I run because of the small things....

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I have a mound of unread emails. Countless text messages pile up. The list of to do's is daunting.
 
I should address all of them. All of them are high priority. Running is the last thing I should be doing.
 
But, I lace up the shoes and go. I create space between everything and me. None of the aforementioned can follow me.
 
Thoughts of the undone items rattle around. I pick up the pace. My labored breathing silences them.
 
A brilliant blue sky surrounds me. The blindingly white clouds awe. The sun shines brightly radiating heat.
 
I am not saving lives. No one is going to die if I delay responding to my texts. No lives will be lost if the to do list doesn't shrink.
 
Surely, there are more emails accumulating in my inbox. Undoubtedly, a voicemail has arrived. I press on uphill.
 
The sweat pours out of me. Accompanying it are the worries, doubts, and fears. The voices chiding me for leaving it all behind are faint.
 
Rome wasn't built in a day nor was it lost in a day. What I have built will still be there when I return. I will be as well.
 
I crest the hill and am blessed with a view that nearly brings me to tears. I am so small. The universe is so huge.
 
I am reminded how little I am in the grand scheme of things. It is a welcome humbling. I run on.
 
It's not the size of the dog, but the size of the fight in the dog. As small as I might be, I've got plenty of fight in me. I snarl and carry on.
 
Stay the course. Relax and focus. This too shall pass.
 
My go to mantras never fail. My breathing calms. My strides even.
 
I won't be overwhelmed. The small things won’t fell me. All of the things that got me out here are small.
 
The road stretches on and the small things become smaller. The things I sweat aren't even real. They aren't tangible.
 
They may slow me down. But, they can't stop me. I won't let them.
 
I won't allow them to keep up. I surge again asking my legs to turn faster. They comply.
 
I put a gap on them. Small and frail, they wheeze and gasp behind me. They are fading.
 
I smile to myself as I shift up one more gear. I really put the hurt on them. I obliterate any hope they have of catching me.
 
They might be done, but I'm not. I still have a few miles to go. I want to relish this one.
 
My stride relaxes. My mind quiets. The flow washes over me.
 
I lose myself. The road rolls by unnoticed. No effort is expended. The day is mine.
 
The large things loom ahead. But, they are few. They might fell me, but not today.
 
Today, I move forward. Today, I put the small things behind me.

Saturday Long Run (04/09/16, 8-12 miles).

We'll get things rolling with an easy 1/4 mile (approx) warmup run to Jordan Ave.  

We'll segue into some range of motion drills and then continue with our run towards Golden Gate Park!

 
Here's a link to the course map....
 
Saturday ARM Long Run Course Map

Here's a description of said course...

-Launch from A Runner's Mind. Turn LEFT on Cherry across California Street and continue onto Jordan Ave. Look for chalk arrows/markings.
-Continue on Jordan Ave. to Geary. Take a 'slight' left and run across Geary on Stanyan St.
-Follow Stanyan to the intersection of JFK/Stanyan (big, controlled intersection with stoplights)
-Turn RIGHT on JFK and continue running into Golden Gate Park. This is just under 1.5 miles into the run. 
-Continue running through Golden Gate Park until you run under the overpass and reach the intersection of JFK/Transverse. This is a controlled intersection (four way stop). This is 3 miles. Continue running along JFK to JFK/Transverse. Move over to the LEFT side of JFK. 
-1/2 a mile later you will reach the intersection of JFK/Chain of Lakes Drive East. This is FOUR miles. Beginner runners will turn around here and head back to A Runner's Mind for 8 MILES!
-Everyone else will run through this intersection and continue on the left side of JFK until you reach a T-intersection.
-Run through the pedestrian crosswalk and turn RIGHT to continue on JFK (you will be on the dirt path on the LEFT of JFK) until you reach the parking lot area for the BEACH CHALET SOCCER FIELDS ON YOUR LEFT. There is a sign here for your visual cue. Look for a 'RC 9' in chalk. This is 4.5 miles. Intermediate level runners will turn around here and head back to A Runner's Mind for 9 MILES!
-All other runners will continue on JFK towards the Great Highway. Turn LEFT on the Great Highway until you reach the Beach Chalet. Advanced level runners will turn around here and head back to A Runner's Mind for TEN MILES!
-Race level runners will continue along the Great Highway.
-Race level runners will continue running along the Great Highway until you reach the intersection of Great Highway and Lawton. Look for a 'RC12' and turn around and head back to A Runner's Mind for TWELVE MILES! 

Saturday's Recovery Run (3/26/16)

Saturday's recovery run launches at PSOAS Massage/Bodywork at 333 3rd Street between Folsom/Harrison.

If you need to use the restroom, change, and/or store some personal items, head up to PSOAS in Suite 205.

Here's a link to the course map-

Saturday's Recovery Run Course Map.

Here is a brief description of the course:

We will cross Folsom from 3rd Street onto the sidewalk and take a right. We will run along Folsom all the way to the Embarcadero. We will cross the street and take a left onto the Embarcadero.

Run along the Embarcadero past the Ferry Building. Look for the street sign for ‘GREEN’. This is a hair over 1.5 miles. Beginner runners turn around here and head back for 3 miles!

Continue running along the Embarcadero. Look for the Hillstone Restaurant on the LEFT side of the Embarcadero at Embarcadero/Bay. This is 2 miles. Intermediate runners turn around here and head back for 4 miles!

Continue running along the Embarcadero until it turns into ‘Jefferson’. Run along Jefferson to the intersection of Jefferson/Powell. Look for the CVS drugstore on the left. This is 2.5 miles. Advanced runners turn around here and head back for 5 miles!

Run through Fisherman’s Wharf right to the edge of Aquatic Park. Once you reach the cul-de-sac at the edge of Fisherman’s Wharf/Aquatic Park, you’ve logged 3 miles. Race level runners turn around and head back to PSOAS for 6 MILES!

Saturday Long Run (6-9 miles)-03/19/16

We'll get things rolling with an easy 1/4 mile warmup run to Julius Kahn Park.  

We'll segue into some range of motion drills and then continue with our run towards the Marina/Embarcadero

 
Here's a link to the course map....
 
Saturday ARM Long Run Course Map

Here's a description of said course...

-Descend from Julius Kahn Park to MacArthur Ave. 
-Turn RIGHT on MacArthur Ave and follow to Presidio Ave.
-Veer RIGHT on Presidio Ave towards Lincoln Ave. 
-Turn LEFT on Lincoln. Run briefly along Lincoln and then turn RIGHT on Girard. 
-Follow Girard to the Marina. Girard turns into Marina Boulevard. 
-Continue running on Marina Blvd. Once you reach the Marina Green Monkey Bars, you will have logged 2 miles.
-Continue on Marina past Safeway and crest Ft. Mason Hill. Descend Fort Mason Hill and run through Aquatic Park. 
-Run until the sidewalk terminates in a cul-de-sac/roundabout. This is 3 miles. Beginners will turn around here and head back to Julius Kahn for 6 MILES!
-Everyone else will continue running into Fisherman's Wharf.
-At the intersection of Jefferson/Powell (this is a stoplight controlled intersection..look for the CVS Pharmacy on the RIGHT), you will have logged 3.5 miles. Intermediate runners turn around here and head back to Julius Kahn for 7 MILES!
-Advanced/Race level runners will continue running on the Embarcadero towards the Ferry Building.
-At the intersection of Embarcadero/Bay (Hillstone Restaurant is on the RIGHT), you will have logged 4 MILES. Advanced runners will turn around here and head back to Julius Kahn for 8 MILES!
-Race level runners will continue running to the intersection of Embarcadero/Green. This is 4.5 MILES. Turn around and head back to Julius Kahn for 9 MILES! 
 

Race Discounts for Team Gilead!

 Check out the discounts below....

-The Jig & Jog 5K on Sun, 3/20 (Use the 'MMRUN' code for $5 off)

-The Presidio 10 on Sun, 4/17 (Use the 'FORSMAN10' code for 10% off)

-The Sasquatch Scramble 5K/10K/Half on Sun, 4/17 (Use the 'RUNCLUB' code for 20% off)

-The Marin County Half Marathon on Sun, 4/24 (Use the 'RUN' code for $5 off)

Ten Miles.

I learned that becoming a runner involves losing a bit of your sanity. It involves subjecting your body to things that leave others stunned and slack jawed. This was the response I encountered most frequently in the days leading up to conquering my first ten miler.

My friends balked. My parents were stunned. Was I ready for this?
 
I had no way of knowing. The idea of running ten miles was like climbing Mount Everest. Few tried it.
 
What happened to those who ran ten miles?  Were they left shattered and destroyed? Did they transcend their physical limits and become a superhero?
 
All these questions rattled around noisily in my head. Over the cacophony of these questions, another faint voice could be heard. This faint voice provided answers.
 
You can do this. You are a runner. You are a contender, not a pretender.
 
I barely heard this voice it was so faint. The deafening questions barely allowed this voice to be heard. But, every once in awhile I would catch a word or two.
 
The day of reckoning was a few days away. It loomed on the horizon ominously. The date was circled on my training diary with the number '10' jotted on it.
 
I became a bit obsessed with the number. There was something about the number 10. I remembered what a big deal it was to turn ten. High school reunions always seemed to happen every ten years.
 
Ten years is commonly known as a decade. Ten yards is what you have to cover to get a first down. Ten miles is what you have to cover to become a real runner.
 
In search of inspiration, I picked up my first issue of Runner's World.  Amidst the countless articles about nutrition, hydration, and shoes was something else. There were stories of runners who ran ten miles.
 
There were stories about runners who ran more than double this distance. They were called marathoners. They ran 26.2 miles.
 
Not only did they run 26.2 miles. They ran 26.2 miles really, REALLY fast. I couldn't even manage a single mile at the pace they were running for nearly THIRTY miles.
 
Ten miles was a mere warmup jog for these otherworldly creatures. These gazelles thought nothing of ten miles. The same ten miles that had me quaking in my boots was nothing for these people.
 
I inhaled the rest of the issue awestruck by the incredible feats these marathoners were performing. How did they get there? How does one possible get into the kind of shape to attempt something like this?
 
I wondered if these athletes had been as daunted by their first ten miler as I was. I imagined their talent was so transcendent that their very first run was ten miles. They simply emerged from the womb born to run.
 
I wasn't born to run. At least, I didn't think I was. Running had been an alternative, a second choice, a last resort. I chose it in lieu of doing nothing.
 
Independent of the articles about the elite marathoners, there were a smattering of articles about runners who were far more pedestrian. They didn't run ridiculously fast times. They didn't win races.
 
But, they ran far. Some of them ran ten miles. Some ran marathons. Few of them seemed like serious athletes.
 
I finished the issue and while I didn't have any easy answers for conquering ten miles, I knew that it had been done. Many had done it before. Some had done much more than ten miles.
 
There were runners out there both elite and far from elite who had done exactly what I was endeavoring to do and more. I didn't know exactly how they had done it, but they had gotten it done. A modicum of confidence crept in.
 
Our last practice prior to our ten miler arrived. It was a casual, light, easy day. We jogged a few slow miles, did some stretching, and went through a few drills.
 
During this practice, a man stood underneath a tree nearby watching us. Someone mentioned it was Tom Dowling. He was an Olympic development coach and our coach’s husband.
 
He watched us intently and periodically took a few notes. I wondered why someone who worked with world-class runners was spending his time watching some high school runners. He studied us as we went through our entire routine.
 
We wrapped things up and began to leave. Before I made my way to the parking lot, I heard someone call my name. It was Tom.
 
He jogged up to me and introduced himself shaking my hand. He told me who he was. Then he said something I would never forget.
 
'I think you will be a great marathoner some day.'
 
I was dumbfounded. I hadn't even run ten miles let alone a marathon. I couldn't fathom covering 26.2 miles, let alone being great at it.
 
What did he see? Did he have me confused with someone else? Was he simply delusional?
 
Maybe he had completely succumbed to the insanity that one had to embrace to become a runner. This made sense. If you run long enough and far enough, you simply lose your mind completely.
 
A pregnant pause ensued as I stared at Tom contemplating all of this. I didn't know what to say.  I couldn't believe what he said. So I said the only thing I could think of to say.
 
'Thanks.'
 
I shook his hand and walked away.  Did he really think I could be one of these athletes I had read about in Runner's World? Could I become this kind of runner?
 
My encounter with Tom kept me awake that night. No one had ever said anything like that to me before. I wasn't sure I even wanted to be a runner.
 
But, the idea of being one of the fastest runners on the planet intrigued. It did more than intrigue. It seduced. It beckoned.
 
 

Run Club Spring 2016 Launch Details-PLEASE READ!

Hey Folks,

I'm looking forward to meeting all of you and getting A Runner's Mind Run Club started on Saturday at 9:30AM @ A Runner's Mind (3575 Sacramento St)!

You will receive a more substantive email later tomorrow with a link to the comprehensive training schedule for this season and a TON of additional details, but I wanted to give you some info. that might be useful in the interim. 

-Parking! Admittedly, finding parking right in front of A Runner's Mind can be challenging and it's mostly metered. The good news is you can find PLENTY of free parallel parking on Clay and/or Washington just a block or two away. 

-Test driving. If you have a friend or two who are interested in checking Run Club out, feel free to extend them an invite. Saturday's launch is largely a glorified orientation/launch party (hence the mimosas and pancakes!) and we're only covering '2' miles on Saturday. So, we're not doing a TON of running.

-Run Club price goes up $10 EOD FRIDAY. If you know anyone who wants to join, but has NOT signed up yet, encourage them to sign up before EOD FRIDAY as the price for full-time/part-time participation goes up $10 EOD FRIDAY. 

-A Runner's Mind VIP gift package and raffle prizes! Yet another reason to sign up before EOD Friday is to make sure you get a VIP gift package and are eligible for the raffle prizes we're giving away on Saturday. The VIP gift package from A Runner's Mind inclues a reusable bag, a water bottle, a $20 ARM giftcard, NUUN samples, and much more! 
Additionally, all officially registered Run Club team members will be entered into our raffle which includes a free entry to the Jig & Jog 5K, The Sasquatch Scramble, A Runner's Mind giftcards, and more!

-$5 off The Jig & Jog 5K on Sun, 3/20! This fun, locally produced Jig & Jog 5K is managed by official Run Club sponsor, A Runner's Mind! Use the code MMRUN to get $5 off this one. BTW, there's a really cool run club challenge associated with this event. The more people who use the MMRUN code, the better! If we win the challenge, A Runner's Mind will host a party for us complete with food, beer, wine, and more! To boot, they'll cut us a check for $1,000! I'd use this cash to produce some SWEET Run Club hats!

-10% discount on The Presidio 10 Miler/10K on Sun, 4/17! We have a few target events this season and one of them is The Presidio 10! This awesome event includes an epic run through the Presidio and across the Golden Gate Bridge, a hot breakfast, post race beers/bloody marys, and more. To boot, I've got the hook up for you! Use the code FORSMAN10 for 10% off! 

-20% discount on The Sasquatch Scramble 5K/10K/Half on Sun, 4/17! If you're looking for a trail party of EPIC proportions, look no further than The Sasquatch Scramble 5K/10K/Half! This one includes epic views, awesome trails, sweet technical shirts, bottle opener medals for half marathoners, post race BEER, massage, and more! I've got the hookup on this one too! Use the code RUNCLUB for 20% off!

I'm working on getting you discounts for a few other races we're targeting this season, so stay tuned! 

If you have any questions/concerns between now and Saturday, please drop me a line!

Cheers,

-Marathon Matt