This weekend I'm running the Chicago Marathon. It's a reboot of sorts. Not the "Matrix Reloaded", or "Star Wars: Phantom Menace", but then again there's no Jar Jar Binks either, so I got that going for me. It's been a big deal to try and put the past behind me.
My life, especially my athletic life since college, has largely been a solo venture. While that is still somewhat true, this past year has had some notable differences. The biggest change has been including group runs into my routine. Many Tuesdays and Thursdays I join local runners to run 3-5 miles and on Thursday drink beer. It's a new experience and I still painfully, hopelessly awkward in social situations, but I keep going back and socialize the best I can.
I've also been lending mostly morale support to a friend who started running less than a year and a half ago. His dedication, enthusiasm, and progress have helped revitalize my love of running, much like my Ragnar team did in 2014.
Training was different this time around, and perhaps that's why I'm trying to finally turn the page on the old me. There's no 2:55 marathon in the near future. Instead I'm placing the official start of this chapter in 2018. That makes my marathon PR 3:21. So yes Gary, a marathon PR might be a goal. I've trained more than I have in a long time, and despite not having training paces that look like anything I've done in the past, they are beginning to move in the right direction, so we'll see.
My kids are now teenagers, suck the energy out of me, and are totally awesome. And of course my wife Leanna, now my partner for 25yrs, is still there by my side. As I reestablish my personal identity, I'm not forgetting those who have been there all along.
