"All Disease Begins in the Gut." - Hippocrates
“I have noticed that folks are generally about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” --F. Scott Fitzgerald
"We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims." -- Buckminster Fuller
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” --Abraham Lincoln
“Money is Gold, and nothing else.” -- John Pierpoint Morgan
"Let thy food be thy medicine, let thy medicine but thy food." --Hippocrates "Whether you think you can do a thing, or not, you are right." --Henry Ford "The only disability in life is a bad attitude." --Scott Hamilton
“The unexamined life is not worth living. (alternate reading) The unexamined belief is not worth holding.” -- Socrates "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither." --Benjamin Franklin "It hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse." -- Ann Trason
"The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenty; but the thoughts of everyone who is hasty only to poverty." Proverbs 21:5
"The best social program is a good job," --Ronald Reagan
"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children." ~Nelson Mandela
So I ran the 2012 Dallas Marathon yesterday and it was an awesome experience. The new marathon course incorporates several Dallas landmarks like the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, Turtle Creek, White Rock Lake, and historic Swiss Avenue. The weather made it a challenging day with humidity and rain before the race making the streets slippery at the start.
I ran a nice race through 20 with an easy 10 minute pace. I enjoyed the crowd and took in as much of the city during those first 20 as I could. It was really special, exhilarating to be out in it. But the high humidity and perhaps a lack of preparation caught up with me, as I started cramping in the right hip flex-or. I wouldn't say I was ill-prepared for the race. I had completed a 16 week preparatory course and had built a solid foundation prior to that prep. And having pushed towards this goal for over two years and several half marathons, I felt I was prepared. But I just wasn't prepared enough for it to be a smooth experience and realize a fast time. So it was a battle to finish the last 6 miles. In the end, my tenacity won out over the stabbing pains. Crossing the finish line, I didn't well up in tears as I'd imagine I might. Elation in self actualization and happy that it was over.
I think my favorite moment in the entire race was seeing my wife and four children at mile 20. Our two and half year old little girl Emma was so excited cheering me on. She gave me a full smack when I stopped to say hi. This is a little girl who is, let's say economical about handing out hugs and smooches. The older ones saw how sweaty I was and decided a hug wasn't interesting at that time. I don't blame them a bit. But that memory will stick with me forever! Emma then offered up the bag of chips and banana I had asked they to bring. I declined the chips as I was already more than a little queasy. Emma asked "well can I have them?" Of course you can Sweety, you can have them all. You can have a blast running and a bag of chips. (sry, couldn't resist).
Thank you to my family and friends for coming out and supporting me in this endeavor. What a great day!
And here's how I feel today, Monday the day after the marathon.
The Dallas Marathon is this weekend and its my first full marathon, pretty excited and a little anxious. Hopefully it'll be a fun, smooth experience. Cheers to everyone and have a great weekend!
Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers 15th Annual Bold in the Cold 5K & 15K is coming up on January 12th is a local favorite.
and right in our own backyard, Highland Village's own Resolution Run 5K. Both events should be a lot of fun and if history serves, very cold!
