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.

Feeling Better

Not good, but better. I’m trying to catch up on some things that have backlogged since I spent the better part of the last 48 hours in bed - not my idea of fun. I’ve been feeling congested for the last two weeks or so, and I think I’m paying now for medicating to hold things off until after the marathon. Urgh. No exercise planned for today - I’m feeling better, but my psoras is still a little sore and my quads still make themselves known when I go down stairs. Tomorrow I’ll go out for 3-5 miles or so, probably with the dog.

Today I just need to remember to keep drinking lots of fluids, and to try to eat something substantial.

In lighter news, if you do a Google search for olympic and Boston marathoner Gelindo Bordin, my skimpy writeup of his talk at RunTex comes up first. Now that’s funny. My most common search hit? Chocolate flan cake. Hmm.

UPDATE: It seems that Google now thinks that this page is the best one to direct people to for cake.  If you want to try it - and its a damned good recipie - you actually want to read the original Chocolate Flan Cake posting instead.

Popularity: 3%

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

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Activity

14 total comments, leave your comment.
  1. tracy
    Feb 18th 2005
    10:30 AM

    Sorry to hear you’re feeling the yuck.

    Today someone stumbled across my blog by looking for “depressed labrador”.

  2. bd
    Feb 18th 2005
    12:28 PM

    I’m glad you are feeling better. Take it easy!

    I enjoyed reading your write-up of Gelindo Bordin’s talk (and Rich’s too). I think there are life lessons in what he had to say. I think perhaps you experienced what he meant when he said you can’t change what happens race day.

    By the way, I’m very impressed that you cut more than an hour off your marathon time, and you did it under difficult conditions. If I could do that then I’d have a shot at qualifying for Boston.

    Chocolate flan cake. Looks tasty. May have to give it a try some day.

    Get well soon!

  3. Its amazing what the search engines pull up. Chocolate flan cake is a good one. :)

  4. Hi there
    Im an Irish lass living in London and on April 17th im runnning the london marathon. In a bid to draw up some attention from the blog commnity I am holding a blog marathon on 11th March.

    It is an opportunity to bring the blogging community together and also raise awareness of your blog.

    The idea for my post http://everythingirish.blogspot.com/ is that I blog for 26.2 hours placing a post up every half an hour. hopefully if I can drum up enough interest so that people will read my blog and maybe donate some money to a good cause (raising £1500 for ActionAid who help fight poverty).

    But anyone can join in this blog marathon. Just for fun, to attract people to there site, to drum up business, or like me trying to raise money for charity.

    Check out http://blogmarathon.blogspot.com/ if you would like to join this blog marathon.

    my running blog is http://michellesmarathon.blogspot.com/

    Spread the word!
    Thanks Michelle

  5. Mmmmmmmm, chocolate flan cake. The perfect thing to go along with my not-running.

  6. Richard: Hope that you’re back at ‘em soon. Kirsten

  7. Rest and be well!

  8. Lara
    Feb 19th 2005
    10:18 AM

    Glad you’re starting to feel better!!

  9. Get well soon. Your body is getting back at you for torturing it last weekend.
    You sort of deserve it.
    I’m KIDDING!

  10. Meghan
    Feb 20th 2005
    9:36 AM

    Richard,

    Glad to hear you’re feeling mo’ betta’. It’s no fun to be sick!

    Take care!
    Meghan

  11. vj
    Feb 21st 2005
    12:10 PM

    I’m glad you’re feeling better, and I hope you’re up to 100% now. That damn post marathon immune drop. Man. Take care!

  12. vj
    Feb 21st 2005
    12:31 PM

    Hey, Richard, your pictures are great! Have you seen them yet? pics

  13. vj
    Feb 21st 2005
    12:32 PM
  14. Audrey
    Feb 22nd 2005
    5:40 PM

    hey. it’s my first time really looking around this site. I LOVE the marathon times of the celebrities. great idea and good job on crossing another off the list!


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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