Here’s to the runners

DATE: 2023-02-04 AO: Chicken-Run Q: HazMat PAX: Astro (Kyle Kirchhoff), Kielbasa, tuck, soft_pretzel, toolbag, Paper Jam, Chopper, kirby, Gruden, Right Turn, HazMat, Nada FNGs: 1 Nada COUNT: 12 Chicken Run is like a box of chocolate – you never know what you’re going to get. Some launch at 4:30, others launch on time at 6:00. We all arrive back where we started, each having covered a unique distance. This morning’s route was primarily around PCC then through Stone Creek Ranch.
Do you every stop to consider just how exceptionally odd our behavior is? How strange it is that we show up at 4:30 a.m. on a Saturday to run 18 miles? That other people show up at 5:00 a.m. to join in the frosted gloom, headlamps casting light into a dark abyss. @Astro reminded me just how unique and profound this reality is while running with me at 5:00 before we joined forces with Kielbasa.
Running for me has always been a mean to an end. Conditioning for sports I played in high school. But never running for the sake of running, or running a specific race. Only in the last few years through F3 have I become captivated in running. Running specific races.
It all started back in 2020 with the South Mountain Run CSAUP. Then it was Waxhaw Trail Fest. Beer Run. Deck the Halls. Solo South Mountain. Oak Island (Half Marathon). Waxtravaganza. Beer Mile(s). Killer Creek 50k. And in two weeks my first road marathon – Oak Island.
Guess what? I still don’t like running. At least not on my own. What has changed the game for me is the runners that I am surrounded by. The knuckleheads and happy clowns that willingly subject themselves to hours of training and sacrifice. The deeply spiritual and satisfying experience of arriving in the warm foyer of Chick-fil-A, knowing that delicious chicken is just minutes away. And enjoying that delicious chicken with 12 other high impact men who start their Saturdays off by embracing the suck. This is why we run.
SO here’s to the runners: – @Flipper for being one of the first to challenge me to lean into F3 community. And selling me your awesome Bob stroller that I still use to this day. – @Paper Jam and @Chopper for running with me early in 2020 during lockdown. And teaching me to never run without a wipe. – @Hoover @Gummy @Rousey and the ragtag bunch who carry on the Beer Mile tradition @HazMat @TacoStand and other Waxhaw pax who took on the Killer Creek 50k – @Tuck for challenging me to never stop running and embrace new challenges – @Frasier @Bunker @Hairball @TigerRag and many other #marathon runners who keep me humble. Their recovery pace is basically my race pace – @Soft Pretzel for leading the Oak Island tradition. A highlight of the year year. I can’t wait for the race in two weeks Oki Dokey and seeing newcomers like @RightTurn @Lawfawnduh @Franky @OddJob crush it
Keep running because these runs help us run the race of life. Don’t stop challenging the pax next to you to dig deeper and push harder. Because we take these challenges in the gloom and apply them to our personal lives.
“You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No lazy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.” – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27