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.

Didn’t Happen

I was supposed to run 14 miles this morning. Got up early and everything. Then I was pointedly reminded that I'd been getting up early every day this week, and that sometimes there are reasons to skip workouts. And that's all I've got to say about that.

Run-O-Rama

Last week certainly didn't lack for excitement when it came to people running, having fun, and writing about it. No siree. With the possible exception of not having much to say about my weekend, I'm damn glad to have drawn this slot to talk to you about what's ...

Race Planning

Alright, so I'm currently hoping to get into the NYC lottery to do my next marathon on 11/7/04. I've also filled out my race schedule up through the beginning of July. That would give me a little over four months to train up for the marathon, which should ...

No running today

Well, I didn't run this morning. I may get a run in this evening - but I may not. This past weekend we were out shopping for a hammock stand to go with our hammock (a wedding gift we'd never used). L&T were out, so we went ...

April Fools

Yes, that's right - yesterday's entry was, indeed, a timely one. At least, it was in most senses. I should have done my speedwork, but since I was on the road to Dallas at 5am and got back to Austin at 2:30am this morning, well, I didn't. ...

Giving Up

Well, I never managed to lose the last 10 pounds that I wanted to. Between that and my recent disappointing performance in the Cap 10K, I've officially decided to just give it all up. I realized that the fitness craze is just that - a crazy idea. A fad, ...

We’re getting close

I'm starting to see the signs of a pending marathon popping up around town. Literally - the little signs that say, "Don't drive here on Sunday morning, you'll really regret it and you won't get to where you're trying to get to - oh, and by the time that ...

Goals for 2004

I just realized that, while I had posted a recap of my 2003 progress some time ago that included a couple of ideas, I'd never set down a comprehensive list of goals for 2004. So here we are: RacingFinish every race that I enter PR at least once at every distance ...

Year In Review

Well, its official - 2003 was the year in which I became a runner. Not a particularly fast one, or a traditionally successful one as measured by race results, but a runner nonetheless. You know what? I love it. Running has given me more satisfaction than ...

Welcome

Well, its been an interesting week. I've always been a little skeptical of blogs, seeing them as nothing more than the expected evolution of the "My Favorite Links" type of homepage. Then I spent last weekend reading Hollie's Marathon Training Log. And you know something? It ...


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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May 20th 2007
Tags: Running, Races

One Comment

2007 North Trail Half Marathon

I'll start out by saying that this wasn't a PR.  Not even close.  It was, however, a really fun race, taking place in the middle of a fun weekend, surrounded by fun friends. Fun! Going into it I knew that I wasn't going to PR.  To be honest, I was more than ...
May 19th 2007
Tags: Running

No Comments

Update

Well, so much for keeping the blog current, eh? I've been doing pretty well, most of the time. I'm currently in Dallas just a few hours away from running in a small half marathon (400 people, give or take) - and I've only managed to get up to 10.5 miles ...
April 10th 2007
Tags: Running

No Comments

Lunchtime Ladera

This was my third time to run Ladera Norte, and its actually getting easier.  I walked once, about 3 minutes into the hill, for a minute (timed), then ran the rest of the way.  Not that I was fast - the remainder took me a solid 5 minutes - but I ...
March 4th 2007
Tags: Running, Races

9 Comments

2007 BagelFest 5K

I'm very glad that I did this race.  I almost didn't - the idea of doing something where I know that I wasn't going to come close to a PR was not terribly enticing - but I've done it every year since I started running, and its been a whole ...
March 1st 2007
Tags: Running

One Comment

Unplanned 3 Miler

Well... I know that I said that I wasn't goint to run today... but I did anyway.  You see, at lunch today Thon offered to run his 3 mile hill loop with me this evening.  Naturally I stuck to the gameplan and told him that I wasn't running until Saturday.  ...
February 27th 2007
Tags: Running

One Comment

Rollingwood Revisited

I went to Rollingwood for the second time - or at least the second time since my recovery - and while ended up running a slightly different course due to inattention, it was a fantastic run.  Last time I averaged a 9:41 pace (9:54, 9:30, 9:46) around the hills, and it felt ...

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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