Monday, December 28, 2009

Happy Running in 2010!

By Ross Forman

(Dec. 28, 2009, in Buffalo Grove, Ill.)

I cussed out a runner this past weekend.

There, I said it; I’ll admit it.

Sure, it’s the holiday season, so I probably shouldn’t have, but running on the street in snowy conditions is not very smart … unless you want to get hit by a car.

I don’t like to run outdoors in the cold weather. The folks at Bally’s Total Fitness see me on the treadmill a lot more often once the thermometer drops below 50 degrees. And when it’s snowy, forget it, there’s absolutely no chance I’m running outside.

I just wish the runner I saw (and cussed at, though quietly) on Saturday, when we were getting hit with about 10 inches of snow in the northern suburbs of Chicago, was not running outside.

Running on the treadmill is boring; that’s for sure. But it’s a lot safer than avoiding out-of-control cars that seem to be taken over by Mother Nature.

Enough about that; let’s switch to Father Time. I can’t believe 2009 is over. Heck the first decade of the 21st Century is over. Wow, where’d the time go?! Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were all scared of what in the world would happen on the technology-front when the calendar switched from 1999 to 2000. I’ll even admit that, in late-1999, I chose to spend the New Year in Chicago – not Honolulu, where I had for several previous years – just because of that fear.

I ran three Marathons, my first two Half Marathons and a 9.5-mile race in 2009. That’s now seven marathons in just over two years – and I had my two best times ever in 2009. At the Bank Of America Chicago Marathon in October and then two months later at the Honolulu Marathon.

Now it’s time to start planning for 2010 – on the running front, that is.

My good friend Lodi, of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) fame, is going to run his first-ever Half Marathon in April. He’ll do great because no one is more dedicated to physical fitness than Lodi. And I’m sure Brandon in San Francisco will rock his first-ever Half Marathon in February, just as Dan will conquer the 26.2-mile course at the London Marathon in April.

I know many of my running friends will be on the trails again, including Richard, Dell, Katie, Hector, Ryan, Aaron, Rob and others.

What about me? Well, the last couple weeks of December have annually been my break-time. (Sure, that’s not a lot of time, but that’s how I go.) As the calendar rolls in January, I resume my training.

First goal: the El Paso Half Marathon on Sunday, March 7.

Second goal: the Paris Marathon on Sunday, April 11.

My first job after graduating from Indiana University was as a sportswriter in Las Cruces, N.M., which is where I met Cheryl & Tom Essex. Coach, as he was known, was the head football coach at Onate High School, one of three schools in the city and the main school I wrote about. I’ll never forget the friendship I developed with Coach (and his family). Even after I moved away from Las Cruces, we stayed in contact, always laughing at memories, stories, tales and, of course, talking football.

Coach died Jan. 8, 2009, so I’m running the El Paso Half Marathon for him. I’m sure his reaction would be, ‘What in the hell are you running that far for?’

Well Coach, I’m doing it in 2010 for you.

Why Paris? Why not Paris! It’s a beautiful city, great event and it’s a perfect fit on my running calendar.

I know there will be more races in 2010, and over the next few weeks, I’m gonna pencil them in. I just had to get my first goal/resolution (a Personal Record in Paris) on the 2010 slate before Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark do their thing in New York City.

Best wishes for a healthy & Happy New Year. And while I’m mentioning the word ‘healthy,’ I strongly endorse Kool ‘N Fit Sport, a conditioning fluid that I discovered at the Honolulu Marathon. It’s not a gimmick – it works!

Happy running in 2010,

Ross.

















No comments: