This is what we mean when we talk Tao of Po

Kung Fu Panda is one of my favorite movies of all time. The story amounts to a modern day CGI animated version of the Vinegar Tasters as it contrasts the essential differences between Confucianism and Taoism at the expense of Confucianism. I haven’t identified any Buddhism over- or undertones, so we’ll only discuss the difference between the portrayals of Confucianism and Taoism.

“Whaaaaa?!?!” say those who have seen the movie. There is absolutely no story line about Confucianism, Taoism, Poohism or any kind of -ism.

Ahh, but alas. Kung Fu Panda is distinctly a story of the dichotomy of Confucianism and Taoism, and is indeed very much like the Vinegar Tasters.

Kung Fu Panda is the story of Po: a fat, clumsy panda bear who is something of an anti-hero. Po is the farthest thing from a Kung Fu hero, yet he is probably the biggest devotee of Kung Fu in, as he says, “the history of Kung Fu.” Yet, the very wise – and very Taoist – Kung Fu Master Oogway declares unexpectedly that Po is the Dragon Warrior: the legendary Kung Fu warrior Messiah who will preserve peace in their home valley.

Everyone is nonplussed, including Po, and especially his new Kung Fu teacher Master Shifu, the protégé of Oogway who represents that most strident and disciplined of Confucian martial artists.

Realizing he is the most unlikely candidate for Dragon Warrior, Po nonetheless accepts the role and trains to become the legend, in a manner not unlike my 4 year old son training for the Super Bowl. He accepts himself for what he is – a fat, clumsy panda – but struggles to convert his natural state into the acutely honed fighting machine of Kung Fu master.

Po, at this point in the story, is a reluctant kind of Taoist. He realizes that he is who he is, and that he is unlikely to change. Before he was declared the Dragon Warrior he was less concerned about his condition, abilities and intellect and more or less accepted who he was out of default. More like, “this is as good as it gets.” Still he yearns to enter the realm of Kung Fu master.

Master Shifu, having trained China’s greatest warriors through years of rigorous, repetitive, physical, intense training embodies all the principles of Confucianism. Harmony, or the mastery of Kung Fu, in his world requires rules and order. It is a practice that has been quite successful in his life, and he is considered the best Kung Fu teacher in all China. Oogway has assigned Shifu the task of molding Po into the Dragon Warrior. Predictably, Shifu takes the lumpy clay that is Po and attempts to mold him in the way he knows best.

Therefore, a clash emerges when the irresistible force of Shifu’s Confucian methods meet the immovable (literally) object of Po’s talentless, gelatinous girth (his Taoist, natural state).

But the real struggle is not between the Po the pupil and Shifu the master. It is actually between the pure Taoism of Master Oogway and the essential Confucianism of his protégé pupil Master Shifu. Oogway compels the resistant Shifu to accept Po for what he is and allow him to blossom into the Dragon Warrior, a notion that defies everything Shifu knows about Kung Fu.

In this clash we see the modern day portrayal of the Vinegar Tasters (minus the Buddha). In this conceit, it is Shifu who reacts bitterly upon tasting the vinegar. He is Confucius. Oogway is Lao-tse, smiling sweetly because the vinegar – or as the painting suggests, the Essence of Life – is being what it is supposed to be. Vinegar is bitter and the Taoist Oogway recognizes it as such, so he smiles pleasantly.

The Essence of Life is Po.

I am not attempting here to oversimplify spiritual creeds and practices of three great philosophies in a few mere brilliantly pithy sentences, but to describe the painting that is allegorical to the movie Kung Fu Panda, which is allegorical to the theme of this blog– the Marathon and Big Thing – which is allegorical to life.

I am also not trying to convert anyone to Taoism. I’m not even a Taoist, but the philosophy is not without merit and there is much we all can learn from it. In fact, throughout this blog, I will cite Kung Fu Panda when the basic tenets of Taoism (or Poohism, or in this case Po'ism) expressed in Po’s story relate directly to the Big Thing.

 

Indeed.

The American College of Sports Medicine says...

... runners should drink 5 to 12 oz. of fluids every 15 to 20 minutes during a marathon, and that we drink as much as we sweat during the race.

Best Hit-the-Wall Song Ever

So, I was only running 6 miles the other day -- a day that registered holy crap it is hotter than mowing the yard in hell on the thermometer -- when predictably I hit the proverbial wall around mile four. Six miles for the marathon trainer should be a merely routine affair, but when you're jogging in the sub-tropical climes of, say, Vietnam or south Louisiana, the normally 24-mile wall arrives much earlier.

I have found that without fail, the best song ever to get over the hump is "Dig In" by Lenny Kravitz.

Because I have declared that in this blog I am genius, I can say with absolute authority that "Dig In" is the best wall song ever.

Observe.

When training for a marathon or other high-endurance sport, it is OK to eat more food because you are depleting your fuel storage. Another way to look at it is if you drive a car faster, it will need fuel more frequently, as it were. Eat more, burn more.

The cornerstone of your diet is the necessary 3 meals a day. Most all people love to snack between meals. My problem is that I get fairly hungry before a meal, so I tend to over eat each meal. My portions are larger and my second servings become thirds. Consequently, I feel food stupid or uncomfortably belt-stretching when it’s time to throw in the towel.

A better choice for big eaters like me is to eat smaller meals more frequently, say, three to five times a day. When you can’t make a meal, keep a meal beverage close by. Supplement meals with mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks of sports bars, fruits, dried fruit, nuts, and juices. These snacks supply the body with added energy and nutrients. And the overall result is a stable flow of energy without all the binging and stuffing.

If food is fuel it is helpful to understand what is on your plate and how it affects your body. Knowing this will allow you to consume more wisely and effectively. Otherwise, you will end up eating hotdogs and sausage instead of energy bars during your training.

Marathon training Food (get it?) for thought

Food might very well be represented simply as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats: the basic food categories that allow your body to function.

If we thought of food with as much passion and obsession as we do with, say, gasoline or nuclear fission, it would be much easier to treat cuisine with the same benign desire as we have for cardboard.

Of course, such a fantasy ride as this exists only in some make-believe, twisted Disney World of nutrition hell. After all, I am a Louisianan. Were my world to consist of anything less than grease, salt, and alcohol (our basic food categories), the world would hellish indeed.

We live in the real world, and few people I want to associate with think in such terms. But the valid point is this, especially with regard to marathon training: to achieve greatness – and your goal, whatever it might be, is greatness – you need to think differently AND rise to the occasion.

Because nutrition is such an important part of marathoning, and because it is indeed fuel, understanding the value of what you put into your body, and how it affects your body is a very relevant point.

In this marathon endeavor food is fuel. You might have to eat more. You might have to eat something that popular fad diets eschew. You will need to supply your body with the tools it needs to carry you to new heights, and this, friends and neighbors, begins with food. Well, a lot of prayer and cussing first, but certainly food.

Intro to good nutrition

This is how I feel

** Note: over the next few weeks I will serialize in blog entries the Nutrition page over there on your right. Feel free to read ahead. But the daily entries will be sometimes different than what's on the Nutrition page.

Good nutrition is a critical component to marathon training. In fact, I consider it important as road work. And nearly as important as rest, which you may recall me browbeating you about earlier. Rest is important and too because it is easily ignored and forgotten during a serious training regimen. Neglecting rest could be harmful to your health. Neglecting nutrition, too, is harmful to your health, but there are few Americans in these modern times who ever neglect a meal.

When I set out to write this blog I did extensive research on nutrition, foods, nutrients, vitamins, phytochemicals, nutriceuticals, and everything I could get my hands on about the science of nutrition. With a head obese with gluttonous food information, it occurred to me that not only was this information unnecessary, it missed the point. This blog is about dreaming the Big Thing and grabbing hold of it, all in the metaphor of marathoning. This is not a blog about dietary nutrition. I will give you advice if you prefer to tackle the science of food, but for the purposes of this blog, I will keep it simple, but essential.

And without stuffing your brain as much as your stomach with food information, there is still a lot to say about nutrition. It is critical to your marathon success. This cannot be stressed enough. And planning out a dietary strategy, in my opinion, is just as important as the actual running.

Small goals

 

Stepping stones... small goals... good analogy, no?

There are too many variables that affect your ability to attain your goal. That’s a lot of time and energy to manage unforeseen events. Small goals are like hand-to-hand combat or short, manageable steps that get you to your goal. A series of short, easier goals is equal to one, large, “impossible” goal. By succeeding in numerous smaller goals, you are likely to increase your energy, motivation and self-confidence.




Publishing this blog is a BIG THING goal (at least for me) comprised of several small goals. I could never have written this book were it not for breaking it up into small, manageable pieces that I could easily digest. Notwithstanding that all of it is in my head, when sat down the first time to hammer out a small book from A to Z, I was immediately daunted, disconcerted, discouraged and disenchanted. I was intimidated by the thought of swallowing a whale in one sitting. I couldn’t do it!

It was just too much until I remembered my own philosophy of small goals. By consuming the whale pieces at a time, over time, I would swallow that sucker yet! And if you are reading this right now, you know I did.

In marathoning, the small, measurable goals are just as obvious. The long runs of 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 miles are certainly significant benchmarks. Completing any one of these small goals is an achievement in itself.

Think of it. Have you ever run 12 miles? Can you imagine it? It is a small goal on the way to your larger goal. You’re gonna do it on the way to marathon glory!

Other small, measurable goals of marathon success include finishing a 5K, 10K, 10-miler, and half-marathon. Competing in these races demonstrate your success by merely finishing. They are also great indicators of how fast you run and how well you perform under race conditions.

Drawing again on the “I want to be a doctor” paradigm, one can measure success by getting into college, get the necessary grades, getting into medical school, and getting into an internship. Sure, these are obvious benchmarks, and an aspiring doctor can modify appropriate, personal small goals, but it is important to understand that often there are obvious indicators of our success that are occasionally, or routinely, dismissed as incidental. They are, however, your best report card on your progress.

Think also of a football team. A football team wants the touchdown. It is literally their goal. But they don’t normally go for it each play. Usually – and I’m not coach – they seek small goals. Several first downs to get them closer. Each play is not intended to gain 100 yards and score a touchdown; rather, they are more designed for short yardage.

New Orleans Marathon -- AWESOME new course!!

Run through the CBD, Garden District, St. Charles Ave., Audubon Park, the Quarter, up Esplanade through City Park, to the Lakefront... man, that's hitting all the great hot spots in NOLA -- at least the ones that don't serve adults. Check it out: New Orleans R&R Marathon course map. The race is all the way in March but I am already so psyched for it. By then I will have finished the Houston Marathon and Rouge Orleans Ultra Relay. Boo-yah! So psyched!

What you missed last week in the world of marathon training...

Last week's readership was lower than usual, mainly, I suspect, because I got off the subject of marathon training proper and jumped into the subject of dreaming big dreams and going for them.

The subject is, I'll admit, somewhat saccharine. Indeed, I cringe at the word "dreams" and the image of beamy-eyed New Agers trying to coax me into believing in myself and following my dreams. But, as I mentioned in last week's entries, there's a point to all this.

Dreams are those wishes and desires that are seemingly outside our reach. If they weren't so hard to reach, they'd be called errands.

Dreams inspire us because they represent an ideal version of our lives or a thrilling achievement that would, if realized, greatly impact our lives. If they weren't, they'd be called a "To do list."

Marathons -- among other amazing feats -- fit into the category of dreams because (a) they are seemingly impossible to the mere mortal and/or (b) if you train for and finish a marathon, you will be a different person afterward.

You don't have to dream about marathons. Your dreams can be about anything. I'm pretty sure most of your dreams, if you have them, have very little to do with marathon running or even exercise for that matter.

What's important is that you deliberately stir up what's inside you to realize your dreams -- whatever they are -- and to go after them.

The point of last week's blogs was to illustrate to you how I came upon the "dream" of finishing a marathon, how it changed my life, and how I discovered that it is important to constantly have a dream even if it isn't about marathon running.

We'll get back to marathoning soon, but don't ever pretend that this blog is exclusively about training for and finishing a marathon. It is about whatever dream or ambition you want.

30/30 Plan - A clever way for the running beginner to get started

The 30/30 Plan. An excellent way to get started is a favorite routine of famed runner/writer Hal Higdon. Higdon recommends the 30/30 plan, which in its elegant simplicity begs the new aspiring runner to exercise for 30 minutes a day for 30 days – ergo 30/30.

The plan does insist on 30 days. A beginning runner who exercises every day will be done in a month. A runner who exercises every other day, two months.

Higdon’s 30/30 plans requires the runner to locomote 15 minutes, turn around and come back.

The plan emphasizes that beginning runners (1) WALK the first 10 minutes, (2) Trot, jog, skip, whatever for 15 minutes, and (3) WALK the last 5 minutes.

The walking is very important. You are just beginning. Ease into the program.

The goal is to acclimate you to running. It is designed to introduce your legs to sustained periods of running, while at the same time conditioning your mind to accept and enjoy this new form of exercise (“new form” which has been around since humans were picking fleas off each other in caves).

I like the 30/30 plan a lot and highly recommend it. “But, Paul, you Phidippedes of running literature, that’s not what you did!” To which I respond, “ Hugh damn right!” That’s correct. I threw convention and wisdom to the wind as I embarked on my lifelong journey or running. And, I believe, I have been successful. On the other hand, my “beginnings” lasted about two to three years. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I presume that you did not buy this book to start running in 3 years. I like to think of Arnold Palmer’s golf swing, which is perhaps the ugliest form and most offensive violation against aesthetics in all athletics. But damn it ain’t he good. So, I say, it doesn’t matter how you do it, just get to it.

Do the 30/30 plan for about, you guessed it, 30 days. From there, extend it to 45/30, 60/30, 75/30. Mix it up with hard runs, easy runs, walking, cross training, etc. Do whatever it takes for you to enjoy running. And extend your runs as you feel comfortable. Just take it easy. Running is very Zen.

You ran a marathon. Great. What Next??

“Presume not that I am the thing I was”
- William Shakespeare

This blog asks you to dream and to dream big. It asks you to think of the seemingly impossible – and personally meaningful – life aspiration and to commit yourself to seeing it through.

This dream, this “impossible dream” as it were, can be a life changing event. More than a milestone like high school graduation and puberty (not necessarily in that order), this dream is something that stirs your soul, something that excites you just thinking about it.

Is it starting a business or becoming head of the company? Is it climbing Mount Everest? Is it graduating from medical school? Is it raising kids and seeing them through college? Could it be traveling the seven continents, or designing a world-renowned skyscraper? Whatever it is, it is something so gravitational in your life there is only one way to describe it: the BIG THING.

Metaphorically– and physically – I challenged you to pursue your personal BIG THINGs by learning how to triumph in goal making by training for and finishing the bipedal BIG THING: the marathon. And having finished a marathon – a BIG THING –it is not unusual to feel a sort of postpartum depression, considering you have nurtured a part of you that is, in a manner of speaking, a new life. So one might be tempted to ask, “Now what?”

Hopefully by now you know that your imagination is capable of taking you places you never dreamed possible. You understand how to plot a course to success, maintain the discipline to stay the course, and keep your mind and spirit uplifted though simple decision making and determination. And, Lord and feet willing, you know just what it takes to put it all together to make the BIG THING a reality in your life.

Can I get an Amen?

Now can I get a Hallelujah?

Because you can’t stop now. The rest of your life should be the journey from one BIG THING to another. By swinging on the trapeze of BIG THING to BIG THING your gaze will remain fixed on life’s horizons, your head held high. Your spirit will remain uplifted as you test yourself and prove yourself. Life will be a weightlifting program for your body, mind and soul… and you will be on steroids!

“The achievement of one goal should be the starting point of another.” Alexander Graham Bell

Hopefully now you understand that nothing is impossible and the only barrier standing between you and the next BIG THING is… you. Keeping dreaming BIG! Keep setting new goals. And the more goals you pursue and achieve, the more inspired you are to achieve even greater greatness.

Here are a few goals I want to accomplish after I finish this book:

1. FINISH the Boston Marathon
2. FINISH the Antarctica Marathon
3. Visit South America and Australia (finishing all 7 continents)
4. FINISH a book of fiction

These are just a few, and while they may not move you spiritually, the thought of facing these challenges and looking back on them all with a sense of accomplishment –well, it downright pumps me up.

“Life without passion is no life at all.” “Wang Dang” troubadour Ted Nugent, from God, Guns and Rock and Roll

And my daily goals – those “small” BIG THINGS that keep me focused in life and springy in my step include some of the following:

1. Rejoice in the gift of my children and teach them as best I can (without ruining what they already know)
2. Honor my wife and cherish every moment we have together (even when she complains about my snoring)
3. Cultivate the planet as her steward
4. Praise the Lord (and pass the ammunition).

Yes, I have plans for every one of these. You should see my pocket calendar. Hey, look. This is a way of life for me. Big Thinging and marathoning changed my life. I’m a believer.

One reason to have a goal or to focus on a pursuit of personal value is to put into practice all that you’re reading here. This book hopefully has given you good advice, and may have offered a pithy quote or two that really connected with you. You will finish the book, perhaps motivated, perhaps energized, but what will you do? And how will you remember the message I’ve communicated to you? Put it into practice. Take action now and practice what you already know.

Racing Day! It's Racing Day

If you are running in the Bass Pro, ING New York, Manchester, Indianapolis, Harpeth Hill Flying Monkeys, Seattle, Mississippi Coast, Gobbler Grind, Philly, Mesquite, Valley of Fire, Outer Banks, Pensacola, San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll, Savannah Rock 'n' Roll, Fort Worth, Malibu, Rim Rock, Santa Barbara, SunTrust Richmond, Soldier, Charlotte's Thunder Road, Chickamauga Battlefield, Stone Cat, Lithia Loop, or Stinson Beach marathon, then you need to be ready for game day!

Today is the day you have prepared for. Emotionally and physically, you have put heart and soul into lacing up today’s shoes and finishing a marathon. Congratulations! Though the best is yet to come, think about what you have already accomplished.

1. You have run distances you probably never imagined before.
2. You have pushed your body like it has never been tested before.
3. Mentally, you have endured the solitary confinement of the long run, which is an emotional marathon itself.
4. I expect you have lost a little weight. If you haven’t, no big deal. That wasn’t necessarily your goal.
5. Your heart and vascular system are stronger. That counts for something!
6. Most importantly, you have gazed deep into the wishing well of your heart’s desire and pulled out your life’s dreams. You now know how to get it. You’ve proven it by preparing for – and by the end of the day, finishing – a marathon!

You should be so proud of yourself at this very moment, but as I stated, the best is yet to come. So buckle up.

Last Night

Dinner last night should have been pretty light and almost exclusively carbohydrated. DO NOT stuff your gullet with a pot full of pasta expecting it to perform like nitrous oxide on race day. Eating too much, especially a slow digester like pasta, will cause bloating and running discomfort.

Eat breads and fruits. Pasta is fine, but just a little. Remember, you’re not gorging yourself before winter hibernation; you’re just fueling up for tomorrow morning. Besides, there will be breakfast too.

Race Day

5:30 a.m. - Wake up! Or at least begin the process. The starter’s pistol usually pops round 8:00 a.m. You need time to wake up, eat, get to the race, take care of biznazz, and be ready to go when the race starts.

6:00 a.m. - Eat. You should eat a light breakfast 2 hours before the race. Try a bagel with jam, a banana and juice. This will give you the carbs to turn over your engine.

Paul’s Tip: A cup of coffee ain’t gonna kill you. Yes, coffee is a diuretic, which by definition means it dehydrates you; however (a) you’re not spending the day trekking across the desert in search of water, (b) you are going to hydrate with gusto the rest of the day, and (c) lighten up, would you? A cuppa joe might be exactly what you need this early. Don’t over do it though. One cup only. Otherwise, you’ll cramp up and crap out. Don’t test yourself on this.

6:10 a.m. - Hydrate.

6:45 a.m. to 7:30  a.m - Get to the race. Give yourself enough time to arrive comfortably. Make sure you (1) Know where you are  meeting your friends or ride home after the race, (2) Find the tent or a location to store your gear, and (3) Find the Port-o-Lets.

7:30 a.m. - Pin on your totally obsolete but iconic race number, and lace up the tracking chip you either own or are borrowing.

7:20 a.m. to 7:55 a.m. 

1. Pee
2. Jog around the site for 5 minutes to warm up. 
3. Pee & whatnot 
4. Stretch
5. Pee 
6. Stay warm by jogging in place or walking around the race site. 
7. Pee & whatnot 
8. Hydrate 
9. Pee
10. Repeat

7:55 a.m. - Get in line. Assimilate into the glob of humanity amassing at the starting line. You are now one (at least for the first two miles).

7:59:59 a.m. - Suddenly realize that you need to pee one more time and allow it to burden you for another two miles.

8:00 a.m. - YAHTZEE!

8:02 a.m. - Ask yourself why the hell this mob isn’t moving.

8:05 a.m. - Ask yourself how you expect to finish a race in 4 hours when the scrum of runners shuffles at a pace of 2 m.p.h.

8:10 a.m. 8:30 a.m - Marvel at the shamelessness of elite athletes peeling off the course in 5s and 10s to sneak behind a crowded bush or squat beside the path to pee and whatnot. Ask yourself if you have it in you to get it out of you.

8:31 a.m. - Surrender to Mother Nature.

8:35 a.m. to 1:00 p.m - Run! Run like the wind! Only, run like your grandparents. Slow and steady is what wins this race.

Be sure to:

1. Take advantage of every water, sport drink, bagel bite and Goo station. You need it. And it’s free!
2. If you need to walk, walk. In fact consider stopping at every water station and walk for one minute. 
3. Thank the spectators. They are actually doing more for you by cheering than you will know.
4. Resist the temptation to speed it up. You can save this for the finish line.

FINISH LINE - Veni, Vidi, Vici! Put on your medal and Mylar and get out of the way. Nothing is uglier than the entangled nastiness of fatigued runners clogging up the finish line.

POST RACE - There will be snack tables with bananas, energy bars, sports drinks, bagel

bites, and other good stuff. Go straight there and replenish your body with the carbohydrates and nutrients it is ravenous for.

Stretch. Stretch ever so delicately. Your body is vulnerable. Be tender.

Walk around the race site if you can. If not, Go home or to your hotel room and clean yourself up.

Take an ibuprofen and walk around for an hour or so. Walking is necessary to help your body repair. Otherwise, if you sit and stagnate, rigor mortis will take over and you will be doomed. if not, you’ll at least be very stiff and feel it for a few days.

THAT NIGHT - Just soak it all in. You did it! You did it, you baad mother-(shut yo mouth!)!

You rock! In my book, you are the one who rocks. Congratulations.

More on "Tapering" and "Carbo Loading"

Though I am at the beginning stages of Houston Marathon training, I can't help but return back to my reference in the last post about the Atlanta Marathon and what to do as you wind down training. Try as I might to concentrate on getting started with my own training, there is more to be said for those who are nearing the end of their training for, say, the Atlanta Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon, and eventually the New York Marathon, among others.

In "Easy Running" below I mention tapering and carbo loading, which are two very important steps the marathon runner must take before race day.

Tapering is the practice of decreasing mileage during your training schedule as you near race day. I begin tapering 2 to 3 weeks prior to race day. By the time you begin tapering, you should have already run the 20 or 22 mile long run you need to log prior to race day. Moreover, you should also have already logged plenty of base miles during the week. Therefore, by the time tapering arrives, you should have already sufficiently conditioned your body for the race.



Michelin Man: Patron Saint of carbo loading



By tapering, you are logging fewer and fewer miles while staying in condition. By running fewer miles, you are also conserving some energy. In fact, you should be building up your energy reserves by... carbo loading.

Carbo loading is easily the most fun you'll have in this greuling experience except for crossing the finish line. Carbo loading is eating, eating, eating. Breads, pastas... Mama Mia! Carbo loading helps you store energy reserves for the big day. You've no fear of ballooning into the Michelin Man -- you're a marathon runner for crying out loud -- and your energy stores will be fortified with the stuff that will help power you over the finish line.

What's more, because you're reducing your miles by tapering, you're burning less energy, so there is more to store. Everybody wins!

Hal Higdon, the legendary shiefu of marathon training and running offers some brief, but important tips in an article that appeared yesterday. Check it out.

Expert Advice for the Final Week of Marathon Training

So good luck to you poor bastar-- er, lean mean running machines about to run the big race. I'm rooting for you!

Chicago Marathon

Yesterday was the Chicago Marathon, which I ran this time last year on 10.10.10. I love the big city races. There are many distractions and freaky people to take your mind off the grueling race itself. Last year's race was pretty warm as October races go. It was at least in the mid-70s, maybe hotter. I wilted like lettuce on mile 18, which I can assure you had nothing to do with my training and preparation.

Chicago was also my worst time by far. I have never cared about my finish time. My goal has always been to just finish... but that's when I finished around 4:00:00. One time I finished 3:45:00, but in Chicago, I ambled in after 5:00:00. I was humiliated, especially since my running partners finished 4:00:00 or sooner.

Actually, my finishes are pretty strong. No matter the race or distance, when I feel like I'm in a collapse-free position to sprint, I take off like the wind. My wife watched me finish Chicago and could have sworn my pace belonged to one of the top finishers until she saw the clock's disapproving 5:00:00, shaking its head like so many of my disappointed high school teachers.

Now I am four months away from the Houston Marathon, and my conditioning is slightly better than a bar fly's. I need to get my act together this year. I will NOT finish slower than 5 hours -- even though I still subscribe to the "just finish, don't place" philosophy.