Making Work Into Fun

Sometimes training for a marathon can be a drag. It’s challenging and often difficult to begin one’s day knowing that a long run is coming – an hour (often more) of strenuous exercise, out there on the streets alone, often hurting, sometimes painfully so. Marathon training is certainly not fun.

And yet, we go on day-after-day, year-after-year preparing for race-after-race, thinking, hoping , wondering, even decades removed from one’s prime, if this race, the next race, will be the best one ever. (“I wonder if I can set a P.R.?”)

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And So It Begins…

So much of life is a process. We work diligently to accomplish tasks, and once accomplish them, we set our minds to new tasks.

Ever forward. Never stopping. There is always a new challenge facing us – a new goal, something different that we need to achieve.

And achieve we must.

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Too Far?

One of my favorite quotes comes from T.S. Eliot. It reads, “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

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Slowing Down? No Way!

People ask me about retirement. What do you do now? Are you slowing down?

Slowing down?!

No way. I’m gearing up!

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Always Striving To Be Better!

I don’t know the last time I ever ran ten miles in under ninety minutes, but it was a long time ago.

Guys in their mid-fifties aren’t supposed to be this fast.

As I ran today, I zoomed past lightning. He couldn’t keep up.

***

It feels great to work diligently toward a goal, any goal, and to achieve it. I didn’t think I’d ever be this fast again.

But here’s the thing about goals… once you get there, there’s always the next one. There is always a new mountain to climb – always something else to strive for.

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Running and Writing

Writing and running.

Running and writing.

My mind is full of words and sayings that are helping to continue to push me ever forward…

My personality is such that I can’t help but set goals, push to reach them, and then dream of bigger and greatest things.

They say I’m a dreamer, but I’m the only one…” (John Lennon)

Good is the enemy of great.” (Jim Collins)

Good enough, never is.” (Debbi Fields)

In just over fifteen weeks, I will be running the Pittsburgh Marathon (with my son Ryan).

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A Smart Choice

In 2022, I determined to run every single day for a calendar year. I set out on January 1 and I ran each and every day.

I set a lofty goal, and then, through perseverance, determination, tenacity, and will, I accomplished that goal.

I ran 1,700 miles last year, or an average of 4.65 miles each and every day. I am proud that I was able to do that.

I’m now writing a book of this experience which I hope will serve as motivation for other runners and goal-setters. We can all do more than we ever imagined. You just need to set a plan and get out there and do it.

We also can’t let failure get in the way of pressing forward. I had plenty of years when I thought about and/or tried to run each day and didn’t make it. I learned as I failed from each setback.

But last year, I accomplished my goal.

Then, on January 1, 2023, I went out and ran again. I only did three miles in a new running shoe I was trying out (the Saucony Tempus), but it was three miles and the running streak continued…

But then, on January 2, I made a very sound decision. I made a smart choice. Sanity prevailed.

I didn’t run.

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364 Means Just One More

December 30, 2022

***

One day. Just one more day. One day to go…

For a long time, the better part of a decade (at least), I had entertained the idea of running every single day for an entire year. In most years, I rationalized that it was a bad idea. I figured it would become burdensome. I figured it would get in the way of everything else I was trying to accomplish.

Some years I thought the idea was just plain stupid.

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91.6

Eleven twelfths.  

One to go.

91.6% through what seemed, at times, and often, like a never-ending task.

***

I once thought that it might be fun to run every single day for an entire calendar year.

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