Celebrating Running & The 4th!

Good morning and happy Fourth of July!  It's one of my favorite days of the year and I typically celebrate the 4th with some sort of run or race.  This morning was no different as I ran 6.75 miles in very hot, humid, and steamy conditions at 7a. 

Running Cross Country in California, Fall 2007

Today marks my 18th Fourth of July as a runner.  Hard to believe that the first 5K race I ever ran was 18 years ago today.  I'll never forget driving down to Nashville, Tn with my friends, Luke and Seth, and their mom, Pam, on July 3 so we could run this 5K in Nashville on July 4.  Seth, who at the time was the real runner of the group, had picked out this race to run.  Pam agreed to drive Seth.  Luke, an elite tennis player, was not going to run but was there to support his brother, who was prepping for his first year of high school cross country.  Me?  I was confused because I wanted to be a basketball player, the coach had just told me the week before that I was not going to play during my senior year, and I was slated to go out for cross country the next month but had not been training.  I was lost, hurt, and feeling a bit out of sorts.  It was a tough time, athletically speaking.

But...I decided that I might as well give running a try.  I lined up for my first 5K and like many young guys I  thought that just because I could run 6-8 miles fairly easily meant that I was going to be able to win the 5K.  The gun went off and I took off.  I went through the mile in 5:30, which at that point was near the fastest mile I'd ever run.  I was ahead of Seth and I recall running by Luke and he was cheering.  Then...the wheels fell off.  My fitness caught up with me and I began to slow.  Seth passed me.  Other's passed me.  The heat finished me off.  I ran the last two miles at a 7 minute per mile pace.  As I finished, I recall thinking that there was no way I was going to be able to be a great runner by the fall.  It was tough because I really wanted to be a great athlete during my high school career and due to my limitations as a basketball player and spending three years trying to play with limited success, I was beginning to feel like I was a failure.

In life, we have watershed moments, which I would define as moments when we have a chance to really change our future for the better.  While I was not successful at my first 5K, my Cross Country Coach's voice  was in the back of my head saying, "Skillman, you're meant to be a runner.  Stop wasting time on basketball."  And...although my time was not great for my first 5K, it served as a motivator to get serious about running.  From that point forward, I began to train each day, to run what the coach asked, and to give 100% to running.  The Fall of 1994 is one I'll always remember because each week my running improved, I was able to contribute on a very good team that finished fourth in the state, and I learned how to be successful at something.  More than that, though, I learned that in disappointment lies opportunity if you open your eyes and never stop believing in yourself.  For each of the past 18 Fourth of July's, I've run.  Sometimes, I run races and other times I just go for a run down the street, like today.  Every Fourth of July, though, I think about July 4, 1994 when I learned what it was going to take to be a "runner" and how that single day changed the outcome of my high school athletic career and created a life-long "runner."  Looking back, It was truly a watershed moment, one in which I found a life passion instead of continuing down a path not meant for me.

I hope that you have a wonderful Fourth of July.  Enjoy your day and doing what you love to do.  Happy running to you...