I guess this is the end. I’ve been running now for 366 days. I still can’t believe it’s finally come to the final lap. If you would’ve asked me 367 days ago if I thought that I would ever attempt something like this, I would’ve said you were insane, crazy and quite possibly, a sadist. Who does that kind of thing? As a regular, everyday, run of the mill long-distance runner, I used to think that those runners who did that whole “streaking” thing were a little "odd". It was difficult enough just to train to complete a yearly marathon. Following a training plan for the four months that it took to work up to a marathon distance was challenging enough. Who wants to run every day? Through the darkness, cold, heat, high humidity, rain, lightning, high winds, sleet, snow and yes, even God forsaken hail? Through, birthdays, holidays or even sick days? I just didn’t think that I’d ever have the time or fortitude for that kind of a challenge.
But, at the tail end of 2012 I had this this incredible need to do something different. Running was getting to feel less like something that I enjoyed and more like a job that I had to get done. I'd worked extremely hard that amazing year. Looking back, I think that I was in the best shape of my life. I'd finally reached my goal of completing a sub four hour marathon. I lost 28 pounds. But, I was dog tired. Tired of training. Tired of running. I needed a change. I needed a new challenge. What the to do was the big freakin question? I wanted to do something that I wasn't sure that I could quite finish. What good are challenges if you know deep down inside that you can already overcome them? So, I came up with my 366 Project. At least a mile a day for 366 days. I already knew that I could run what I considered fast for me. I knew that I could race distances from the mile to full marathon. I knew that I could run for four straight hours without stopping. Run every day for a year and a day? Hmm, not really sure that I could do it. Through my years of running, there've been times when I just didn't have the time to fit in a run. I got called into work on short notice, got stuck working late, got sick, had to watch the little man and so on. Life rarely goes as planned. Run more to feel less burnt out? I was possibly quite crazy when I decided to do this.
I also wanted to do something that I've been seriously thinking about for years. Delve into the world of blogging and the social media sensation for runners known as the "run-net community". A long time ago I discovered the wonderful world of running podcasts. Through those great podcasts I discovered perfect running partners, friends and that I wasn't alone in my running triumphs and defeats. Runners are different from other people. But, together we share much in common. It was really nice to hear that validated from people that I never met! Then came Facebook. I was quickly hooked! For as much as running podcasts brought us together, Facebook did that ten fold. Now, we could post pictures, video and audio about our experiences. We went from small local running clubs to a global group with members sharing from all over the world. If I need advice I can now ask hundreds. If I'm lacking motivation I get more than what I could ever dream from people posting their workouts, quotes and running pictures. I'd gotten so much from the run-net community that I wanted to give back. I wasn't sure that I could run for 366 days, or that anyone would care about what I wrote about it. But, I was going to give it a damn good try.
Well, I guess I was wrong about thinking that nobody would be interested. You've all been extremely gracious with giving me your free time to read what I wrote here in the blog and watch when I produced one of my video podcasts. Now that our time has come to a close, I’m going to truly miss it. This journey of running 366 days has been an experience that I won’t ever forget.
When I first started this project I thought it wasn’t going to be as hard as it would be. After all, I was already regularly running six days a week. What would be the big deal of just adding a seventh day with one additional easy mile? I tried to bring you along as best that I could. Frankly, sometimes it was a pain in the ass. Some days I just didn’t feel like writing anything down and felt less like recording myself. Some days I felt like I was just rambling to ramble. Not writing or recording anything of value. Even through those days, all of you stuck with me through it thick and thin. To know that you were following my progress and expecting to read or watch something from me spurned me on. You gave me so much motivation. I truly can’t thank you enough. You made me strive to constantly improve my writing or recording skills. In the end, I’m not sure if they ever got any better. You’re still reading this and the videos are watched. So, you can be the judge.
Over the 366 days I’ve tried to bring you along with me. Sometimes I did a better job than others. Sometimes the words flowed freely and I was able to covey what it was like. Other days, I failed miserably. In this final post I’ll do my best to tell you what I learned during this journey.
First of all, let’s talk about why I started doing this crazy running every day thing in the first place. Through my life I’ve come to stubbornly realize that there’s no excuse for hard work. With almost everything in your life, you’ll find that what you put into something, you’ll get out. Fitness and overall health are no exception. It’s no surprise. Most of us know this already. But, then why are Americans some of fattest and un-fittest people on planet Earth? When people hear me talk about my running, how many races I’ve completed or even this crazy project they look at me with this sense of awe in their eyes. I been told that what I do is impressive, that I'm genetically gifted and how nice it must be to have all that free time on your hands. Wait just a minute! Let’s take a good hard look at me and my life.
Why is it so impressive to run? It's something that we were born to do. You learn to walk as a child and think to yourself, this is pretty cool. Then, you learn to run and think to yourself, this is freakin awesome! When's the last time that you saw a group of kids running around NOT smiling? Running and physical activity is just plain fun. But, as we grow older into adults we seem to forget that wonderful feeling of hearing our heart beat inside our head, the wind blowing through our hair and the sun shining on our face. Things get busy. Your free time disappears faster and faster. Some days, it's just a challenge to find time to sleep. Our country is a country of convenience. We drive everywhere in our cars, we can order food online for delivery and see little value in spending time outside. Many of us think that the reason that the Kenyans and Ethiopians are dominating our sport is because of genetics. While I think that genetics plays a role, there's other factors that I think play larger ones. Running at altitude plays a factor. Running shoeless for most of their lives plays a factor. But, the one overwhelming factor that I think plays the largest role is their lack of convenience. They lack the convenience of being able to drive everywhere. They walk or run to work, school and the grocery store. Now I'm not saying that we should all sell our cars and run everywhere. What I'm saying is that if you can park a little farther from the movie theater, do so. If you need something small from the grocery store, why not walk? If you can ride your bicycle to work on a nice day, why not? When you get a chance to go outside and run around with your kids or walk with your spouse, do it. Why is that such a crazy concept? I still remember the first few hard miles long ago when I first started running. Believe me when I say that it gets easier. If I can do this, anyone can. If all that I did for the Project was a single mile a day, then that's 366 miles total. You could do that. Anyone could walk a mile a day. After a short time, you'll find yourself running some of that mile. Eventually, all of that mile. Before you know it, you'll become something called a runner. Rome
I grew up an obese kid. Ate all the wrong things in excess. Drank all of the sugary stuff that I could get my hands on. I didn’t play any sports and loved doing non-physical activities. But, as I got older I realized that I used food to deal with my stress. When I got stressed, I ate. When I was done eating, I became my worst critic and piled more stress on myself. Even though I no longer weigh 220 pounds or have a 42 inch waist, it's something that I continue to struggle with daily. Deep down inside I still see myself as that little fat kid. So, I'm definitely NOT genetically gifted. Yes, there are certain medical conditions that will make weight loss and running difficult. But, not impossible to overcome. Yes, there are people who can just eat whatever they want without effect. But, that eventually catches up with them. Yes, there are some people genetically gifted with fast twitch muscle fibers. I happen to be one of them. But, I don't know where the hell they are when I run! That genetic assistance is great. But what you have, is what you have. You can't grow extra fast twitch fibers to become a sprinter or extra slow twitch to become marathoner. But, you can develop what you have with consistency and hard work. Big things come in small packages. The human body is designed to run. If you work hard at improving your innate running potential, you'll see results. It can take a long time. It took me 11 years to shave 45 minutes off my marathon time to break four hours. But, I did it. I've heard it said that most amateur runners peak after seven years. Here I am 12 years into it. Still managing to set some PR's at 40! Develop what you have, improve your weaknesses and never stop trying. YOU WILL SUCCEED!
Free time huh? What the hell is that? I'm just like you. I have a family. I have a full-time career. I have about a million other things in my life besides running that I do. For the things that matter in your life, you need to make the time. Make an honest commitment. One reason that I make time for running is because ultimately, it'll allow me more time with my loved ones in the future. It's like putting money in the bank. You do something like running and you'll get all the positive health effects from it. Such as increased life expectancy, lower stress rate, less time being sick and injured. I could go on and on. Yes, there will be times when you'll have to sacrifice to fit in some time to run. But, if you're flexible with yourself and take the time to repay those in your life that allow you to that time to run, you'll be able to do it. There will be times that you run more. Times that you run less. Maybe even times when you don't run at all. That's ok. One amazing thing that's come out of this Project is that while I still love beating the clock and running far, I'm now trying to take the longer look with regards to my running. I'm fortunate to be still setting PR's. But, someday those will stop. I will get slower. Ultimately, I want to do this for the rest of my life. Not just the next 12 more years. As a group, runners are something that the rest of the world can take a lesson from. We don't care what color you are, if you're a man, a woman or what age you are. We don't care about your religious beliefs, political affiliation or education level. We don't care what your profession is, how much money you make or where you live. We don't care if you're fast, slow, run races or walk marathons. We don't even care if you speak our language or share our sexual preference. Regardless of all that stuff, you still put one foot I front of the other just like we do. We don't even care if you beat us. Well, maybe a little. We accept everyone. I have yet to meet another runner who doesn't positively encourage me to improve myself. Where else can you toe the line with Olympic athletes and amateurs alike? Join us. It's not as hard as you think. YOU CAN BECOME A RUNNER!
Whew! That was a good rant! Wasn't it? My fingers hurt! I hope it didn't come off so preachy. It's just that I've gotten so much from running. It's made me who I am. The miles that I've run are the story of my life.
Some have been hard. Pushed me to the ends of my mental and physical limits and beyond. Taught me that there's more inside me when I feel like I have nothing left. That I have reserves beyond what I thought. That I can do astounding things when I struggle.
Some miles have been easy. Taught me that not everything is a battle that needs to be fought. Taught me that hard work does eventually pay off. Even in today's world of negativity, chaos and destruction there's positivity, serenity and peace. You just have to open your eyes to see them.
Some have been fast. Taught me that when things are good, they're freaking great! Taught me that when those good things are happening, that it's important to take time to enjoy them before they're gone.
Some have been slow. Felt like they took forever. Like they were never going to end. Taught me that being slow is sometimes a good thing. That not everything needs to be done at warp speed. Sometimes, it's good to slow down to a comfortable pace. Enjoy the ride. You can't go full throttle through your whole life without missing things. Important things. Look up, there's some good stuff passing you by if you just take the time to notice it.
Some miles have been hilly. Taught me that while standing there looking up at those gigantic, daunting hills that it's ok to feel scared. Life is scary. Those scary things don't have to beat you. Taught me that there are downhills on the other side too. But, that you'll never get over the hill for that blessed downhill if you don't start in the first place.
Some miles have been flat. Those were the ones that where I just felt like I could go on and on. I was a force unchallenged. Nothing stood in my way. A running machine made for this! All that hard training, all of the long miles gave you what I needed. Taught me that I could do anything that I had the desire to honestly do.
Some miles were sad. There were times out there that I thought about the anguish, sadness and grief I've experienced through my life. There were times out there that I was so depressed. On the edge of my running path. Wishing I'd not come back from the run. I was thankful for the sunglasses running those miles because they hid the tears. Taught me that it's ok to hurt, to feel sorrow and to deal with it in healthy ways. The end isn't always the end. Sometimes it's a beginning in disguise. I've ended so many things in my life. Only to marvel at the beginnings. I'm glad I'm still here to be able to do that...
But, my friends, most of those miles have been so happy. I started this 366 day journey mentally and physically exhausted. To admit it to anyone for the first time, I was considering stopping running altogether. I was ready to quit. I needed something to remind myself of all that's good about the many miles that have colored my life. I've covered more than 26,000 miles in almost 12 years. In that time, raced 63 races from the mile to marathon. I've run through it all. Good times and bad. Some moments will forever be frozen in time. Some I don't even want to remember. Some of the greatest and worst times in my life. All that time I've been chasing one thing that I think that we all want, happiness. It's an elusive little bugger. I've caught up to it sometimes. Almost able to grab hold. Only to have it put on a little surge and leave me in the dust. Sometimes it was all that I could do to keep it in my sight miles away. Sometimes I worked hard and reeled it back in, mile by mile. Until we raced side by side. Me smiling from ear to ear to ear like a little kid who's discovered the ability to run for the first time.
When you first start out on your journey of becoming a runner it can be very exciting and addicting. You get a sleek looking pair of running shoes. You get stretchy but yet oddly comfortable feeling, sweat wicking clothing emblazoned with powerfully motivating logos and sayings. You get the coolest gadgets that can track how far you run, play endless music and pit how many steps you run in a day against your friends and family. You start eating better, your body changes for the better and you become the envy of your friends and family. You get faster, run farther and eventually find yourself toeing the line at an official road race. You even encourage others to lace up and join you. All this happens and more. Quite a whirlwind.
Over time though, you'll come to realize that running isn't about being fast, logging thousands of miles, running 366 days or racing. Yes, all of those things are important. But, the race you are running is the race of your life. The race is long and in the end, it's only with yourself. Like I've been telling you all this time, run not for PR's, medals or streaks. Run for your life because you only get one chance to win this race. Winning can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people I guess. You have to decide what it is for you. Me, I'm just a simple man. Nobody special. I've never won any of the races that I've run. But, I'm trying to win the BIG one. I think I'm doing ok. Maybe even in the lead a little bit after today.
Strange these last 366 days. I ran through a lot of things. Through the overwhelming stress of my wife losing her job and the joy of her getting the one of her dreams. I ran through settling into a new house. I ran for a young man who sadly decided that he could no longer go on and took his own life too early. I set a half-marathon PR. I ran Boston Strong to show the world that we runners don't cower in fear when faced with a challenge. I ran with running podcast legends and learned that they're even better in person and just as honest as they portray. I ran through peroneal tendonitis. I made a friend in Australia
Did I succeed in my goal. I think so. The 366 Project is history. After much consideration, I will not be continuing with the running streak. Although, since I've got some momentum going this week I'm actually going to shoot for 370 days and call it quits on Sunday. Been so sporadic with my running lately. I want to make a good try at re-starting my training this week. I've got a new found respect for those "streaking" runners who continue to go non-stop. You guys are just plain amazing! It was an honor to share a brief time with you on the roads. You inspire the shit out of me!
Thank you so much to my friends that gave me encouragement, advice and feedback. Thank you to my family who gave me time, support and helped me realize that my story is worth telling, even when I didn't think it was. I love all of you.
So, the new big question is, what comes next? Apparently, some of you actually enjoy reading what I write and watching me ramble. You people are crazy by the way! So, it's only fair to keep the blog and video podcasts going for 2014! Hmm. Now we just need a topic. I've run races covering distances from a mile to marathon. Got my feet wet and now have my very own blog and video podcast. Done the streaking thing now for 366 days. Like I posted on Facebook last week, I still like the sound of "five miles". How about we give this ultra-marathoning thingy a go and try a 50K race? 50K's just about five miles more than a marathon. Hey, I like the way that sounds...Five Miles More!
New year. New challenges lay ahead. Won't you please join me for the Five Miles More Blog and Five Miles More Podcast? Where I will do my best to chronicle my attempt to go farther than I've ever gone before. Yeah, just five miles more. I will try to improve on what I learned here. Look for the new blog coming soon as well as a new Facebook page. My youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/Run366Project will remain the same but now carry the new video podcast. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me!
Happy New Year my friends and thank you for coming on this 366 Project! I will keep testing my limits. I will keep irritatingly encouraging every non-runner as loud as I can to run and discover who they are. I will strive to improve myself. I will stumble. I will fall. Let's face it, I have no freakin clue what I'm really doing! 50K? I'm gonna die! But, I will continue on my race. I do not DNF. The world will be an interesting place.
Run for your lives...
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