Why I run - Christopher

Howdy,
Jennifer today sent out an email with a very cool story of why she is running the Chicago Marathon and it'll be included into a news letter with a Chicago based running group. Apparently that newsletter will reference our lil blog here...!

Why am I running....? It started this past Christmas in Vail. A common topic of conversation among my sibs was getting together in Austin 2/14/2010 for the Austin Marathon/Half Marathon. Despite dropping massive amount of weight over the past 2 years and being in the best shape of my "adult" life, this simply was impossible and stupid to even fathom.

I was running for exercise and weight control. Time Based... I'll do 20 minutes or 30... every once in a while a miracle 40 minutes. 100% treadmill because the road was just too hard on my feet. (amazing the BS we can convince ourselves). I had no goals. Pretty GD boring now that I think about it. I knew running 13.1 in Austin wasn't possible by Feb.

After I got back from Vail...I wondered and therefore started reading about training for a marathon and found inspiration. Boom. Without a doubt... "I have to run a marathon." "This is my year" I convinced myself. My year to do something big and different.

The past few years have been a roller coaster of successes, failures,.. losses. Call it what you want: Bucket-list, mid-life crisis, 40th b-day present, therapy... whatever. It hooked me and anyone who truly knows me understands that when I want to do something... it'll happen come hell or high water. That's the Piskun in me and I have on occasion been to hell or did some paddling.

That was it... I broadcast my intentions to the world. Chicago in Oct. Prepare to join me, support me or get the F*** out of my way. Woke up at midnight Feb 1st (open registration) to officially register. Invested in the right pair of shoes, the right set of winter clothing, the right play-list and I was off.

A blink of an eye later... I ran my first race on May 16th. The Wilmington, DE Half in 2:09:22, a 9'52" average which exceeded all my training and expectations. It was a cake-walk and elevated my confidence through the roof.

But wait...Stop...

Nice try Chris. I got something wrong. I'm coming in way too shallow here... this isn't just about me and my year. I'm not sharing what makes me get out of bed to run 11 miles when I don't feel like it. What makes me eat oatmeal when I really want a super-awesome, holy Sh&% that was great can I have another... bean and cheese burrito.

Redemption (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/redemption) ... about the only word I can find at this time that may cover it all. It passes by as visions and thoughts;

My son, Luke, cheering me into the finish line; Don't be a wimp; The family coming together, as foretold by our father; T-shirts; Because we said we would; Because they said we couldn't; Pride in the eyes of a child for his/her father; 1%-er; A Piskun tries everything once;

Finally and undoubtedly....Wally will be waiting for us when we finish...

Why I run

- Christopher