Today, I ran my 74th half marathon in Houston.
Yep, just one week after running the Houston Half Marathon with 25,000 running
fanatics, I made the late decision to run another one. I ran this half marathon from the Rice
Military area of town, along the Buffalo Bayou to Minute Maid Baseball Park and
back. The half is called the “Always
Time to Run Half” and benefits the Give
an Hour Foundation which focuses on providing free and confidential mental
health care for our veterans, and their families.
I agree, there is always “Time to Run.” I started my running career in high school as I ran with the cross country team in the fall of my senior year to prepare for wrestling and track season in the winter and the spring. No football for me that year. Like others, I have experienced some athletic success in my life. Unlike others, my successes happened infrequently and without my help. My accomplishments have always been unexpected. Accidental for that matter. In fact, most of the truly magical sports moments in my life have come not because of me, but in spite of me. Again, accidental. I could write them on a 3X5 card. It’s a short list.
I agree, there is always “Time to Run.” I started my running career in high school as I ran with the cross country team in the fall of my senior year to prepare for wrestling and track season in the winter and the spring. No football for me that year. Like others, I have experienced some athletic success in my life. Unlike others, my successes happened infrequently and without my help. My accomplishments have always been unexpected. Accidental for that matter. In fact, most of the truly magical sports moments in my life have come not because of me, but in spite of me. Again, accidental. I could write them on a 3X5 card. It’s a short list.
Mind you, running as an accidental athlete isn't without its
rewards. Some runners can predict their training pace and race pace with great
accuracy. For the accidental athlete, however, every run can be like a blind
date. Some are extraordinary. Some are forgettable. And a few are truly
laughable. (BTW: I went on one blind date in College: It fit the third
description and was with a gal who “used” me to get to a Neil Diamond concert
at the Greek Theater in LA).
For the accidental athlete, every run or race holds both the promise of enlightenment and the threat of embarrassment. Each mile has the capacity to embrace us or punish us. Every run or race has the potential to be a celebration or a humiliation. The excitement comes in never knowing for sure which it will be. The preverbial “Box of Chocolates.”
For the accidental athlete, every run or race holds both the promise of enlightenment and the threat of embarrassment. Each mile has the capacity to embrace us or punish us. Every run or race has the potential to be a celebration or a humiliation. The excitement comes in never knowing for sure which it will be. The preverbial “Box of Chocolates.”
Yet, despite that, there is always Time to Run. Number 75 is on
the horizon. I don’t know where or when.
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| Finishing the last mile at the Houston Half. It ALWAYS hurts! |
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