting because you weren't going to make your goal, that was NOT the message I wanted to send to our team members. I tell our members all the time to keep going, evaluate a goal whether made or missed and keep moving forward. I had to let my actions match my words.

I shut my brain off, told the committees in my mind to stop, put my head down and found the first person ahead of me that I wanted to chase down. Chased her down and picked out the next. and the next. and the next. This was the first time in a race that I was picking people off left and right. I ran some of my best miles of the day in the middle of the race.

By the time I got to mile 8, I thought "wow, only 5 more miles left," in the past I would have been "fuck, 5 more miles left??"

The headwind was awful going through mile 8 and by the time there was a tailwind, I just didn't have much left to pick up the pace. It was great to see Back on My Feet at the water station just before Mile 11. At Mile 12 I started walking a bit for the first time since mile 8 and then this girl that I had been trying to ditch all race came up next to me and started walking.

I thought "hell no, she's not beating me to the finish" and I started running again. My goal was to put as much space between her and I going into the finish, 8 steps, 8 feet or 1/2 a mile, she was not going cross first. When I hit the finish, I didn't know where she was behind me, but I knew she wasn't in front of me. I missed my goal time by 12 minutes. I was really bummed, pissed actually. But I still PR'd by 6 minutes and finally broke the 3 hour mark.

This race was a good mental challenge going into Arizona. The lessons I took: start slow and pace is important, shut my fucking head off and just go. I'll hurt for days after, but I can do this. I can do this faster than I think. So just go.

This transformation is still unfolding. There's still improvements and rewards to be had. It's the exact same transformation for our BoMF Team Members. It's progress not perfection and patience and self love is key.