On the road again...

The pants were getting a little tight.  A little more flab around the middle than I like.  I realized that I needed to either set a goal for myself or just toss the running shoes in the trash.  So the notion struck me earlier this week that it's not too late to find a good race to sign up for this fall.  Thought about Paris Mountain 20K, got really excited about maybe the Kiaway half marathon in early December.  Registration was closed.  So Elizabeth found the Thunder Road Marathon and Half-Marathon in Charlotte on Dec. 11.  She read a course description someone had written about the course.  It described the course as being moderately difficult with lots of rolling hills.  To that my beloved son said, "Daddy, I don't think you want to do that one, it would be too hard for you." 

Yes, I'm 43 going on 986, am thinner on top than I'd like to be, and have let myself go a little since I had a good run at the Paris Mountain race last winter.  I also know that in a dead sprint I can't be as fast as I could when I first started running some 15 years ago.  Fortunately for me stubbornness and hardheadedness don't go away with age.  So my sweet son inadvertently laid down the gauntlet and I'll be there in Charlotte ready to run.  Ready once again to be like the ancient Spartan warriors- aiming to "come back carrying my shield or being carried on it."  Then beyond that in Charlotte, the full enchilada at the Myrtle Beach Marathon in February assuming I stay healthy.

It won't be easy, but seldom in life is anything truly worthwhile achieved easily.  Furthermore, it is doable but only with consistent effort.  The competition is ever present every time I run.  It is the nagging voice in my mind that says, "come on now just stop, you really don't have to run today.  It's too hot, too cold, too rainy, I'm to tired, etc."  It is the recurring urge to compare what I did in each run with what I thought was possible on that given day.  During the race there are a couple of other opponents- the guy behind me and the guy in front of me.  All the time though, the greatest opponent is within.

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