Apologies, Greetings and Salutations

Keep the pace hold the race
Your mind is getting clearer
Youre over half way there
But the miles they never seem to end
As if youre in a dream
Not getting anywhere
It seems so futile

Iron Maiden – The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

Yes, first let me apologize to Iron Maiden, I ripped them off for my title.  Still, it seemed appropriate since the song is all about running and what seems the complete futility of it all.  So, I like the song (I grew up on Heavy Metal, no apologies for that) and I liked the title.  I hope it doesn't get me into any hot water with them.  I somehow doubt it.

Second, let me apologize to my wife and my friends.  I’m not lonely, and that shouldn’t be implied by my choosing to write this new blog.  Running, especially in today’s iPod enhanced world, is a very solitary sport, if it can even be called a sport.  I just wanted to chronicle my training and the solitary nature of what is for me a very odd new hobby.

Now, with all those disclaimers out of the way, I’ll welcome whomever decided to be crazy enough to actually read this thing.  I’ll be posting the link on my Facebook profile, so I assume that someone may actually decide to read it, but I never expect anyone to be out here.  Blogging for me is cathartic and more about being mildly self indulgent than it is about readership and coy witticism.  In the end, I put down what I feel, what I’m going through, and if it entertains, so be it.  I suppose I should apologize to Christian Slater as well.  ‘Greetings and Salutations’ is his line from Heathers, and while that didn’t manage to make my 5 all time movies I’d watch over and over (though in retrospect it should have bumped Dune that pretentious piece of celluloid) I still find it a movie that never fails to entertain.  I’m just a pop culture junkie and I’ll rip off whatever reference I think suits my mood.

The premise of this blog, as opposed to Derek’s Rants, is to really just lay out what I’m going through each day I train.  I never intended to be a runner.  I never planned to start running long distances.  I discovered, however, as my fitness got better (I went from a whopping 230 lbs after my honeymoon to a rail thin 155 in 3.5 years) I was able to run longer and longer.  I also discovered that as my fitness increased, my speed did.  I have now decided that I’m going to train for a half marathon, and have still clung to a goal of running a full marathon before I’m 45.  Considering that two years ago I couldn’t run two miles without barfing up a lung, I consider this a stunning turn of events.  So, the blog will cover some of the housekeeping.  I’ll list how long I ran, how far I ran, and what my heart rate targets were during the training.  But, at the same time, I’ll talk about what I felt, how I felt, and what the run meant to me.  In the end, I doubt it will be worth the read.  If you’re still here after all this drivel, all I can suggest is to hang on for the ride!

Cheers!