Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Running Man is back



Twelve years and fifty pounds ago I was a runner. I had run for five or six years steady. I use to run 40 to 60 miles a week. I would get up early in ther morning and run from my house to Bush Park that was two miles away. At the park I would run two or more laps around the trail that borders the park and then run home.

In the evening I would get home from work don my Nikes, shorts, shirt and bandana and run to Chapman Hill elementry school and home back near the fairgrounds. If ever I had to miss a run I would become irritable like a junkie missing his fix. I have ran in some great places and seen some excellent sights. My favorite was an early morning run at the base of MT. Hood along some wheat fields as a Bald Eagle flew above me waiting for me to kill over. I want to run in places like the one in the picture.

I was never any good at running and never took a watch with me. I wasn't interested in racing as much as I was interested in running. I surrounded myself with posters at work that looked similar to this one but they always had quotes at the bottom encouraging me to run. Then one day I stopped. Something like Forest Gump. I came to a screaching stop and never did it again.

At one time I decided to start running in these small "fun runs" like the Iris Festival Run, The Memorial Hospital 10K, Cascade Runoff, and eventually the Portland Marathon. I did it mostly for the shirt and for the event. Mrs. Pirate had done some running as well during this time like the Hood to Coast which is maybe the most popular run in Oregon. At one time running had consumed me, I was constantly looking up runs to participate in, I read Runner's World like a Bible, and I actually watched running events on ESPN. I was a running junkie. But like I said I stopped. Cold Turkey.

Now I want to start again. I am 45 and will be 46 in January and need to find a healthy hobby to go along with all the other hobbies I do that tear my body apart. And to accompany my blogging. So I went out and bought some new running shoes last night, I dug out my old running shorts and quickly realized I am too fat for them. I then found a couple of old bandanas and tonight I begin. Slow and easy. Maybe a walk and run type of deal. I'll probably go a mile or a little over. If I am going to start my business at the first of the year with all the stress that will come with it I'll need to run.

Wish me luck and pray I don't have a heart attack and assume room temperature. Hoss and Addict keep an eye on the Obits. If you see that Frank B. Wheeler has bit the big one I'll depend on you to get the word out.