Random Reflections of a Recreational Runner
Runner Ramblings
Welcome to our blog, a collection of memories and philosophies from time spent over thousands of miles on the roads and trails
“I Want to Run a Marathon some day”
The Beginning/Jenny Runs Chicago
December 2002 to October 2003
“I want to run a marathon some day.”
The words escaped my mouth before I could even consider the absurdity of such a statement. It was December 2002, and Jenny and I were enjoying a quiet winter evening in our outdoor spa as the snow…
Motivation from Afar
The Ben Comen Story
October 20, 2003
It was ten months after the December night when I had blurted out to Jenny that I wanted to “run a marathon some day”.
For eight of those months, I had not run a single step. Then, after finally conquering our 2-mile block over a month-long progression …
“You Qualify for Boston, You Run Boston”
Jenny Runs Boston
April 19, 2004
“You qualify for Boston, you run Boston.”
Our friends Julie and Marty, marathon veterans, said this in unison when they first heard of Jenny’s finishing time at the 2003 Chicago Marathon. As newbies to the marathon scene, neither Jenny nor I had any idea how exceptional her 3:34 …
Training for Chicago
My Training Diary
Summer 2004
“I want to run a marathon some day.”
After Jenny’s amazingly successful 26.2 debut in the 2003 Chicago Marathon, which qualified her for the 2004 Boston Marathon, it was time for me to make good on my pronouncement from December of 2002. I was going to run the 2004 Chicago Marathon – and…
Running Chicago
Marathon #1 – Chicago, Illinois
October 10, 2004
“Too Blessed To Be Stressed”
The words emblazoned on the shirt worn by the woman sitting across from me at the Kansas City airport conveyed the perfect message at the perfect time. We were waiting to board our early Saturday morning flight to Chicago, where in…
A Run to Remember
Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Relay
April 24, 2005
“Daddy, can I run a marathon?”
We had barely landed after returning home from my debut marathon in Chicago in October 2004 when Andie, still abuzz from the excitement of chasing me around the Windy City as a spectator, wanted a piece of the action.
“I knew it was only a matter of time”
Marathon #2 – San Francisco, California
July 31, 2005
“I knew it was only a matter of time.”
This was Jenny’s response when I told her that I had signed up for the San Francisco Marathon to be held July 2005 – despite my repeated insistence that the Chicago Marathon the previous fall had…
“C’mon, Joe. Live a little.”
Marathon #3 – Lincoln, Nebraska
May 7, 2006
“C’mon, Joe. Live a little.”
It was the day before the 2006 Lincoln Marathon, and 8-year old Andie was trying to coax her older brother into joining her and me onto the elevator in the darkened concourse of the Bob Devaney Center on the campus of…
“Some day, this will be funny”
A Gross Miscalculation
December 16, 2012
“Some day, this will be funny.”
That’s all I could think as I assessed the situation. I was shivering under an evergreen tree in the woods on a late afternoon in December as the sun (and temperature) began to steadily fall.
And wearing not a stitch of clothing.
“People call me Ivory”
Marathon #12 – Orlando, Florida
January 9, 2011
“People call me Ivory.”
The elderly black man perched at the end of the bar extended his hand as he introduced himself. He gave a playful grin and his eyes twinkled as I did a double-take while processing the obvious irony of his nickname, and my mind spun into overdrive trying to formulate an appropriate response. Sensing immediately his appreciation for humor, I delivered my reply as we firmly shook hands.
“You can call me Ebony.”
“I’ve gotten old”
Cheating Death
October 5, 2011
I was out for a 7-miler on a cool and foggy fall evening in October 2011, my last training run in preparation for the Denver Rock ‘n Roll Marathon.
As the sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon, I spied a man standing in the ditch by the side of the road, staring intently at the ground. While not necessarily the most unusual thing that I have seen while out running, the hair stood up on the back of my neck when, through the twilight, I noticed what he was holding.
A pitchfork.
“We’ll figure it out”
Pittsburgh Marathon
May 4, 2014
“I’m sorry, sir, but this credit card has been compromised and I have to destroy it.”
It was May 3rd, 2014, and I was at the car rental counter in the Pittsburgh Airport after taking a Saturday morning flight to run Marathon State #30 the next morning. “And I won’t be able to rent the car to you without being able to swipe the card,” the agent casually mentioned as she cut the card into pieces right in front of me.
Running Family
Teton Dam Marathon – Rexburg, Idaho
June 4, 2016
“If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon” – Kathrine Switzer
These sentiments, attributed to the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon, became abundantly clear to me at the Grand Teton Dam Marathon in Rexburg, Idaho. While I have witnessed time and again the amazing camaraderie within the running community, on that day I learned that runners truly are “family”.
Running4 Mom
July 27, 2016
“Nobody lives forever.”
My mom had shared these words, spoken by my Grandma Hazel, many times whenever she recounted her mother’s battle with cancer.
So on the day when mom received her own cancer diagnosis last summer, she repeated these words and then provided her own addendum. “It’s true that nobody lives […]
An Outside Force
Lessons from the Topeka Correctional Facility
“A body at rest remains at rest, and a body in motion remains in motion, unless acted upon by an outside force.”
During Sunday morning’s twice-weekly (for me) run with the inmates within the walls of the Topeka Correctional Facility, I could not help but […]
“Rules is Rules”
Marathon #13 – Little Rock, Arkansas
March 6, 2011
“Rules is rules.”
The convenience store clerk stood defiantly, arms folded, behind the counter. “And only paying customers can use our bathroom.” He punctuated his final statement by mockingly spinning on his index finger the keyring that held the object of my desire, the Passport to my desperately-sought-after Promised Land whose locked door was a mere 10 feet away.
It was just beyond Mile 17 of the Little Rock Marathon, and never in my previous 12 marathons to that point had I ever experienced such a sudden and urgent need to … uh … let’s just say “jettison some cargo.”
Pick up the Nail
Roadside Treasures
“A butterfly flaps its wings…”
Most of us have heard of “The Butterfly Effect”, which states that the effects of a seemingly insignificant event can, if given enough time, eventually result in far-reaching consequences. The version that I have usually heard is that the change in the wind from a butterfly flapping its wings can ultimately lead to a hurricane halfway around the world. While mostly agreeing with the premise, it has always bothered me that the generally accepted example used to illustrate “The Butterfly Effect” leads to the negative and destructive effect of a hurricane.
With this as a backdrop, a question entered my mind when I bent down during today’s run to pick up a nail that I saw on the road, prompting me to think about the multitude of items that I have picked up over the years while running thousands of miles on the roads. Shouldn’t we have a more positive version of “The Butterfly Effect”?
“Goodbye, Old Friend”
Letting Go – New York City Marathon
November 3, 2019
I was in the starting corral at Staten Island’s Fort Wadsworth for the New York City Marathon, and the tears welled up as the most recent wave of nostalgia flooded over me with the realization that I was about to let go of the only remaining object that had been with me for the entire 15 years of my 50-State marathon journey.
