Born To Run (Part 1 of 2)
Some people have running in their blood, born with good genes promoting a natural ability to run fast or for long periods of time, or both. Others start young, perhaps emulating their parents and developing running as a lifelong habit. For example, in May of this year, Len Goldman (President of the Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders), Jessica and I started short races for kids prior to the start of the Fourth Sunday races at Lake Merritt. The kids' races take place every other month starting at about 8:45 a.m.; if you're in the area, come check it out (and put in a 5, 10 or 15K yourself!). The course runs out and back in the parking lot and is probably only about 200 yards, but these kids take it seriously! Many of them, some as young as 3 or 4, get there early and start warming up on the course. When the "Go!" signal is given, the kids take off, although usually 1 or 2 of them get stuck at the line, frozen with apprehension. At the end, every kid receives a medal, and you can see the feeling of accomplishment on their smiling faces. These kids definitely have a head start in developing running as a habit for life.
Still other people have both: good running genes, and development of that talent from an early age. Take, for example, Tom, one of my good friends from high school. Both of his parents ran competitively at the collegiate level, and he started running at an early age. He won a CIF title in the 2-mile in high school, and was pretty easily the best distance runner on our track and cross-country teams. He still runs pretty fast (his older sister is even faster, though, having recently won the La Jolla Half Marathon, with three boys in tow).
As for me, when it comes to running, I had none of that. I don't want to overstate the point: as a kid, I was definitely active, but I preferred sports like soccer, football, and basketball. My parents were also very supportive, making sure I got to practice, even if it meant driving half an hour to get to a 5:30 a.m. practice before school. But running? Not for me. I probably had above-average foot speed but, I mean, what was the point? There was no team, no real objective, just solitary effort.
Somehow, and quite by accident, however, I wound up on the track team, and then the cross-country team, in high school. As a freshman, I played water polo (a very Southern California sport for which I had no prior experience), which I liked but, like running for running's sake, I hated swimming. I started out in the Spring of my Freshman year on the swim team and quickly quit. In the Fall of my Sophomore year, I learned that I couldn't play water polo if I didn't participate in the swim team. Kicked off the team, I decided to take the Fall semester off from sports.
I tried out for basketball in the Winter (I had played on the Freshman team the previous year), but again didn't make the team. During tryouts, I met the aforementioned friend, and he convinced me to try out for the track team in the fall.
Ultimately, I lettered three times in track and twice in cross-country. I was definitely passable, but our team was not very good. I'm sure someone will quickly correct me if I don't get this exactly right: I mostly ran the 400m (posting a best time of 54 seconds) and 800m (best time of 2:07). In cross-country, I was even more middle of the pack, running a best of 17:40 (5:41/mile) but averaging 18:30 or slower (5:57/mile). I would definitely take that pace now! More importantly, I made some great friends who remain close to this day.
On the other hand, there is a downside to being such good friends with your track teammates: a complete lack of motivation to train. Too many times after being sent on a long run, we would head straight for the basketball court and play instead of practice. Other times we would just hang out and goof around. As a result, I never got in proper shape. During my Senior season, I was 6 feet tall and "lanky"(?) at 135 pounds. My times did not measurably improve, and I always suffered from nagging, lingering injuries. Running became pain, pain, and more pain. Throughout my Senior season, I suffered from mysterious knee pain which eluded treatment. I ran through the pain, and my times were just average. I decided to run out the season but vowed never to run again.
(To be continued)
Still other people have both: good running genes, and development of that talent from an early age. Take, for example, Tom, one of my good friends from high school. Both of his parents ran competitively at the collegiate level, and he started running at an early age. He won a CIF title in the 2-mile in high school, and was pretty easily the best distance runner on our track and cross-country teams. He still runs pretty fast (his older sister is even faster, though, having recently won the La Jolla Half Marathon, with three boys in tow).
As for me, when it comes to running, I had none of that. I don't want to overstate the point: as a kid, I was definitely active, but I preferred sports like soccer, football, and basketball. My parents were also very supportive, making sure I got to practice, even if it meant driving half an hour to get to a 5:30 a.m. practice before school. But running? Not for me. I probably had above-average foot speed but, I mean, what was the point? There was no team, no real objective, just solitary effort.
Somehow, and quite by accident, however, I wound up on the track team, and then the cross-country team, in high school. As a freshman, I played water polo (a very Southern California sport for which I had no prior experience), which I liked but, like running for running's sake, I hated swimming. I started out in the Spring of my Freshman year on the swim team and quickly quit. In the Fall of my Sophomore year, I learned that I couldn't play water polo if I didn't participate in the swim team. Kicked off the team, I decided to take the Fall semester off from sports.
I tried out for basketball in the Winter (I had played on the Freshman team the previous year), but again didn't make the team. During tryouts, I met the aforementioned friend, and he convinced me to try out for the track team in the fall.
Ultimately, I lettered three times in track and twice in cross-country. I was definitely passable, but our team was not very good. I'm sure someone will quickly correct me if I don't get this exactly right: I mostly ran the 400m (posting a best time of 54 seconds) and 800m (best time of 2:07). In cross-country, I was even more middle of the pack, running a best of 17:40 (5:41/mile) but averaging 18:30 or slower (5:57/mile). I would definitely take that pace now! More importantly, I made some great friends who remain close to this day.
On the other hand, there is a downside to being such good friends with your track teammates: a complete lack of motivation to train. Too many times after being sent on a long run, we would head straight for the basketball court and play instead of practice. Other times we would just hang out and goof around. As a result, I never got in proper shape. During my Senior season, I was 6 feet tall and "lanky"(?) at 135 pounds. My times did not measurably improve, and I always suffered from nagging, lingering injuries. Running became pain, pain, and more pain. Throughout my Senior season, I suffered from mysterious knee pain which eluded treatment. I ran through the pain, and my times were just average. I decided to run out the season but vowed never to run again.
(To be continued)
posted by pmk-one at 4:02:00 PM
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