Running Towards Fitness

Personal Awareness
The ancient Greeks used to believe that a healthy mind and a healthy body not only went together, but were both critical for happiness and a successful life. They were also intertwined, meaning that a weakness in either area would affect the other. When I started this transformation I was overweight and full of excuses. And by overweight I don't mean just a few pounds - I weighed over 70 pounds more than I do now. I finally took my life into my own hands and started exercising. At the time, I had no idea where it would lead - to a stronger body, a happier, more nimble mind, and a chest full of race medals. Healthy mind, healthy body, indeed! It hasn't been easy, or without issues, but I wouldn't trade the experience for the world.

Another decision

I don’t think that I’ll be doing AustinFIT this year after all. My runs aren’t really lining up well with their schedule, and I know enough people who will be down on the trails that I don’t think finding long run partners will be a problem. Also, my coach Gilbert is leading a lot of Saturday long runs. It will take me until mid-November to get my mileage up to his LSD group’s, but after that point I’ll just hook up with him.

I chatted with him a little today - he wants me up to 25-30 mpw before starting my speedwork again. That’s fair enough. Looks like it’ll be about the beginning of October, and I’m already looking forward to it!

Enough talk - let’s go run.

Popularity: 2%

About

I'm Richard Stanford, a fit, happy runner. Of course, that wasn't always the case. Dip into the archives to follow my progress from couch potato to sub-four hour marathoner.

I also like to cook, write, code, and play with power tools...

Personal Records

DistanceRaceTimePace
Marathon2006 Freescale3:54:078:56
20 Miles2006 RunTex3:00:089:00
30K2005 RunTex2:42:448:45
Half M2006 3M1:42:577:51
20K2005 Decker1:40:428:06
10 Miles2005 Pervasive1:20:138:01
10K2005 Dublin Dr Pepper48:437:51
5 Miles2005 Turkey Trot37:017:24
5K2005 Margarita Run22:327:15
4K2006 Fila Relays17:247:15
1 Mile2006 Congress Ave6:236:23

Sponsors

  • Amazon - Books, gear, and more
  • Dreamhost - Cheap reliable hosting
  • iTRAIN - Downloadable MP3 workouts
  • Shoes.com - Good prices on athletic shoes, gear
        NEW! Use code GIVE10OFF for a 10% discount!

Activity

2 total comments, leave your comment.
  1. It’s great that you have partners you can still hook up and a coach to consult with!

    You are really being so thoughtful about this whole process…you should be proud of yourself for taking the time to figure out the best way to get stronger and stay injury-free at the same time.

  2. Ya, I’ll echo Dianna’s comment. I missed a couple of your posts because I was away a couple of days but I wanted to say your decisions these past few days are very well thought our and positive ones. Better to focus on getting injury free and keep your eye on long term success.

    Nice going as always Richard. You should tell us more about your coach. I’m intrigued! I have a co-worker (Nick) with world class running background who I often grill but he’s not my official coach! Neat that you have one.


Leave a Reply


Search

Search the archives by entering keywords or topic strings.

Famous Marathon Times

RunnerTimePace
Al Gore4:58:2511:23
Oprah4:29:3010:17
P. Diddy4:14:549:43
Will Ferrell3:56:129:01
George W. Bush3:44:528:35
John Edwards3:30:188:01
Carrie Sapp3:29:067:59
Boston Qualifier3:10:597:17
Lance Armstrong2:59:366:51
Gilbert Tuhabonye2:23:075:28
Paula Radcliffe2:15:255:10
Paul Tegat2:04:554:46

People I Train With

Alex - Addicted to Exercise
Carrie - Tri to be Funny
Erine - Thousand Miles
Frank - Running Blog
Gilbert - Gilbert's Gazelles
Jay - Leotian Blog
Mike - BROTH