I want to provide disclosure up front: This is not intended to be a humorous post. It’s been quite a while since I posted up anything–life’s been busy and sometimes I struggle with posting anything because I find the incessant need to share things in today’s social media environment to be off-putting to a large degree. But, for the three of you friends and family that might want to hear about this…. well, this is for you.
You may or may not know that a few years ago, I was diagnosed with a condition medically known as Adhesive Capsulitis (and commonly known as “Frozen Shoulder”). If you are interested in the medical details of that, you can find them fairly easily by doing a quick search on the interwebs (or click here). I won’t bore you with the details, but the short version is, it is a long, drawn-out affair that involves a lot of pain and agony, loss of range of motion in your arm (extending from the affected shoulder), and sometimes lasts (as in my case) upwards of 3 or more years from onset to completion. If you want to read a humorous account that involves my early stages (before I knew what was going on), you can check out my post about the squirrel incident.
Suffice it to say that due to the shoulder problem, I spent the last few years involving myself in about as much physical fitness activity as a post-apocalyptic corpse. Doing anything was painful during that time and there was not really much to be done for it. I work a pretty sedentary job anyway, so the lack of any appreciable activity really didn’t do me any favors in the health department. With the ever-increasing number on the scale, the ever-widening midsection, the effects of the capsulitis mostly gone and both of the little buzzards having vacated the nest, I felt it was time I stretch my wings again and try to start whipping myself back into some semblance of middle-aged shape. So, I did what any rational, overweight, out of shape middle-aged guy would do in my situation–I decided to run a 20k trail race through the Palo Duro Canyon.
My curiosity was peaked years ago when a friend and coworker, Torrey Barnhouse, decided to run a 50k trail race in Arkansas. It sounded unfathomable at the time, and yet, it got me thinking about whether I could ever muster the will and fortitude to do something like that. I thought I might try the following year, but after doing some running (not nearly enough), I went out for a training run at a local trail area. It was about 7 degrees, and there were a few inches of snow on the ground. It was pretty rough. I realized then that I was nowhere near the condition I needed to be thinking of something like this, and also that Torrey is an absolute stud of a man the likes of which I was nowhere close to. So, I dropped my quest and went back to a mostly sedentary existence, with a sense of anguish and defeat.
After a few years of extremely limited activity, and finally coming out of the capsulitis issues, I found myself feeling very out of shape and carrying more extra weight around than I ever have. I really wanted to try to push myself to get moving again. Around the holidays last year, my Brother-in-law and I were talking, and I had mentioned the 50k race and that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do something like that. Then he told me about a race in the Palo Duro Canyon out in Amarillo. It’s the 2nd largest canyon in the USA, and they offered a 20k option in addition to the longer distances. Upon hearing this, I was immediately excited about the prospect. While I didn’t think I could do a 50k for a lot of reasons, I felt a 20k was within reach if I could motivate myself to get moving and train for it. There is something to be said about setting goals that are lofty but achievable.
I won’t bore with all the details. Suffice it to say that, while I haven’t logged as many miles as I’d have liked, I have logged more miles this year than ever. I have shed some of the extra weight and have things moving in the right direction. It’s sometimes been painful or uncomfortable, but it feels really good to be moving again and whipping myself into better condition. I’ve learned that things don’t get any easier as you get older, so I really feel like now is the time I need to make my move to set myself up for success in the latter stages of life.
Of course, as with most success in life, it only comes when there are others there to help you and there are three people in particular I wanted to mention. First and foremost is my wife, Kerry. I’ve encountered lots of people and lots of married couples, and I can say how truly blessed I am that God brought us together. There is nobody that makes me feel like I can do anything I want in life the way that Kerry does. Her support is unwavering. She is not a harsh taskmaster that forces me to do things. She is the ultimate cheerleader, encouraging me and believing in me. I am so appreciative of that. If I mention something, rather than putting up roadblocks, she just smiles and says, “OK. You can do it!”
I’d also mention a good friend, we’ll call him Pablo Vandalay. He knows who he is. Everybody needs a friend like Pablo. He has a sometimes-maddening ability to hold you accountable to your words. He doesn’t do it in a harsh way, or with any malicious intent. He simply brings a reminder that if you said you needed to do something, and you offered a plan for how you were going to do it, you should probably put words into action. It comes in the form of a question about how you are doing with your goal, and what have you done to move yourself toward it. Sometimes we need those reminders to force us to face the realities of all the things we let stand as roadblocks to the goals we set in life–goals that are not easy but are attainable if we would simply follow through with the effort that we can and should put forth.
Finally, there is my good friend, Tracey Gray. A special thanks goes out to him. Put simply, I would not be in the position I am today without him. At the start of the year, when I decided I wanted to attempt this race, I was still really struggling with self-motivation. January went by, then February, and not once did I lace up the running shoes. It wasn’t until I read a post by TGray about how he was not a runner but had started running earlier in the year and completed his first 5k. It was such an inspiration, I finally got up and did my first run of the year that very day. Then he asked me to join him for a 5k race. That got me going. I shared my goal of running the 20k with him and he was very encouraging. We then found out about a 10k trail race here and he took the step to stretch himself beyond what he felt he could do and we both signed up for that. But even before then, he was with me, running the trail every Saturday morning, trying to help me and encourage me to keep going. Even before he had any reason to run the extra miles, he was right there with me. It’s always great to have an encouraging word and supportive feedback from those around you. But, putting that encouraging word into action by running alongside you… I can’t express my gratitude. It has kept me going all year long. Even when we weren’t running together, we were exchanging stories about our weekly runs and times and how we felt. Even when he said nothing, just knowing he was out there putting one foot in front of the other was enough to get me out of the house and pounding the pavement, working towards the goal.
So, to you three, and to all the other friends and family that have been an encouragement, I say thank you. This weekend is the culmination of months of training. It’s really cool to look back and see where I was at the beginning of the year and where I am today. Tomorrow morning, at 7:20am I’ll be starting the 2017 Palo Duro Canyon 20k Trail Run. It will be the longest run I have ever completed. Regardless of what happens, whether I complete 20k or give out along the way, I will look back at this year and be encouraged by making the effort, and by those that pushed, pulled, and prodded me forward. I know they’ll all be with me, continuing to propel me towards the finish. I just have to keep things light and easy.
Buzzard Bites 