Don't Knock Someone's Pace Until You Try It

ARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!

There are few things that upset and frustrate me than people who criticize others for their pace, especially newbie runners.

About the only thing worse are those who mock/make fun of/complain about newbies at the gym. (Why would you put down someone who's trying to better themselves? Instead of criticizing, why not offer encouragement? If you see them struggling, how about offering help or assistance?)

There's nothing more discouraging to a young runner than to be told their pace is way slow.

Your pace is your pace. Own it.

If you run a 15-minute mile, then guess what? You're lapping everyone sitting on the couch.

Finding Motivation Outside of the Numbers

I had a pretty impressive streak going. It began in June of 2011 and last until October of 2014.

40 months long. Three years and four months.

Oh the streak? What was it?

Only running at least 100 miles a month. With most being at a minimum of 125 miles.

But after my last marathon in October, things changed. Depending on how you look at it, the change could be viewed either good or bad. At the time, I struggled to see the good in it. Yet, having four months to process everything, the change was good.

Very good.

Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon Recap: Pacing Meagan to the Finish Line

Arguably the best medal I've gotten to date.

After years of wanting to run this half marathon, I FINALLY ran Run the Bluegrass, making it half marathon No. 10 for me.

And as an added bonus, I had the pleasure of pacing a friend to her first half marathon finish. My friend Meagan had been wanting to do a half marathon for some time. After failing to find one for us to do in the fall, Meagan settled on Run the Bluegrass, and we began training for it back at the end of December.

We knew there were hills on this course, but we did not realize how many. This course is unrelenting.

It's one hill after another after another after another.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

This was an awesome experience, and this is without question the most beautiful, most scenic course I have run to date. Getting to pace a friend and enjoying some of the prettiest land in the state, great way to spend a Saturday morning.

My Goal For 2015: A Better, Fitter Me

It's the time of the year when everyone it seems sets goals, vows to make changes, yada yada yada.

Don't get me wrong. I strongly believe that goals are important. You need something to strive for, to challenge yourself. Otherwise, you will become stagnant, stay the same or simply become a shell of untapped potential.

My only 'beef,' if you will, is this notion that because it's January 1 and a brand new year, one should be setting new goals and that this is the only time to do so. This should not be.

Goals should be ever changing and an on-going process. Goal-setting should not be limited to one time of the year.

Goals are meant to inspire, invigorate, push a person to become a better version of themselves. To confine goal-setting to one time of the year is to put limits on yourself.

I say all this not to decry all the New Year's resolutions. Never do I want to discourage anyone from goal-setting and challenging themselves. But for me, personally, I prefer to continually add to the list, especially as I cross some off.

Shooting From The Hip: Conquering My First 50K - The Pistol Ultra

I drank the ultra koolaid, and I LOVED it!

On Saturday (Jan. 3), I conquered my first 50K at the Pistol Ultra in Alcoa, Tenn. And to be quite honest, I'm struggling on writing this post as I can't seem to find all the words to describe what an amazing journey this was.

Words that come to mind when thinking about my experience include: fun, challenging, painful, exhilarating, amazing, mind-blowing, and a party.

Heading into this race, I truly did not know what to expect. I really did not have this race on my radar. Sure, I had thought about running it 3-4 months ago, but I let the idea slide as I focused on my marathon which was on Oct. 25. Then after my rough experience at the Spinx Carolina Marathon, I told myself I wanted to take a break from the long distances for a while. Nothing past 13.1 miles for at least the next six months is what I promised I hold myself to.

I even told my lovely bride that I wasn't going to run a marathon until at least late in 2015 or early 2016. (Technically, I didn't lie.)

But as I noted in a recent post, my friend Chris was trying to get his running mojo back and thought running the Pistol Ultra 50K would do the trick. Consequently, he asked me to join him in the fun.