10 Years of Running

It was November 2005, that I celebrated my first year of running. Now, November 2014, I am proud to say that I have been running for 10 years. A lot has changed in my life in the last 10 years. I married, have two wonderful children, and I have built my business from a small start up into a thriving medium sized business. Throughout all the change, there has been one constant – running.

After my first year of running, I established a routine which I still abide today. My normal run is file miles and it takes me slightlly less than an hour to complete. By any standard, I am a slow runner. I am not trying to run slow nor fast. I just start and go at a velocity that my body dictates. My mind is normally wandering through the clouds and flowing with whatever thoughts that will eventually drive my day. The good news is that in all my time in running, I have never sustained any major injuries. I did have a few falls but nothing that ever stopped the routine. I am happy to say as I turned 55 years old this year, that I still maintain the same routine with a goal of at least 3 runs of 5 miles each week.

In the last 5 years, I have been traveling extensively and that has not deterred my running schedule that much. Google Maps is a huge help when traveling. My run is normally somewhere between 5 and 6 miles, and I can plot a good course, and it helps me find the parks near by. I am proud to say that I have run Central Park in NY, and Hyde Park in London numerous times throughout my travels. There is also the treadmill option but for me that is solution of last resort. I like to explore the city and enjoy the outdoors.

Nothing really deters me from running. In Rio de Janeiro, I like running in the rain, because it never is really cold, and the rain is quite soothing. This year, it was less than 20 degrees in Myrtle Beach, and I just had to see if I could run. Running in the cold in the beginning is quite difficult, but after about 10 minutes, your body heat keeps you warrm, and you don’t have to worry about losing fluids.

In the last 10 years, I have run three half marathons. Running a race, for me, is a great challenge and highly rewarding. I love the feeling before the race begins, and then running among so many fellow runners. My goal is never to set a personal record, or run faster. I just want to finish and feel good after I am done.

I sweat profusely while running. I think that sweating is a very natural part of our body’s function and should be embraced rather than avoided. One time, I weighed myself before and after, and I lose about 4 pounds of liquids when running. The struggle for me lately has been how to rehydrate in the best possible way. In Brazil, I had the perfect solution in coconut water. It is 100% natural, with no sugar or calories, yet still high in potassium and sodium. Now that I am back in the US, it is very hard to find something that is not chock full of sugar or high fructose corn syrup, that also contains sodium and pottasium. I am always experimenting with what I should rehydrate.

There is no doubt that my life is better after 10 years of running. My relationships at work and at home are all better because I have time to reflect on my life and my actions while running. My business is just starting to blossom and I hope that it will continue too.

I am now 55 years old and it is my sincere hope that I can run for another 10 years. I view running like my thermometer. As long as I can run 5 miles without stopping, my health must be OK.