Why I Run

Welcome to my new blog: Why I Run.  I keep another blog about my family, and I very much enjoy maintaining that site very much.  However, this past year I have found myself becoming more and more interested in running and I am now entered into my second Chicago Marathon.

As a result, I have been consumed as of late to improve upon my previous running times and want very much to become a better runner.  This blog is a place for me to discuss my thoughts, share my inspirations, motivations, ideas, and information about my running.

A little about my current self:  I am 32 years old and live outside of Chicago, IL.  I am a 5th grade teacher and love my job.  Having the summers to focus on family and self is an important piece to me, and the rest of the time I pour myself into my profession and my family.  Over the last roughly three years, I have returned to the sport of running.  I ran through college, but lost the spirit after graduation.  I am now back to running for myself, and it has been a powerful positive force in my life to say the least.

I currently run an average 9:03min mile, which is a great improvement upon my average 10:34 last year.  However, I cannot sustain that for a marathon pace, so I am guessing that I am about a 10min mile marathon pace.  Since last year's marathon, I have been doing light runs and eventually built myself back up to strong running levels by training over the winter and spring rather than taking that time off.

I have no professional experience.  I have never been on a school or college team of any kind.  I have never, until next week, been part of a running group.  I am the absolute definition of amateur, but I take myself seriously.




This is my current shoe, the Brooks Ghost 4.  I used a Brooks Glycerin 9 last year for training and marathon, but the Ghost is lighter and provides roughly the same support and cushioning.  I am sure another pair or something similar will be needed in the later phases of my training this year.


Running gives me freedom to take time to think and clear my mind at the same time.  I run because it gives me health and distance from the negative things in life that we all have to deal with.  I run because it will give me more time on this Earth with my wife and daughters.  I run because it has brought me back from the verge of nothingness and given me added value to my life.  I run because I can and I know I may not always be able to.  I run because it is a part of me, and I discover new pieces of myself that have been dormant for longer than I care to remember.