My Introduction to Running

Musings of a PseudoRunner 

When did it first happen?  How did I become addicted to this sport considered 'crazy' by many.  Of course, those of you who are likewise so afflicted, and you know who you are, and you know of what affliction I am speaking......UltraRunning!

Almost 30 years ago now, I started running, and not because I enjoyed the sport; no, but because I was afraid.  When I was in 4th grade my father was diagnosed with atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Not soon after that my Father suffered a heart attack and was taken to the hospital.  Being the oldest of three inquisitive children, I asked 'what is a heart attack.'  My mother said, well 'it is like a Charley Horse in the heart.'  I didn't really know what that meant, but I sure knew that Charley Horses hurt and that I didn't want one!  Later I learned, through observation, that Dad was not longer able to run, to play, and many times, he was unable to walk across the room without experiencing chest pains.  

It was this continuous observation of my Father's pain and increased understanding of heart health that led me to begin running my freshman year, 1983, of college at University of Kentucky.  That first semester I discovered a group of guys who liked to run.  We would get up at 5 am run 4 or 5 miles, shower and hit the breakfast lines!  It is funny, looking back at how much you can eat at that age, not to mention how much alcohol you can drink, but I digress.  This was a ritual that I continued, more or less, through my years attending graduate school at  Louisiana State University and beyond.

Skipping ahead a few years, I continued this routine of pounding the pavement, not getting up at 5 am mind you, but running 4 - 10 miles a days three to five days a week for about 25 years.  I would run the occasional 5K or half marathon, but nothing more.  For me, running was a way to help prevent the early onset of heart trouble and not something that I necessarily enjoyed.  From the beginning, I never appreciated road running and/or racing.  I found road running to be, well, boring.  As an aside, I could never quite square that I was running to improve and/or maintain my health well at the same time inhaling carcinogenic car exhaust?!?!.

It wasn't until sometime around 2005 that a neighbor, +Aaron McIntyre, introduced me to trail running at the Brandywine Creek State Park.  I have to admit, I was a wee bit scared - that uneven surface, the rocks, the mud, and leaf hidden roots.  I wasn't sure what to make of this new world, but I was addicted.  Once I learned to trust myself, I was allowed to re-experience running in an entirely new way....running could be enjoyed!

Next....the GPS....