Partners

It may be hard for some of you to believe but I am an introvert.  As much I it seems that I am built to be in front of a crowd or large group of people, I enjoy being alone and left to my thoughts.  In fact there are times when large crowds make me uncomfortable and I shut down.

That may be one of the reasons I love running so much.  It's just me, the road and my always on melon. Now I say this but as I was in reflection while on my last run a thought occurred to me that contradicts my "enjoyment" of alone time.

Please stay with me as I share with you my line of reasoning/thinking which developed on my most recent 2:39:05 spent inside of the mind of Brian.

While I enjoy my time in my own head, I also love and crave running with others.  I enjoy exchanging ideas and thoughts about everything and anything. I enjoy experiencing the pain and pleasure that running brings (often on the same run).  I enjoy being alone with other people. 

In fact the success of running is tied to the connections you make with others while running. I truly believe I couldn't survive without a running partner. That someone to share the joy of running. That someone to challenge you.  That someone to motivate you.  That someone who is there because they need you like you need them. 

With this in mind I am happy to announce that I have a new running partner and we are training for the 2015 Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN. On June 20th.  That some one is my beautiful daughter Aubrey.  She has new committed to joining me even though she is three hours away and won't technically be by my side. She will however be in my mind and in my heart every time I lace up my ASICS and run myself into the ground. 

So the next time you see her, welcome her to the running family and tell her her daddy loves her.

Enjoy!

Paperwork

It happens to all of us. By us I mean runners. Anyway, it happens to all of us, you're out for a run (long or short it doesn't matter) and that urge hits you. You know the urge I'm talking about, the one that begins at the top of your stomach and ends at. . . well your end, as in hind end. 

Usually it starts innocently enough that you think it will pass. Then it slowly builds enough that you begin to calculate the time and distance to the next depository telling yourself that you'll make it and to remain calm even though you are panic stricken with your eyes darting around searching for the best place to "relieve" yourself in case you don't make it. You are also taking inventory to determine the best way to clean yourself if it does in fact come down to a stop in the bushes. 

Fortunately, up ahead in the distance, you see what you've been patiently holding out for. A soothing oasis of comfort. A familiar friend. A throne fit for a king or court jester.  The nearest bathroom on your run!

You eagerly approach and begin to calculate the time this unscheduled pitstop is going to add to your time on the road. Then it hits! That sinking feeling that the oasis you didcovered isn't close enough. Panic begins to set in. Will you make it? Can you hold out for ten more feet and the time it takes to undo the knot in your shorts. 

Ah, relief!! Until you discover there isn't any paper to complete your work. 

Boulders in my shoes

Metaphor time!  Although I'm not very good at it, I love trying to find different ways of describing one situation through a simpler but similar situation. In other words, I love metaphors!

During my long run today I came up with a different way to look at life and all of the things that seem to cause us great anxiety.  At least I think I came up with it. . .if not my apologies to the originator whoever you are.

Inevitably when I'm on the road putting in my miles a piece of gravel or ten will find their way into one or both of my shoes.  Often it's no big deal because I'm only running a couple miles and I can put up with the minor inconvenience.  

However there are those days when I swear I have a rock the size of Gibralter rubbing against my foot. Or, I just know a dump truck unloaded a ton of rocks inside my shoes and they are going to cause blisters that will never heel and I'll never be able to run again!!

So you know what happens next. . . I pause my run to eliminate the menace because  let's face it, when you are a world class athlete like I am you can not risk serious injury!  Plus with the condition of some of our roadways I figure the extra rocks can't hurt. 

Well you know what happens next, I unlace my shoe and discover the smallest of earths products. A piece of stone so small the speck of sleep I picked out if my eye that morning is enormous in comparison. 

This can't be the cause of all my pain and discomfort. There must be some mistake. I shake my shoe, certain there must be more stones lodged farther down. I even reach my hand inside only to find nothing.  

Although I'm a little stunned at the insignificance of the cause of my discomfort I am relieved to find I will be able to continue my training for the world famous Des Moines Marathon!

Life is short, but it should be long enough. 

Bouncing Balls

I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders!  For several years I have tried to start a blog and struggled. The struggle stemmed from my thought I needed to pick a topic and center the blog around that topic. 

Maybe a better way to put it is I struggled with choosing the topic. Not that I don't have specific ideas on my mind, but that I was putting myself in a box by choosing the wrong topic. 

Let me get to the point. I was trying to write about my experience and thoughts surrounding running, basketball, leadership and even marathon training. What I discovered is I couldn't just focus on those sole sources of ideas because they were too narrow. 

Now I don't want this to sound wrong (although to some of you it will), but the topic I should have focused on all along was me. Cue the laugh track! 

It dawned on me today my attempt at blogging was difficult because the main thread through all of those interesting topics is me and I was putting myself in a box. 

I AM multifaceted and tend to follow "bouncing balls" a lot. Some people call it ADD/ADHD, but I just call it "being me".

Anyway, I hope you enjoy what I have to say. If you don't I hope it will at least make you think. Either way welcome to a new journey. My new journey. Our new journey. 

Fasten your seatbelts the train is leaving the station and I know it will be a bumpy ride. Kind of like a bouncing ball!

Welcome to B Hillville!