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.

Interesting Run

I finally got out of the door this morning for an early run with Mike.  We “kept it easy,” because I hadn’t run since last Friday (almost two weeks), and ran from Barton Springs up Scenic to 35th, then over to Exposition and back.  Total distance was about 9 1/2 miles, at an average running pace of around 9:45.  My legs were complaining by the end of the day, but my cardio settled down after a few miles and the whole run seemed remarkably uneventful.  In fact, both Scenic and Exposition went by without either of us really noticing the hills, which was unusual enough to cause comment.

Running in the early morning light made me really want to take a minute to enjoy some of the images I was seeing.  I didn’t, of course, because I was running, but it did make me decide to go out and start taking more pictures.  A lot more pictures.  There are some beautiful parts of Austin that I run through each month, and some fascinating (if not picturesque) images to be shared.  And, of course, this being the 21st century, I’ll start sharing them with y’all as well.  I’m going to be focusing much more on the pictures themselves than any particular technology, and I think you’ll enjoy the results.

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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

3 total comments, leave your comment.
  1. Jay
    Sep 13th 2006
    8:01 PM

    It’s good to hear that you’re back on the roads. You coming out Saturday for the medium long run?

  2. you are going to make me miss Austin more than I already do if you start posting photos. I miss the hills and the landscapes and the weather. And Mangia pizza. :)

  3. Muna the lurker
    Sep 15th 2006
    8:43 AM

    Glad to see you running again, Richard! If you can throw down a 9.5 mi hilly run like that, then you must be doing fine. Just make sure you’re ready for the 10K now. :)


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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