Joined
·
6,919 Posts
<<< EQ DISABLES THE ROMULAN CLOAKING DEVICE TO COME OUT OF LURKING... >>><br><br>
Hi all.<br><br>
I figured I do this craziness, because all the cool kids are doing it. I prefer lurking and sending Private Messages instead of posting in the forums. That way, if someone doesn't like what I have to say, it's <b>ONE</b> person, not everyone. I figured I'd do this though, and then go back to lurking.<br><br><br><b>1. Why do you run?</b><br>
If I knew that, I'd be able to stop! <img alt="lol.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/lol.gif"><br><br>
Okay, seriously, there are a lot of reasons that I run. Too many reasons for me to list here. Most of it stems from the simple fact that I love the sport. Since I used to weigh 300 pounds, it's nice to find something physical that I love.<br><br>
While I won't list all the reasons I run here, I would be remiss if I didn't list this one: <b>THE PEOPLE I MEET THROUGH RUNNING.</b> As I type this, I'm thinking about a picture that a friend took after the 2007 Bay State Marathon. It is a group shot of people I have met through running. Amazing people, every one of them.<br><br>
Then there's the young woman who heard I was making a long trip from Alaska to Massachusetts and had a stop-over near where she lived. Despite having a busy life of her own, she took time out of her busy schedule to keep me company for an hour or so while during my stop over.<br><br>
Then there's the guy I work with who has running logs going back to 1978, and recently surpassed the 100,000 mile marker for his running career. <img alt="surprised.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/surprised.gif"><br><br>
Through running, I've met people (both online and in person) from all over the world.<br><br>
Whether they are ultra marathoners, 10K racers, or just people who run for the fun of it, they are all amazing people.<br><br>
I know that every group of people has its bad apples, and I'm sure runners are no different. Taken as a group though I have never met a better bunch of people. They are supportive, friendly, and lots of fun to hang around with.<br><br>
To have my name mentioned in the same breath with the people I've met through running is something that I consider an honor.<br><br><b>2. What is your greatest accomplishment?</b><br><br>
Running wise it would have to be my current personal best of 3:37:15 in the 2007 Bay State Marathon. A very close second would be having run the equivalent of 100 marathons in 2007 when I ran 2622 miles.<br><br>
Outside of running, I think the greatest accomplishment I had was losing weight. In the spring of 2003, I weighed 300 pounds. I was a runner at that point (if you can call what I was doing running). I finally decided if I was going to continue, I had to do something. Completely on my own, ie no surgeries, no weight watchers, etc, just diet and exercise, I managed to drop 130 pounds over the next year. For the most part, I have kept it off too.<br><br>
Here is a before an after photo. On the left is me the day after I finished the 2002 Equinox Marathon in Fairbanks, Alaska. I weighed 280 at the time. On the right, is me at the finish of the Bay State Marathon in 2005. I was 162 pounds at that point:<br><img alt="" src="http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj192/ftkry/before_and_after.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br><br><b>3. What is your motto/theme song?</b><br><br>
In terms of a motto, I think the saying <i>Whatever You Do Today You Have To Sleep With Tonight</i> rings true with me. I may not sleep well most nights. I have a lot of things on my mind. One thing I can tell you though, I don't lose any sleep over the way I treat other people.<br><br>
I have a couple of theme songs, or at least they are songs that mean a lot to me. The first one is <b><i>"The River"</i></b> by Garth Brooks. I especially like the verse that goes:<br><br><i>"Too Many Times We Stand Aside,<br>
And Let The Waters Slip Away<br>
Till What We Put Off Till Tomorrow,<br>
Has Now Become Today.<br>
So Don't You Sit Upon The Shoreline,<br>
And Say You're Satisfied,<br>
Choose To Chance The Rapids,<br>
And Dare To Dance The Tides."</i><br><br>
I like the song so much, and it was such an inspiration to me, that it is actually cited in my graduate school thesis.<br><br>
The other song that I think really sums me up pretty well is by country singer Aaron Tippin. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja-ncZ5YeYY" target="_blank"><b><i>I Got It Honest</i></b></a> sums up me pretty well, especially the part that goes:<br><br><i>I've never had to hang my head in shame<br>
For putting a pricetag on my name<br>
Never turned my back on what I believe<br>
Or let my heart be ruled by greed.<br>
'Cause buddy if I didn't earn it,<br>
I don't want it.<br>
That way I can always say,<br><b>I GOT IT HONEST!</b></i><br><br>
I may not have an awful lot in this world, but if I don't earn it, I don't want it. I don't want anyone giving me anything. That's the reason, as much as I'd like to run Boston, I won't run it for charity or on an exempted bib. I want to <b>EARN</b> my way in by qualifying. If I don't earn it, then I don't want to run Boston.<br><br><b>4. How do you deal with bad runs?</b><br><br>
Usually, I get pretty upset with myself, so I guess I don't deal with them very well. Once I calm down, I try to rationally analyze things and say "What went wrong?" Perhaps I didn't have enough carbohydrates in my diet and had a glycogen debt? Maybe I'm coming down with something? Did I get behind on my hydration while I was out there?<br><br>
Fortunately I don't have a lot of bad runs. Right now, I am injured. At this point I'd love to have any kind of run, including a bad one.<br><br><b>5. Do you reward yourself for good runs? How?</b><br><br>
Not usually. Again, I try to look at it rationally and say "What did I do to get such a good run?" Was it diet related? Was it weather related? In other words, I try to find the root cause and then try to repeat it.<br><br><b>6. Who do you admire most?</b><br><br>
I'm not sure. There are a lot of people I admire for their success, like Richard Petty, Pete Pfitzinger, Lance Armstrong, etc. I admire people who, like me, aren't gifted with athletic ability, but get out there every day and give it their best shot. I admire people who do amazing things despite the odds and people telling them that they can't.<br><br><b>7. What is the greatest advice you have ever received?</b><br><br>
Don't treat others the way you want to be treated, <b><span style="text-decoration:underline;">TREAT THEM BETTER</span></b>. Look out for your friends <b>MORE</b> than you look out for yourself. It's not without it's pitfalls but it's worked out for the best.<br><br><b>8. What do wish you had learned younger?</b><br><br>
That nothing you do will ever be perfect, and there is some degree of imperfection that you have to accept and deal with. For a long time, I lived by the motto <i>"If you aren't perfect, you're not good enough. Anything short of perfection is complete and utter failure. And <b>NOTHING</b> is more DISGUSTING than failure."</i><br><br>
I will probably always struggle to break free from that because it is so ingrained in me. For better or worse, IT IS WHO I AM.<br><br>
To give you a great example, part of the reason I am single today is that I have always felt that if I can't treat a great woman like a queen, I would rather let her find someone who could. If I can't treat her perfect, I want her to find someone who can.<br><br>
I guess it's nice to <b><i>want</i></b> to be perfect, but it's not possible to be perfect.<br><br><b>9. What do you wish you could do but can't?</b><br><br>
There's a lot of things here. More than I care to admit in fact. In my mind, far too many things. Some of them bigger than others. In terms of running, I'd love to be able to run a marathon under my Boston Qualifying time (currently 3:15:00). Outside of running, I wish I was more mechanically inclined so I could do something like restore a classic Mustang. I wish I could find the woman of my dreams. I wish I could find a job that would allow me to get back to programming computers like I used to.<br><br><b>10. How would your friends describe your personality?</b><br><br>
I think many of them would say I'm trustworthy, extremely loyal, helpful, and kind, to everyone but myself. I think they would say that I have a complete and utter lack of self-confidence, and that I am far too tough on myself.<br><br><b>11. What do you wear running? favorite outfit?</b><br><br>
My favorite running outfit is as minimal as possible. Compression fit shorts and a tank top work great. That's what I'm comfortable in. Something like this:<br><br><img alt="" src="http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj192/ftkry/image_3_small.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>
During winter it's usually tights and a long sleeve top. Something like this:<br><br><img alt="" src="http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj192/ftkry/IMG_7584.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>
If I am alone at the track and it is hot out, I have been known to run without my tank top that is <b>very</b> rare. Trust me when I say, it's <b>not</b> a pretty sight. I don't want to scare the ladies away, so I don't run without the tank top very often! <img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif"><br><br><b>12. What has been your favorite race?</b><br><br>
It's a toss up. The 1995 Equinox Marathon ranks up there because it was the first marathon that I ever finished:<br><br><img alt="" src="http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj192/ftkry/me_at_finish_95.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>
The 2004 Equinox Marathon is up there too because I went into the marathon expecting that 5 hours would be a miracle, and I ended up running a 4:24:26.<br><br>
You can see a video of that finish <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB0m7cZ3DRQ" target="_blank">here</a>. I was pretty psyched that day.<br><br><b>13. Do you have a goal race right now?</b><br><br>
Not really. My race calendar for 2008 is up in the air. The only race I have scheduled right now is the Merrimack River 10 Mile Trail Race in Andover, MA in April.<br><br>
Right now my goal is to get back to running. I have been injured since just before the Boston Prep 16 Miler on January 27th, 2008.<br><br>
For those that missed it, early on the morning of the 27th of January, I collapsed in the bathroom at home. I slammed my back into the bathroom vanity on my way to the floor. In the process, I badly bruised the lower ribs in the back on the right side of my rib cage. Ten hours later, I ran a 16 mile road race in a snow storm, and every step was a new adventure in pain. Since then I've run a few short runs, but it hurt to run, so I haven't run much since the end of January. <img alt="sad.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/sad.gif"><br><br>
I hope to run at least one marathon this year. I just haven't decided which one yet. Unless there is a miracle on the job front this year, it will not be the Equinox. <img alt="sad.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/sad.gif"> Most likely it will once again be the Bay State Marathon in Lowell, Massachusetts in October.<br><br><b>14. What makes you happy?</b><br><br>
A good run, seeing a pretty woman smile (especially if I'm the cause of the smile), riding around with the roof down on my convertible, spending time in Alaska, my homemade banana-strawberry bread, and peace and quiet.<br><br><b>15. Tell us one interesting thing about you that you haven't said (at least not often) in the past.</b><br><br>
I was an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.<br><br><b>16. Tell us one interesting thing about another user of this forum that has not been posted (at least not often) on this forum in the past (make sure the other person will not object to posting the info!).</b><br><br>
My lips are sealed.<br><br><br>
That's me folks. Some folks appreciate me and some will never understand me.<br><br>
As many of you know, I am still lurking, and sending Private Messages when there is something constructive I have to offer. Though many of you have told me that I should start posting again, I think this really works better for everyone.<br><br>
Thanks for reading.<br><br>
<<< EQ RE-ENABLES THE ROMULAN CLOAKING DEVICE AND RETURNS TO LURKING... >>>
Hi all.<br><br>
I figured I do this craziness, because all the cool kids are doing it. I prefer lurking and sending Private Messages instead of posting in the forums. That way, if someone doesn't like what I have to say, it's <b>ONE</b> person, not everyone. I figured I'd do this though, and then go back to lurking.<br><br><br><b>1. Why do you run?</b><br>
If I knew that, I'd be able to stop! <img alt="lol.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/lol.gif"><br><br>
Okay, seriously, there are a lot of reasons that I run. Too many reasons for me to list here. Most of it stems from the simple fact that I love the sport. Since I used to weigh 300 pounds, it's nice to find something physical that I love.<br><br>
While I won't list all the reasons I run here, I would be remiss if I didn't list this one: <b>THE PEOPLE I MEET THROUGH RUNNING.</b> As I type this, I'm thinking about a picture that a friend took after the 2007 Bay State Marathon. It is a group shot of people I have met through running. Amazing people, every one of them.<br><br>
Then there's the young woman who heard I was making a long trip from Alaska to Massachusetts and had a stop-over near where she lived. Despite having a busy life of her own, she took time out of her busy schedule to keep me company for an hour or so while during my stop over.<br><br>
Then there's the guy I work with who has running logs going back to 1978, and recently surpassed the 100,000 mile marker for his running career. <img alt="surprised.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/surprised.gif"><br><br>
Through running, I've met people (both online and in person) from all over the world.<br><br>
Whether they are ultra marathoners, 10K racers, or just people who run for the fun of it, they are all amazing people.<br><br>
I know that every group of people has its bad apples, and I'm sure runners are no different. Taken as a group though I have never met a better bunch of people. They are supportive, friendly, and lots of fun to hang around with.<br><br>
To have my name mentioned in the same breath with the people I've met through running is something that I consider an honor.<br><br><b>2. What is your greatest accomplishment?</b><br><br>
Running wise it would have to be my current personal best of 3:37:15 in the 2007 Bay State Marathon. A very close second would be having run the equivalent of 100 marathons in 2007 when I ran 2622 miles.<br><br>
Outside of running, I think the greatest accomplishment I had was losing weight. In the spring of 2003, I weighed 300 pounds. I was a runner at that point (if you can call what I was doing running). I finally decided if I was going to continue, I had to do something. Completely on my own, ie no surgeries, no weight watchers, etc, just diet and exercise, I managed to drop 130 pounds over the next year. For the most part, I have kept it off too.<br><br>
Here is a before an after photo. On the left is me the day after I finished the 2002 Equinox Marathon in Fairbanks, Alaska. I weighed 280 at the time. On the right, is me at the finish of the Bay State Marathon in 2005. I was 162 pounds at that point:<br><img alt="" src="http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj192/ftkry/before_and_after.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br><br><b>3. What is your motto/theme song?</b><br><br>
In terms of a motto, I think the saying <i>Whatever You Do Today You Have To Sleep With Tonight</i> rings true with me. I may not sleep well most nights. I have a lot of things on my mind. One thing I can tell you though, I don't lose any sleep over the way I treat other people.<br><br>
I have a couple of theme songs, or at least they are songs that mean a lot to me. The first one is <b><i>"The River"</i></b> by Garth Brooks. I especially like the verse that goes:<br><br><i>"Too Many Times We Stand Aside,<br>
And Let The Waters Slip Away<br>
Till What We Put Off Till Tomorrow,<br>
Has Now Become Today.<br>
So Don't You Sit Upon The Shoreline,<br>
And Say You're Satisfied,<br>
Choose To Chance The Rapids,<br>
And Dare To Dance The Tides."</i><br><br>
I like the song so much, and it was such an inspiration to me, that it is actually cited in my graduate school thesis.<br><br>
The other song that I think really sums me up pretty well is by country singer Aaron Tippin. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja-ncZ5YeYY" target="_blank"><b><i>I Got It Honest</i></b></a> sums up me pretty well, especially the part that goes:<br><br><i>I've never had to hang my head in shame<br>
For putting a pricetag on my name<br>
Never turned my back on what I believe<br>
Or let my heart be ruled by greed.<br>
'Cause buddy if I didn't earn it,<br>
I don't want it.<br>
That way I can always say,<br><b>I GOT IT HONEST!</b></i><br><br>
I may not have an awful lot in this world, but if I don't earn it, I don't want it. I don't want anyone giving me anything. That's the reason, as much as I'd like to run Boston, I won't run it for charity or on an exempted bib. I want to <b>EARN</b> my way in by qualifying. If I don't earn it, then I don't want to run Boston.<br><br><b>4. How do you deal with bad runs?</b><br><br>
Usually, I get pretty upset with myself, so I guess I don't deal with them very well. Once I calm down, I try to rationally analyze things and say "What went wrong?" Perhaps I didn't have enough carbohydrates in my diet and had a glycogen debt? Maybe I'm coming down with something? Did I get behind on my hydration while I was out there?<br><br>
Fortunately I don't have a lot of bad runs. Right now, I am injured. At this point I'd love to have any kind of run, including a bad one.<br><br><b>5. Do you reward yourself for good runs? How?</b><br><br>
Not usually. Again, I try to look at it rationally and say "What did I do to get such a good run?" Was it diet related? Was it weather related? In other words, I try to find the root cause and then try to repeat it.<br><br><b>6. Who do you admire most?</b><br><br>
I'm not sure. There are a lot of people I admire for their success, like Richard Petty, Pete Pfitzinger, Lance Armstrong, etc. I admire people who, like me, aren't gifted with athletic ability, but get out there every day and give it their best shot. I admire people who do amazing things despite the odds and people telling them that they can't.<br><br><b>7. What is the greatest advice you have ever received?</b><br><br>
Don't treat others the way you want to be treated, <b><span style="text-decoration:underline;">TREAT THEM BETTER</span></b>. Look out for your friends <b>MORE</b> than you look out for yourself. It's not without it's pitfalls but it's worked out for the best.<br><br><b>8. What do wish you had learned younger?</b><br><br>
That nothing you do will ever be perfect, and there is some degree of imperfection that you have to accept and deal with. For a long time, I lived by the motto <i>"If you aren't perfect, you're not good enough. Anything short of perfection is complete and utter failure. And <b>NOTHING</b> is more DISGUSTING than failure."</i><br><br>
I will probably always struggle to break free from that because it is so ingrained in me. For better or worse, IT IS WHO I AM.<br><br>
To give you a great example, part of the reason I am single today is that I have always felt that if I can't treat a great woman like a queen, I would rather let her find someone who could. If I can't treat her perfect, I want her to find someone who can.<br><br>
I guess it's nice to <b><i>want</i></b> to be perfect, but it's not possible to be perfect.<br><br><b>9. What do you wish you could do but can't?</b><br><br>
There's a lot of things here. More than I care to admit in fact. In my mind, far too many things. Some of them bigger than others. In terms of running, I'd love to be able to run a marathon under my Boston Qualifying time (currently 3:15:00). Outside of running, I wish I was more mechanically inclined so I could do something like restore a classic Mustang. I wish I could find the woman of my dreams. I wish I could find a job that would allow me to get back to programming computers like I used to.<br><br><b>10. How would your friends describe your personality?</b><br><br>
I think many of them would say I'm trustworthy, extremely loyal, helpful, and kind, to everyone but myself. I think they would say that I have a complete and utter lack of self-confidence, and that I am far too tough on myself.<br><br><b>11. What do you wear running? favorite outfit?</b><br><br>
My favorite running outfit is as minimal as possible. Compression fit shorts and a tank top work great. That's what I'm comfortable in. Something like this:<br><br><img alt="" src="http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj192/ftkry/image_3_small.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>
During winter it's usually tights and a long sleeve top. Something like this:<br><br><img alt="" src="http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj192/ftkry/IMG_7584.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>
If I am alone at the track and it is hot out, I have been known to run without my tank top that is <b>very</b> rare. Trust me when I say, it's <b>not</b> a pretty sight. I don't want to scare the ladies away, so I don't run without the tank top very often! <img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif"><br><br><b>12. What has been your favorite race?</b><br><br>
It's a toss up. The 1995 Equinox Marathon ranks up there because it was the first marathon that I ever finished:<br><br><img alt="" src="http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj192/ftkry/me_at_finish_95.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>
The 2004 Equinox Marathon is up there too because I went into the marathon expecting that 5 hours would be a miracle, and I ended up running a 4:24:26.<br><br>
You can see a video of that finish <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB0m7cZ3DRQ" target="_blank">here</a>. I was pretty psyched that day.<br><br><b>13. Do you have a goal race right now?</b><br><br>
Not really. My race calendar for 2008 is up in the air. The only race I have scheduled right now is the Merrimack River 10 Mile Trail Race in Andover, MA in April.<br><br>
Right now my goal is to get back to running. I have been injured since just before the Boston Prep 16 Miler on January 27th, 2008.<br><br>
For those that missed it, early on the morning of the 27th of January, I collapsed in the bathroom at home. I slammed my back into the bathroom vanity on my way to the floor. In the process, I badly bruised the lower ribs in the back on the right side of my rib cage. Ten hours later, I ran a 16 mile road race in a snow storm, and every step was a new adventure in pain. Since then I've run a few short runs, but it hurt to run, so I haven't run much since the end of January. <img alt="sad.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/sad.gif"><br><br>
I hope to run at least one marathon this year. I just haven't decided which one yet. Unless there is a miracle on the job front this year, it will not be the Equinox. <img alt="sad.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/sad.gif"> Most likely it will once again be the Bay State Marathon in Lowell, Massachusetts in October.<br><br><b>14. What makes you happy?</b><br><br>
A good run, seeing a pretty woman smile (especially if I'm the cause of the smile), riding around with the roof down on my convertible, spending time in Alaska, my homemade banana-strawberry bread, and peace and quiet.<br><br><b>15. Tell us one interesting thing about you that you haven't said (at least not often) in the past.</b><br><br>
I was an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.<br><br><b>16. Tell us one interesting thing about another user of this forum that has not been posted (at least not often) on this forum in the past (make sure the other person will not object to posting the info!).</b><br><br>
My lips are sealed.<br><br><br>
That's me folks. Some folks appreciate me and some will never understand me.<br><br>
As many of you know, I am still lurking, and sending Private Messages when there is something constructive I have to offer. Though many of you have told me that I should start posting again, I think this really works better for everyone.<br><br>
Thanks for reading.<br><br>
<<< EQ RE-ENABLES THE ROMULAN CLOAKING DEVICE AND RETURNS TO LURKING... >>>
