There is more to a successful business or running race than going fast or making a fast buck. It’s really about going at your own pace, having fun, working hard, and meeting great people, like Gloria, along the way. And remember, just don’t give up!
I must admit that I really admire my eldest son, Nick, for his grit, determination, and discipline, with it comes to his business, Shirts That Go, and his interests, Kite Boarding and Intermittent Fasting. Nick is also a great parent. Nick’s business, which is being supported by his whole family, in the photograph above, was quite a challenge. It seemed to start with Nick reading The 4-Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss, which he passed onto me, and I like it a lot (but I thought it was just hype – until I saw Nick’s tee-shirt business grow).
This encouraged me to start Old Dogs in Training, LLC.
I recently competed in a local road race, The Tar Heel 10-Miler, with a total of 4,782 participants, of which only two (2) were in my age-group class, men 71+, and the other guy was a real runner, as it turned out, with an average pace of 9:33. You might think that I was disappointed with my average run pace of 13:05, but you would be wrong. I was both surprised and very happy, finishing strong, with Gloria, a fellow runner, pulling me along at the end.
I really didn’t expect to finish in under 3 hours, due to my left hip rotators locking up in all of my training runs, none of which exceeded 6 miles. Before the race, I wondered whether I could run-walk the race, gradually decreasing enforced walking to let those hip rotators let go, and gradually increasing my run distance each time.
The strategy was simple but risky – remember, the next injury is just one little mistake away.
I would pick markers, such as a road sign, to finish each short walk, and then aim for a gradually more remote marker for the running. For 5 miles I was forced to walk intermittently, due to that pesky hip rotator, and then, much to my surprise, I noticed that they had forgotten to tighten up during a run. For the rest of the race, other muscles complained, especially my left iliacus, but I knew that I could now finish in a somewhat respectable time, and my run training could get off of the ground, finally.
At the 9-mile marker, I asked a fellow runner, Gloria, to take my photo, as I was so delighted to be there. Gloria and I met up again near the end of the 10-mile course, which included the dreaded Topo Hill climb, to pull each other over the finish line.
This is really what running is about. Meeting great people!
OK! No excuses now, time to prepare for the Not So Normal Half-Marathon, in May.
Thanks, Nick, for all your inspiration (just don’t give up is right!).
Thanks, Gloria for pulling me up that last incline.
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