When I Grow Up

Day 86

I have some lofty goals when it comes to health - goals that will take several years to achieve. If you'd asked me 10 years ago if I would ever have these goals, I would have laughed out loud. Funny how we change over time.

Growing up, I never liked running. In fact, I hated it. If there was a day I would have loved to ditch P.E., it would have been Friday: mile day. Ooh, thinking of it still sends shivers down my spine. The side aches. The labored breathing. The sun beating down on me. It was the perfect recipe for misery.

Odd that I now love to run. In fact, the last 5 months or so has changed my body so much (at least the inside, if not the outside) that I now NEED to run. If I go too long without running, I crave it like a drug. My breathing is still labored and I'm slower than I ever was as a teenager, but somehow it's different.

Still, aside from the Spartan, I never really gave much thought to running races. Though marathoners are masters of endurance, they generally don't have the well-rounded balance of strength and endurance that I want.

Then I ran across Greg Unger on the internet and, boy, do I want to be him when I grow up. He's a body builder turned runner. He's overcome weight, injury, and cancer to become an ultramarathoner. At 6'4" and 240 pounds, he's one of the largest marathoners out there. He proves that you can be strong AND have great endurance.

This is my ultimate goal. It's about a million years away - I have my own obstacles to overcome, but if he can overcome his, surely I can overcome mine. 

It's time to stop wasting time. That's why I'm signing up for my first race. It's a 12k the first week in November; the Trails of Glory Desert Dash. It's a trail run, no obstacles, so I'm hoping it'll be a good stepping off point. 

Either that, or a path to an early death. It's a toss up.