Start Running

And that goes for me as well. I've been doing a weight training regimen that emphasizes squats and dead lifts, thus my running has fallen to the wayside.

Forget about the aesthetic benefits of running and concentrate on trying to find the spiritual side of running, almost like Zen running or something. It's kind of a hard thing to envision until you've actually experienced it and you won't know you've experienced it until you find yourself being drawn to it. This attraction is what will become your motivation. You have to trust that it is there, because you're certainly not going to feel it for awhile, when you're dragging yourself out for a run and your shins feel like they'll explode and you think your quads could double as banjo strings. It's more about freeing yourself from your surroundings and being able to focus on where your mind's going. Running not only is capable of clearing your mind at the end of a day, but I think it assists is problem solving, goal attainment (as far as where you want to be and what direction to take to get there), and a variety of benefits only obtained by reaching into the depths of your mind where only running can take you.

You don't have to believe all that but once you've been there, running (and exercise in general) will become as much a part of your life as waking up in the morning.

Here is what the run schedule for spring is looking like;

April 21, 2007 - 9:00 am - Run For Hospice 10k/5K - Leonardtown, Md
www.runforhospice.org


Great local race, I like it because: 1) its on a Saturday and 2) starts at 9:00.

May 6, 2007 - 8:00 am - Bay Bridge Run 10k - Sandy Point Park
www.annapolisstriders.org

One must register early for this one as it is usually closed by the end of March/beginning of April.

I like all the Annapolis Striders Races as they always serve beer after the race. If you've never run 6 miles or 10 miles and then downed a couple of beers all before 10 am, you're really missing out.

June 3, 2007 - 8:30 am - ANS 10k & 5k Run\Walk - La Plata Md
Registration details and link to website to follow.

I expect everyone within a 100 mile radius of La Plata to register for this one as Sheri and I are the Co-Chairs for the event. Proceeds from the race go to the building of new athletic fields as we currently have none.

Last year's event brought out 100 participants to run the 5k course and corporate contributions netted $13,000 to the school. We hope that with the success of last year's event and the addition of the 10k that we can beat those numbers.