I decided to create this blog for two reasons; first so I would get experience creating a blog and second to motivate myself to run.  This is more a journal for myself.  If you're reading this then thanks, but you might just fall asleep before you get to the end!  I began running when I was in Junior high school....9th grade.  Actually I always liked to run.  In elementary school I always joined in games that were mainly running, like capture the flag and soccer. In 9th grade, 1968, I ran the 440 on the track team but I really liked running long distances.  Schools didn't have a cross coutry team at that time.  In the fall I would go out for a run and just run the streets for miles.  I never kept track of time or distance, I just ran until I felt like turning around and going back home.  When I was old enough to get a job I started working lots of hours.  I worked after school usually from 4:00 until 11:00 and ended up not doing anything athletically.  I don't know why I did this.  It is something I regret....working too much and not participating in school activities like school sports.

I didn't run again until 1976.  I was 23, married and living in Brattleboro Vermont.  I remember the first run.  I ran to the local park, Memorial Park, and back to the apartment.It was about 2 miles. When I got back to the apartment I dropped to the floor in agony.....out of breath and out of shape!  I think I gave Barb a real scare.  I was a mess! But I continued everyday and eventually could run a respectable 10k.  I ran daily and when we moved to Spofford Lake I eventually was able to run around the lake, a 6 mile loop.

                                      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spofford_Lake

The longest competitive runs at that time were 10K's, 6 miles.  I joined the Red Rover Clovers, a Vermont running club and ran in there regular fun runs, the annual Turley Trot  and the Fourth of July 4 mile.  All that running kept me in shape.  I went from 200 pounds to 175. 

                                                           http://www.redcloverrovers.com/

In 1984 we moved to Northfield, Massachusetts with our son, Nate.  I still loved running and now had a companion, Sky, our Golden Retriever.  He would run right next to me without a leash!  We ran for years, along roads and through the trails in the woods behind our house.

 I wasn't running any official races at this time.  I think the competitive local running scene sorrt of died out.  There weren't any "big" organized races at this time.  I stopped running about 1996.  The last run I took was a six mile up Warwick Road towards Warwick, MA.  It was an uphill climb.  About two miles into the run Sky just stopped.  He never did this.  I tried coaxing him, encouragin him but he just stopped.  I turned around but he still wouldn't run.  It was as if he didn't have any energy.  We walked back to the house.  Sky never recovered and I stopped running.  I was about 44 years old.

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Starting back up again......Old Man trying to run.