Confessions of a Drive-Thru Runner

14 miles on a 15-degree day.

Every night, I vow to go to bed early. Err, at least “on time.” Nope. Instead I find another show to catch up on. “Gold Rush” has taken a top spot lately. Will these jokers ever make money? What happened to Dorsey? What must it smell like inside those campers? These are just a few of the questions on my mind. Good night.

At the end of 2011, I sat down with my team to try and figure out we should be doing in 2012. As you can imagine, we went through a great many ideas before settling on the One Day Run Around the World. Here are the top 10 challenges that I won’t be doing (no hard feelings if your favorite made the list).

10. No McDonald’s for 30 days. The person who suggested this was immediately laughed out of the room.

9. Ironman. Sounded like a terrific idea until… I remembered that I can’t swim. Not, “I’m a bad swimmer.” No, I literally cannot swim. So, for now, no triathlon, much less an Ironman.

8. 50 marathons in 50 days. No way. No how. This is for people who really, really like marathons. And pain.

6. McBiker. Bike from coast to coast. I would love to do this some day, but not in 2012. Okay, my wife won’t let me. I said it.

5. Burger King 10k. Not for a million dollars.

4. Swim Across the English Channel. See number 9.

3. 100 Pushups in a Row. If I started training now, maybe I could complete this in 2034.

2. Iditarod Great Sled Race. I’m more of a cat person.

1. Santa Speedo Run. Out of respect to my family, spectators and other participants, I will respectfully pass on this one.

The challenge is set…

It’s time to run around the world!

Okay, I’m not going to do it alone. I need help. Join me and thousands of others to complete a virtual run around the world — in one day! That is 25,000 miles in 24 hours.

The run will take place on Leap Day, Wednesday, February 29th. It is free and only takes a second to sign up!

Visit OneDayRun.com for all the details!

It has been a year since McRunner was born. How do you celebrate the one year anniversary of McRunner?

I think this special occasion calls for another challenge. For the sake of everyone, I think this next one won’t involve any food. : )

For the first time since the marathon, I felt like a runner again. I met up with the morning crew at 6:15am for what was supposed to be a 10ish mile run. As has been the pattern around Chicago lately, we also had a healthy amount of rain that accompanied the run. Oh well, a little rain never hurt, right?

We got going rather casually, then the pace started dropping. As we clicked off the miles at low 7:00 pace, things got a little more comfortable. Not great, but good. Okay, I did feel really great while we waited 20 seconds at the red light, but that disappeared the instant we resumed running! We rolled on while the rain started to pick up. When the Garmin beeped 12 miles, I had a bit of a realization — Instead of the aches and pains of the marathon, I was feeling the aches, pains and fatigue of marathon training.

It is really nice to be logging solid miles again.

(Insert Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again” video here)

The other day I had a runner give me a surprised look when I mentioned running on the treadmill. He seemed to have a belief that “real” runners don’t run on the treadmill. As if miles aren’t “real” miles unless they are done outdoors. While I understand there are differences between treadmill running and outdoor running, I believe the treadmill is a great tool (see previous post, “Don’t Fear The Treadmill“), no matter what the season.

The way I see it, leaving every option open where to run takes away a huge hurdle in getting in your miles. The difference in benefit between 45 minutes on a trail, road or treadmill is minor. Sure, nice trails are much more fun (and easier on the body) than roads. But, if the trail is flooded, get out on the road. If it is raining and you don’t feel like getting wet, hop on the treadmill. The key is getting in the time and miles.

Part of my confidence in saying this comes from looking at what top runners do. They run — they run a lot. On trails, roads and yes, even treadmills. To paraphrase Al Davis, “Just Run Baby!”

I am still trying to digest what happened at Boston on Monday. First, there is the incredible performances the world saw in the men’s race. Two men ran 2:03 marathons — 4:43 miles for 26.2 miles, on the Boston course! Then there is what American Ryan Hall did, a 2:04 for 4th place. After all the tough races he had recently, Ryan put it together in a spectacular way. He pushed from the beginning and was going for the win.

On the women’s side there is Desiree Davila, an American running for the Brooks Hanson team out of Michigan. Few thought she had a chance coming in. And judging from the race announcers, Desiree wasn’t on their radar either. But luckily she listened to her coaches and herself, coming up a mere two seconds short for an incredible second place finish. Oh, and one of the fastest performances ever for an American woman. Like Ryan she wasn’t out there to just clock a fast time or a good finish. Desiree was out there to win.

These stories reinforce what happens when hard work meets opportunity. What happens when you put years of hard work into a single focus. What happens when you trust the process. What happens when you dream big.

The 2011 Boston Marathon in 4 minutes…

The fastest marathon ever!

The women’s race came down to the very end.

After careful consideration, we have decided to do a road trip this summer. Okay, the decision was made in about a minute and a half, but it still took consideration. We are going to explore Route 66 for a week or so. Doesn’t sound too radical, but will be new territory for me.

Most trips in the past few years have revolved around Disney or a marathon (shocking, eh?). Sure this trip will involve running, but no races. Thinking there has to be some nice country roads that will make for some great miles. Can you say cows and cornfields?

I’m hoping to see all those quirky roadside attractions and learn more about rural living. Find history that is just down the road. Take some pictures of everything along the way. Oh, and all those little ice cream stops.

How far we we get? Who knows. We plan on relaxing and go with the flow.

Miles and smiles. Should be a blast!