Gobble Wobble 5k

So I spent last night sober and still went to the bar which was a complete 180 from my usual routine. Reason being that I’m running the Gobble Wobble 5k today and the race is drawing something in the neighborhood of 2,500 people. I signed up with the intention of doing it and I don’t usually back out of 5k’s. Being at the bar sober really wasn’t too bad. I had normal conversations with most people and didn’t really feel out of place at any moment. I did get back at 1am which was a little bit later than I’d probably like but I don’t expect that to have an effect on my performance. My first goal today is under 17:30 and then obviously anything under 17 minutes. I’ll have a recap after the race.

By |2013-03-15T03:09:18-04:00November 22nd, 2012|Running|0 Comments

Rnningfool

Using the moniker rnningfool was probably one of the best decisions of my life. Mainly because it is so fitting to who I’ve become. Considering I chose this at 13 or so years old, I really have to give myself a pat on the back for the foresight. In my youth the name was directly correlated to being on the track team and putting in lots of miles. Only a fool would do something so pointless as running in circles. As I developed into an adult though I starting earning the fool part as alcohol entered my life. Having almost never touched a drop of alcohol until my freshmen year of college, I was promptly given an underage drinking citation in my 2nd week of school. I followed that up with incidents of frostbite, public drunkenness, public urination, a split lip, and a broken ankle and that’s really only touching the surface of the ones I remember. Needless to say that these are quite foolish and (drunk) running was involved in quite a few. Thus the rnningfool was/is still appropriate.

After a decade of these foolish incidents I’m starting to play the fool in a different way once again. I’m actually leaning more towards the running part and am playing the fool by touching alcohol. People who don’t abuse alcohol don’t really understand what it’s like to drink until you completely lose control. I’m making you aware that when an alcoholic drinks it’s not like they are trying to black out but they (me) just bypass the normal warning signs that non-alcoholics get. At this point of my life I know I can’t drink responsibly. This doesn’t mean that I have a drink and fly off the handle. My tolerance has actually adapted so well that the amount of alcohol I consume is absurd. HOWEVER, this doesn’t mean that I don’t get wasted after hours and hours of drinking. My fundamental problem is drinking for hours on end which if you hang out with me on one of these binge drinking sessions you’ll start to understand. So that being said, my best plan moving forward would be to never touch a drop of alcohol because then the problem would never exist…

…but what fun would that be. I like drinking alcohol. I can’t think of a better time than hanging out, drinking my favorite craft beers and watching and gambling on sports. I know people who read that shake their heads and just put their hands up and say “there’s no hope for this guy.” Hell, I say it myself. But tell me where I’m doing a bad job in life? I have a good job, I stay fit, I get along with practically everybody, and am generally likeable as a person. I earn the right to do as I please. I haven’t made decisions in my life where I effect other people (ie. a wife and family). The only harm I’ve ever done to anyone has been myself. And the oddest statement is that I can think of is that all your life experiences turn you into who you are today. I’ve spent my 20’s partying and living life while still balancing not being a screw up.

So here I sit today and am still trying to be the rnningfool. I have breakthrough news though for one specifically Sam Stortz. As Wayne Merkle stated “he kicked sand in my face.” Now Sam didn’t do this maliciously and probably isn’t even aware of what he said that fueled my fire. What he said was that I’m a lifetime 17:30 5ker and he’s right. In high school I never cared enough. In college I drank too much. Out of college I drank too much. And now is my time to spend a few months trying to break that 17:00 mark. With a 5k time of 17:39 done last October I have about 40 seconds to shave off. I see this as a challenge but I’m fairly certain I can do it. I will be doing the Gobble Wobble on Thanksgiving and will hopefully knock that 17 minute mark on my first try. This will set the Stortz bar for a 5k at age 29 and I know that will be something these guys behind me will have to work for. And with that, the rnningfool will last forever.

Me at the Skeleton Skurry

By |2013-03-15T03:13:09-04:00November 13th, 2012|Running|2 Comments

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