The irony of reading about running

The irony isn't lost on me. While I have been mostly couch bound in the evenings with my broken foot, I have been working my way through 50/50 by Dean Karnaze. A book about an ultra marathon runner who ran 50 marathons in 50 days.

The read is amazing, recording the trials and tribulations that go along with attempting a feat such as this. I am no where near being ready for attempting anything other than a 5km run, but one day it would be great to have a marathon or half marathon as a goal. For both fitness and also mindfulness. The act of going out for a run, especially on a cool raining day is both exhilarating and relaxing.

For me the act of running is both primal and such a simple way of achieving fitness. When I first started running, I got shin splints. After every run I was in agony. But after a while, my legs adjusted and now I don't have that problem. Dean talks about the human body's ability to adjust to stresses. Throughout his Endurance 50 feat, he had regular health checks and the medical information recorded showed how much his body adjusted to running a marathon each day. I think that often we underestimate our bodies ability to adjust and evolve.

A friend of the family, Martin Stern, is raising money for the Leukemia Foundation in Australia so that he can do the London Marathon in 2013. Our community has been touched by Leukemia in recent years and he wants to raise $10,000 so that he can participate in the London Marathon next year. The physical and mental dedication required to do this is tremendous. If you have any spare $$, please consider supporting him in his cause.

In three weeks I am scheduled for an Xray to my foot. Hopefully it shows that the break has healed and then I can start physio and then I can work on getting my stride back.