The First Real Mile

            I believe that anyone can learn just about anything.  The real key is the willingness to open yourself up and listen.  That takes a good teacher.  A good teacher will make learning seem fun and less like work.  A good teacher does not just tell you how to do something, they show you, they lead by example.

            What does all this mean?  I had been told of the virtues of running and the good it could do for me physically and mentally for a few years but it never made it palatable to me.  My own stubbornness and fear of possible injury outweighed any of the purported benefits.  A few people tried but I did not listen.  I am not saying that these people were not good teachers, maybe my mind was not ready to be opened.  What I am saying is that it took a new voice to tie it all together, not surprisingly that voice came from a teacher.  A real teacher, not a metaphorical one.

            Some people are born runners, most are not.  Most people are simple average folks looking to get in shape, or get in better shape.  Emily was not born a runner, she made herself into one.  She chose to change her own lifestyle and became the best possible version of herself.  I had known her only in passing at the gym for a few years, despite the fact that we had grown up in the same neighborhood.  Until I actually talked to her I had always assumed that she was one of the lucky ones who had been born a runner.  This was not the case.  When I found out about all of the hard work she had been putting in for years to get where she was it made me rethink my own limitations.

            When you see living proof of what running can do, or any change of lifestyle, in front of your eyes it suddenly seems less daunting.  Nearly a year ago she and I began to talk, really talk, and I felt something.  I felt my mind opening, I felt a willingness to at the very least give the running life another try.

            Of course I was naturally wary of all of the previous problems I had running, pulled and sore muscles and such.  That experience was like a chain holding me back.  I still did not fully believe in myself.  Emily said that all I could do was try, I would never know unless I tried.  I decided on a compromise.  I told her I would run one mile on a treadmill at a slow pace.  If I survived it with no problems I would go from there.

            I faced my fears and doubts and set the pace at a robust 10:00 per mile and set out on a slow jog that ended up becoming the most important run I have ever or will ever make.  This was the first real mile, the mile that made me see that if done properly I could run just like any other runner.  Of course in time and with hard work and repetition my times and distances would get better but none of that mattered on that day.

            I had definitely broken a sweat even after one slow mile.  Still, I was running in over-sized old sneakers, over-sized clothes, and was not looking professional in my form or stride.  I believe Emily said I was too stiff looking, I guess like a zombie running.  I had yet to learn about leaning slightly forward as you run, I had yet to learn about getting fitted for sneakers, but none of that mattered on that day.

            I’m sure that to the other runners on the treadmills surrounding me I looked like I was giving up early.  All I could do when I ended my run was turn back to where Emily was running and smile and nod.  I had run my first real mile, and I knew there would be more.  I was very happy and could not wait to go a little further the next time.

This time I would be smart and wade slowly out rather than dive blindly into the deep end.  The joy and benefits of running would start to come to me more in the coming weeks.  A lot of people had told me of these things but I needed a different voice for them to make sense.  I needed a good teacher to believe in me and push me through that first mile.

Impossible Is Nothing - St. Peter's Fiesta 5K, Gloucester, Mass.

            Impossible Is Nothing Part 2: St. Peter's Fiesta 5K  by Christopher Setterlund

     For my second 5K in my racing career I decided to take a trip to my favorite town, Gloucester.  Getting the chance to continue my running adventure in the place that I have enjoyed more than any other thus far made it an opportunity I could not pass up.  My first race was for CapeAbilities, this one was for the North Shore YMCA.  The fact that the St. Peter’s Fiesta was going on at the same time only made it more appealing for me.  I had been asked to cover the yearly festival last year but was unable to find the time on short notice.  This year I had at least one day to check it out.

            Unfortunately the weather was overcast and rainy for the race day which made exploring the Fiesta not as appealing.  I did get to see a lot of rides and food booths when I visited the starting line some four hours before race time.  The food was tempting but I know now what I can and cannot eat before a race and that included pretty much everything the carnival atmosphere offered.  I was able to fully enjoy the afternoon in Gloucester despite the weather by visiting a few of my favorite spots.  They include The Man at the Wheel, Stage Fort Park, Hammond Castle, and Eastern Point Light, but those can be found in my In My Footsteps articles featuring Gloucester.

This became more than just another run for me as the time went on.  I had to face my own demons about whether it might be my last race already thanks to a few nagging injuries.  I had begun running in the end of March and had taken to it much better than I had expected.  My mileage continued to increase but I kept in mind that I only needed to be able to do about 5-6 miles to complete a 5K which is 3.1 miles.  That kept my head in the game as far as training went. 

This time I became much more cavalier about how I trained as the runner’s high seemed to be calling the shots.  I went from a high of 7 miles at the time of the first 5K May 14^th to a high of 13.1(half marathon distance) on June 1^st.  That rapid increase in distance, coupled with not giving myself enough time to recover, and a lack of leg training made my legs feel weak and tired all the time.  My runs became more labored but I did not want to turn back after making it so far so I kept these problems to myself.

I had and still have some pain today in my left knee and right Achilles tendon but this became more than just a 5K for me because of my mother.  She fought so hard to quit smoking and wanted to be a part of the running ‘tradition’ that our family has been starting to build.  She got hurt and has had to be sidelined since and I wanted to make sure that I at least made this race to honor her for what she has done and is doing.

As the day of the race arrived I had this feeling in my gut that maybe it was going to be my final race.  I felt like maybe the injuries I had were going to break me as I ran and it was going to be too much.  I made sure as I stretched feverishly in the drizzle near the starting line that I made a note of where the First Aid station was just in case.  I stood by myself and soaked in the scene, wanting to remember as many faces and events if this was to be my last real run of my burgeoning career.

I made the mistake of soaking in too much of the atmosphere when the race began as I started not on the road but against an iron fence behind several walkers, strollers, and slow people.  Not a good start as I had to dodge up onto the sidewalk to avoid them.  I began my run with my usual song, ‘The Game’ which is the entrance music for WWE wrestler Triple-H, it always gets me pumped.  I admit that I held back some, fearing a tear in my Achilles or a knee ligament, plus the rain began falling too and the course had a few good hills.  I was prepared to have a slower time than the 24:28 I did in my initial run for CapeAbilities. 

The run was awesome, the scenery was amazing despite the rain.  Gloucester is a place I could visit every weekend if I possibly could, so getting to run there was an experience all its own.  I started to sense the end coming and pushed as best I could.  I put on ‘Cowboys From Hell’ by Pantera, a song used by my running mentor to get her going, it was as if suddenly she was pushing me toward the Finish Line, the pain and soreness in my legs vanished and I let it all hang out.  Once I saw the official time in the distance I knew that I had beaten my first race time by nearly two whole minutes and my legs after running, while still hurting, would heal if I gave them time and my running career would continue.

In the end my belief in myself was tested but I came out a bigger believer after.  My confidence was shaken but my resolve to never quit, to show everyone that my running career is not a fad, helped push me through.  Finally, I may have been alone up in Gloucester but I was buoyed by the knowledge that I had the support of so many friends and loved ones.  I wanted to make them all proud and I believe I did.  This is not the end, but only the beginning!  Cheers!

Impossible Is Nothing

           Impossible Is Nothing by Christopher Setterlund 

            To most people today the CapeAbilities 5K was just another race.  To me it was something much different.  To me this race today was the culmination of a transformation inside myself that I never thought would happen.  Today was never even on my radar as close as two months ago, but here I am after the fact now able to look back at what I have done with pride.  I have tried to make it known just how important personally this entire event and what led up to it has been, but maybe here you will get a better feel for it.  Bear with me as this is going to be an ocean of emotion spilling out in these words.

            For years my Uncle Steve has been telling me how much he wanted me to run races with him and for years I simply said no.  I said no because I believed in my heart that I could not, or to be more correct I did not believe in myself.  It has been something of a theme as time passed that my belief in myself seemed to wane and fade away, don’t know if it was just me or if others have experienced this as well.  You get so stuck in a way of thinking that it becomes reality whether it is true or not.  Sometimes it takes an unexpected voice to break that train of thought.

            I have a friend, she knows who she is and I will spare her the embarrassment of this praise, but I am proud to call her my friend and so blessed that I know her.  She was not born a runner, no she made herself into one through her own hard work and dedication.  The dedication she has is unlike anything I have ever seen in anyone and it is infectious.  For years I had seen her and wondered just how in the world she could do what she does, now I know, now I understand.

            You see people have believed in me, I am not alone in this world, but their voices were drowned out by my own self doubt, it was a powerful enemy I had to fight.  My friend, she ended up being the voice that broke the glass around my mind.  She believed in me because she had been in the same exact position before and had transformed herself into a world class runner.  She said if she could do it I could.  At first I was skeptical, my old beliefs were still holding on, but as time went on I began to see what was happening.

            I knew that I could count on her to be there as motivation for me to keep going.  For the first time in my life I was running and enjoying it and therefore starting to see results in how I looked and felt.  The 5K I did today was meant to prove to myself that I could actually do something I set out to do rather than giving up if it got hard.  I pulled every muscle in both legs at one point or another during my training but never did I lose sight of what I was doing.

            My Uncle Steve signed on for the 5K and was even more excited than I was because he had been pushing for me to run for so long and finally I was going to do it.  He was also not born a runner but transformed himself into one.  I was always inspired by him and so proud of him but I could never pull myself out of my own self doubt and lack of belief to join him.  That was what made today so damn special for me, I was putting those old feeling to bed once and for all.

            My time and pace were good, better than I thought, especially since I had a bit of a lingering injury to my left Achilles tendon, nothing major, just a dull soreness.  My Uncle Steve sacrificed his own time to run with me which made me feel so good, and important as well!  However, the time and pace meant less to me than the actual feeling of passing that clock and seeing my friend standing there with her hand out.  I had done it, I had succeeded in completing something that meant so much to me personally.  I had rediscovered my belief in myself.

            I collapsed with fatigue just after my sister Kate and my nieces Kaleigh and Emma and my nephew Landon gathered around me.  They were so proud of me, I had done something to make people proud of me.  That felt so good.  I wanted Kaleigh, Emma, and Landon to know that they can do anything in life if they put their minds to it.  I hope I was able to show them that through what I did today.   Having my family there to see me and experience it with me meant so much to me.

            As for my friend who I promised I would not embarrass here, I told you face to face what you mean to me.  You changed my life and my way of thinking by simply being who you are, I am so blessed and lucky to know you and hope that I have let you know that through my words and actions.  I hope after reading this you understand why this meant so much to me and why I feel like this day was the beginning of a new chapter of my life.

            So race 1 is in the books, I have 2 more already scheduled and have no intention of stopping whatever ride I am on.  I have had my eyes opened, I have had my mind opened, I have had my heart opened, and I have no plans to close them anytime soon.  I hope that maybe my own story will inspire someone to do something they thought they never could do.  It does not have to be running, that just happened to be my own outlet.  Remember that the term impossible is nothing.  You can do anything if you put your mind to it, I am living proof.  Thank you all for sharing this day, this moment with me.  I will not forget it as it is my own personal finish line and also a starting line for something great that only time can reveal to me.  Cheers!