Mikie Munier, Half Marathon Man: February 2020

Race #75
I just ran my 75th half marathon, the Jail Break Run Half Marathon in Baytown, Texas. The Jail Break Run is sponsored by the police charity - Project Blue. The race took us to the top of Baytown's Fred Hartman bridge (the climb to the top of the bridge was a cruel 5-6% climb) with breathtaking views of the Houston Ship Channel and Baytown, Texas. Monies raised are for police officers who face non-service-related illness and injuries.

For races 75-79, I am going to share my 13.1 reasons why I run these races. I will basically share three reasons at a time primarily because I am so loquacious. Here are my first three reasons....

74 Medals and now one more......

1. The MEDAL..... Yep, I run for the bling, the shiny thing that usually hangs off of a brilliantly colored ribbon. Vain? OF COURSE IT IS! Not many men get to wear or should wear jewelry (don’t get me started on my disgust for gold chains around the neck, piercings and big gawky cowboy belt buckles). So, for part of a day, I get to strut around like a Super Bowl champion, flaming my stuff. Then I hang that medal on my medal rack with the other recognitions of a job well done. BTW: I put those all around my neck once and weighed myself. 15 pounds of scrap medal.

2. The CHOCOLATE MILK at the end of most races. If you don’t like chocolate milk, then you are not my friend anymore. I mean that- I am not joking at all. Chocolate milk is consider a great recovery drink anfter a race, according to Runner's World Magazine. I am pretty sure the manna that the Israelites consumed in the desert was really Borden chocolate milk. It’s in the Hebrew text.....really. I am not lying. I know this because I can read Hebrew (or I use to be able to. I took Hebrew in college). It’s right there in Exodus 16. “Shalom. Bevakasha chalaph the chocolate manna. Todah rabbah.” (Translation: “Peace. Please pass the chocolate manna. Thank you very much”).

3. The RUSH of ENDORPHINS. This benefit keeps my disposition in check..... Well...., kind of. My wife has keenly identified my mood swings and her medical diagnosis (she has a two degrees and I think one of them is in medicine or psychiatry or something like that) is always right. She is the first to say, “Get over it Nancy! Go workout and you will feel better.” Darn it, I hate it when she is right 98% of the time. Waaaaait, she is going to read this....... she is right 100% of the time. Glad I caught that. Whew! Happy wife, happy life!

Next three "whys" after race number 76......!