Let it go...

Goodbye 2011!  Let It Go!

Good morning and Happy New Year's Eve!  This is one of my favorite days of the year as I, and you too, get to wrap up one year and start new again.  I've thought a great deal about this final blog post for 2011 and had a draft written yesterday.  Yet, the draft did not convey a message I really wanted to carry forward into 2012.  Today on my last run of the year, a 4.25 mile run in downtown Indianapolis, it finally hit me that I should write about what running teaches me daily:  “let it go.”
You see, when you run you have good days and bad days and if you hold onto the bad days then you end up not being able to reach your full potential.  Likewise, if you celebrate your successes too much then you become complacent and once again become unable to reach your full potential.  The real key in running is to take stock of the good and the bad, learn from both, and then let it go and move forward.  As I think about 2011 and what will be important for 2012 the phrase "let it go" seems most appropriate.

Overall, 2011 was a fantastic year.  I ran 1775 miles and have now run 10,013 miles since January 1, 2006 and I've run 23,852 miles since 1994.  I'm so blessed to be able to run.  I ran a 35:55 10K, which was my fastest since 2007.  At home, Sarah and I had a wonderful year, maybe the best we've had in Indianapolis.  We get along so well, enjoy each other’s company, and really support each other in pursuit of our goals.  Of course, we love our little Myles and he's such a wonderful part of our life.  And...the Hoosiers are looking great once again and after three years of rebuilding by Coach Crean, this team looks poised for a NCAA appearance in March.  At work, the 50 or so staff members I'm responsible for leading are doing a great job, and my co-workers in HRL bonded together and kept the ship moving forward through transitional waters.  It was a great year.
Yet, not everything went well.  While training for the marathon in November, three dogs chased me and I pulled my calf trying to get away and ended up not being able to run the Monumental Marathon.  Indiana had a rough Big 10 season last spring.  And...those transitional waters at work had some rather large icebergs that hit our ship a few times.  There have been points recently where it's been easier to focus on the not so great parts of 2011 rather than the 90% good parts of 2011.  I've been struggling with hanging on to some of those negative things and it clouded my ability to set goals for 2012.  On my run this morning, though, it became very clear that the first goal of 2012 has to be to "let go" of 2011.  In order to set some running goals, some personal goals, and to reach my full potential, I first have to learn from 2011 and then let it go.  It's amazingly simple and so fitting that the answer to my dilemma of what goals to set for 2012 emerged while running.  It's a bit embarrassing too, though, since the title of my blog is "What I Learned While Running."  For me, the answers always come on my daily runs and for that I'm so thankful.

My hope for you is that you have a wonderful last day of the year.  Let go of 2011 so that you can reach your full potential in 2012.  If you like sports, then root like heck for the Hoosiers today as they battle Ohio State.  To all the UK and UL fans, good luck today and be good to each other.  To everyone else, Happy New Year and happy running to you...

It's INDIANA...

Good morning!  Hope that you are doing well.  Just finished up a nice 4 mile run.  As the title of this blog post might indicate, it's going to be about my Hoosiers. 

Yesterday was an unbelievable day for my Indiana Hoosiers and it was a day we've all been waiting for since Tom Crean took over as our basketball coach in March of 2008 in the wake of the disastrous Kelvin Sampson scandal.  Plain and simple, Indiana was not going to lose that game yesterday.  The fans in Assembly Hall, the players, and the coaches weren't going to let it happen.  You could feel the energy in this state building all week and the atmosphere in Assembly Hall was like nothing I've ever encountered.  It was crazy.  It was nuts.  It was pure pandemonium.  And...it was like that an hour before the tip off and folks did not leave for 30 minutes after the game.  The Indiana Basketball Team and fans have been waiting for a game like this for many, many years.  I know that for those outside of the state of Indiana that we've been down, off the radar, and no one gave us a shot to beat Kentucky, a team with 6 McDonalds All-Americans and 7 future NBA players.  But...we've all watched this Indiana team play and this year it's a different team.  It's a team with all the necessary parts to win.  It's a team that plays with heart.  It's a team that plays to best represent the name across the front of the jersey:  INDIANA.  These players and our Coach, Tom Crean, understand what Indiana Basketball means to this state and to our fans.  They get it.  And that, more than anything, was why they weren't going to lose yesterday.  Not after working so hard to get back to where we could compete against a team like Kentucky.  Not after three consecutive losing seasons.  They weren't going to lose.  In the closing moments of the game when it looked bleak, I yelled to the fans around me, "get up, we're not going to lose this game, we're not going to lose this game, we're going to WIN!" 

After the game on the court

It was surreal as Christian Watford's shot swished through the net and the fans stormed the court.  It was a moment filled with disbelief, exuberance, elation, and shock.  It was a cathartic moment for all of us fans.  We've not seen anything like this since beating Duke in the Sweet 16 in 2002.  We've had little to cheer about in nearly a decade.  This game has been circled on my calendar since the date was released in August.  I knew we could be 8-0 heading into it, I knew UK would be 8-0 and #1, and I knew we would have a shot to win.  And...I'll be honest.  If this game was played in Rupp, then UK probably wins by 10 or more.  And...once Cal gets those talented players to play together, then they'll stomp nearly everyone.  But...yesterday we won and we took down a team that most thought would win by double digits.  It was special.  It was fun.  It was amazing. 

I don't think we'll go undefeated this season and we will have a couple bad losses I'm sure.  However, if yesterday is any indication, then this team is well on it's way to being back in the national spotlight once again.  Coach Tom Crean has recruited a bunch of young men who want to play for Indiana and they've all embraced our tradition.  We have a top 5 recruiting class coming in next year to join this team and we should be outstanding for years to come.  But...I'll never forget our seniors--Verdell Jones, Tom Pritchard, Matt Roth, Daniel Moore, Kory Barnett--who laid the foundation for this moment.  We've been 28-66 over a three year span and our seniors have gutted it out, kept working hard, and never quit.  Yesterday happened because of their hard work, their commitment, and their leadership.  It was a wonderful day and not one I'll soon forget.

Indiana vs. Kentucky: One Passionate IU Fan

Good Morning!  Hope that you are having a wonderful Saturday.  For me, this is one of the best days of the year as it's Indiana vs. Kentucky in College Basketball.  Usually, I write about running or about leadership.  Today, I am going to indulge myself in some commentary about the game and what it means to me.

I grew up in Kentucky loving IU Basketball.  I was the crazy one in town that would fly the IU flags and drive around Owensboro honking my horn in my friends driveway after a big win. I'd wear IU clothes nearly every day of the week to school and the stories about me and my behavior while watching games is nothing short of legendary.  I've blocked out Christmas Trees, ran 3 miles at halftime of one game just to try and change the energy of the game, locked myself in a room during the 1992 Final Four, thrown a chair (wonder where I got that idea), dressed in crazy clothes (still do that), and once issued a one game suspension to myself for "possibly losing my cool" during a game (okay, my wife had to suspend me).  In the words of Chuck Rhodes (A legend in Student Affairs who knew me at Sonoma State), "Josh, you become a different person during an Indiana Basketball game--you ain't right."  That...probably sums it up best.

IU Flag Flying Proudly

I am about as passionate and as intense of an IU fan as you'll find.  I love the Hoosiers.  I love that the basketball coach of Indiana never has to leave the state to recruit--if he does not want to--because the state is loaded with talent.  I love the fact that when I went to IU I not only saw the players in classes I took, but I also saw them graduating with me.  I love the fact that IU fired Kelvin Sampson when he made those illegal phone calls, gutted the program, and punished ourselves for doing the wrong thing.  After all, it was an IU graduate assistant who turned in Kelvin Sampson.  It didn't take the NCAA snooping around.  We're INDIANA and when we make a mistake we have to own up to it--even if it means paying a hefty price.  That's what I love about Indiana.  It's more than just about winning at all costs--and I'm not knocking other schools with that comment.  At Indiana, though, the alums and fans expect the team to win, have the players graduate, and recruit guys that represent you well both on and off the court.  Of course, every now and then IU does have a player leave early for the NBA (Eric Gordon comes to mind), but this team is built with a bunch of college students who happen to be good at basketball.  I love this team.

To me, the biggest game of the year for Indiana is the Kentucky game because I grew up right there on the border where the banter between the fans is fierce and unforgiving.  I know that Indiana has lost 17 of the last 21 times to UK and I've been to this games 10 times and seen IU win only once.  Yet, even though we've come up on the short end--sometimes in an embarrassing way--I would never want IU to drop the game.  I'd rather play UK and have a shot to win but come up short, then play a team no one cares about beating.  I care about beating UK.  It will be awesome if we win and crushing if we lose.  I cannot say I feel the same way about playing any other team with the exception of Illinois and Purdue. Winning today will be a tall task for our team, but after three years of rebuilding from the ground up, we finally have a realistic shot.  Assembly Hall is going to be "electric" tonight!

To my friends and family who love UK--and there are quite a few:  I wish you good luck today, a great game, and happy fan exchanges. 

To my IU Peeps:  Let's Go Hoosiers!  Cheer loud and rep IU well!  Go IU! 

To Sarah, my wife:  Thanks for making sure I had tickets and for agreeing to chaperone me so that I behave!  You are amazing and I love you!

Let's go IU!

Run Every Mile: The Character of a Runner

Good morning.  Hope that you are doing well.  I'm so excited for today.  Our Georgia Bulldogs play in the SEC Championship game against a very good LSU team.  I'm hoping for a victory.  Go Georgia!

I had the best run I've had since my injury in October.  My left calf is finally feeling close to 100%.  That makes me very happy.  Every day that my leg heals it makes me more convinced that I made the correct decision in not running the marathon in November.  It was a great 5.25 mile run.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the standards I expect from myself and from others and I think it has a lot to do with being a runner.  The gift that running provides is immeasurable.  Running is demanding and it expects honesty and integrity in order to reward me.  And...Let's be honest for a second.  I'm not an elite runner.  I'll never run in the Olympics.  No one will care if I report that I ran five miles today but really ran three.  Reality is that I'm not that important and no one in the running community will care or probably even know.  But...I'll care and running will care.  And...that's what matters.  For me, running is not so much about being the fastest, running the farthest, or being the best, but rather it's about getting the best from myself by crossing every "I" and dotting every "T" and doing it the honorable, honest way.  In this life, I choose to see others as trying to run the same way and I assume that they are running the same way--I can be guilty of living in my isolated runner mindset.  Every now and then something slaps you in the face and you're reminded that's not everyone runs like that.  Not everyone runs every mile.  Not everyone reports how much they run accurately.  Not everyone who says they run actually runs.  It's crushing when you realize not everyone runs the way that they should.  However, no matter what other runners might do if you know what to do, then it does not make any difference.  None whatsoever.  Running the miles in the way that they are supposed to be run and doing it that way every single time you run is completely doable no matter what.  No matter what.  And...that's what running teaches me.  Running will never expect anything less than my best, most honest effort.  It will not reward me for a half way effort.  And...it will know if I'm not doing it the right way.  That's why I love running.  There is no hiding or misleading.  You are what you run.  Period.

Have a wonderful Saturday.  I hope that your teams (as long as it's not LSU, you mean LSWHO?) win.  Happy running to you...