Tag I'm It

Trail Zombie tagged me, and requested that I answer 5 questions. My answers are below.

1- How would you describe your running 10 years ago?

I was not really running 10 years ago. However, in 1996 I ran the anchor leg in a 4x100m relay in the Corporate Challenge. I was on TV in the bloopers film because I tripped and fell at the finish line. I actually ducked and rolled, so I came back up to my feet without a scratch.

2-What is your best and worst run/race experience?

First the worst. I would have to say that was Turkey & TATURS 50k in September 2007. I thought I was fully prepared for the race, but I started having IT band problems before I finished the first loop. Also I had a slight ankle sprain and really bad bursitis - all on my left leg. It was so bad that I almost dropped out after one loop. But instead I taped up my ankle and headed out. By the time I got to the RunnersWorld aid station I was reduced to walking. Hobbling, actually. I really was going to drop out there, but Kathy gave me some ibuprofin and taped up my leg with duct tape. That enabled me to run where the paths were relatively smooth and not too hilly. Problem was that there are not too many paths like that on Turkey Mountain. So, most of the second loop I sort of speed walked with a mostly straight left leg. Took me about 3 hours for the first loop and about 4 and a half hours for the second loop. After the race I removed the duct tape. Some gal there gave me some biofreeze and when I applied it, I suddenly realized that the duct tape had ripped off my skin. Ouch! The next week my right leg was incredibly sore, probably because it was doing the bulk of the work the second loop. It took me a long time before I was even interested in running on Turkey Mountain again.

The best race experience was the second time I did the Route 66 Marathon, in November 2007. Everything pretty much went according to plan. I feel like I paced myself right, and I ended up finishing under my goal of 4 hours. Honorable mention for race experience would have to go to the Hope Rains 5k this spring. It was a fun cross country/trail race through wooded, hilly trails at Holland Hall. What made that a good experience is that just the previous week I had run the OKC Memorial Marathon and although I ran a pretty good race, I was sort of disappointed because I hadn't met my goal time. So at Hope Rains I just decided to go out and have a good time, and I had a blast!

3- Why do you run?

I run simply because I enjoy it. I don't run to lose weight or to head off some health problem. However, my running in a roundabout way did begin from a health problem. Early in the summer of 2005 my wife was diagnosed with diabetes and was told to regulate her blood sugar level with diet and exercise. So, we started watching our diets more carefully and walking around LaFortune Park every evening. After a few months Marilyn was having such pain in her joints from walking that we stopped our walks together. That is when I started walking and running at noon. That was in September 2005.

As I began running, it brought back many memories of high school and the great times I had running with the cross country and track teams. Almost every time I run it is a pleasant experience. Oftentimes, when I am running alone I reminisce about old times, or I think about my new running friends, or I take time to think or pray, or sometimes I just zone out and just relish the act of running. And when I meet with my running group, I always have a great time running with or just hanging out with friends.

4- What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?

Best - Listen to your body.

Worst - There is the standard, "You shouldn't run at your age. It will ruin your knees." But I get a kick when I remember the time a guy told me to be careful because my lungs could freeze running in the cold. It was over twenty degrees at the time.

5- Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.

In the spring of 2005 I went to Russia to teach church history at a Bible institute.

Here are the rules:
If you have been tagged, you will find your name at the end of this post. You should then copy the rules (or your version of them), and the set of questions onto your blog post, provide your own answers, and then tag up to 5 new people.

Just to be sure that everyone tagged knows they have been invited to play, go to their blogs and leave them a special comment letting them know, and refer them to your blog for details.

One more thing, once they've answered the questions on their own blog, they should come back to yours to tell you.

I don't know too many runner bloggers besides the ones trail zombie has already tagged, so I am having trouble coming up with five names, but I am tagging the following people:
Trail Honky
Chrissy
Paula