Dean Karnazes, author, all-night runner, superhuman

Inspiration on a Tuesday night.


From Ultramarathon Man:

All I need to do is to run from here to there. No ambiguity about it.

"We are at home in our games because it is the only place we know what we are supposed to do." Albert Camus

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother. He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, will stand a tiptoe above all others. Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, but he'll remember, with advantages, what feats he did this day. The story shall the good man teach his son, and forever in their flowing cups will it be remembered; from this day to the ending of the world!" -Henry V

I'd simply put one foot in front of the other and not stop until the finish line. Hopefully.

"What counts in battle is what you do when the pain sets in." - John Short

Celebrate the pain.

"His place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." -Teddy Roosevelt

People who've let their own dreams die become pessimists and cynics.

"Bid me run and I will strive with things impossible." - Shakespeare, Julius Ceasar

If we could just free ourselves from our perceived limitations and tap into our internal fire, the possibilities are endless.


From RUN:

We are all living in cages, with the door wide open.

Monster Dash!

What a day. Miranda and I made to the start with NO TIME to spare. In fact, we peed in the bushes in Grant Park due to a line waaaaay too long ... At the start, dressed as a Walgreens' "sexy pirate lady" (no Luigi costumes left. I am a procrastinator), I felt worried and not exactly ready for this race. Knowing my knee would hurt worried me. Should I even be running this race? Will I do more damage?

The weather was perfect, a tad chilly at first, sunny, no wind. And we were off. I don't wear a watch and decided I didn't want to look at my phone to see my pace. I would just wing it. Start slow, see how I felt. I'm kind of a zen runner. I just go and try hard not to think of pace, even though I do know if I want to get faster I should probably get a watch and actually work on getting faster. The first couple of miles were OK. Miranda and I stayed together which was great, except for when people would say "GO MARIO" and not "GO SEXY PIRATE LADY." The course was a little sketchy, uneven, potholes, etc., but running along the lake was gorgeous. I hit my stride around mile 5, which always happens (thank god), and breezed through miles 6-9. At this point I changed my music from The Beatles, to hair metal. I love me some Motley Crue when I'm running.

I found myself surprised by how good I still felt. I ate a Stinger Waffle. I am in love with them now.

I've felt pretty awful for my last few 1/2s. Hot weather is simply hell for me, and SUNNY, hot weather crushes me. Running a half in Oct. is way way way way better than running a half in August and June. Lesson learned.

Miles 10 and 11 were a bit rough, but I knew I was closer with each step. I managed to finish strong, and as soon as I crossed the finish line and stopped running, my knee gave out and I almost fell to the ground (reminder: GO TO THE DOC). Bill and Zak, my marathoner friends, ran too and I met up with them and then Miranda joined us. I was never so happy in my life to see a cheese stick in the post race food bag. Mmmmmmmm. Miranda got a PR and I was so so happy for her. She's an inspiration!

Bill was a great blue man.


I reunited with a friend I hadn't seen for years who rocked the half. Way to go, Ashley!

Soon after we found beer.

I'm so happy Miranda came out for the race. I felt strong. I felt good. I had a blast with my good friends. Success. Thank you running gods :)

Time: 2:21:31. Better than my last. I'll take it.

7 half marathons in one year. Check!

I forgot something ..

As I was sitting here reading Meggie's blog I realized I had an amazing running experience that is too unforgettable not to mention. On Oct 9, 2011 I watched my first marathon. I ran the race in 2009, but have never actually cheered on runners during a marathon, or a half, for that matter. My coworker and good friend, Bill, and his boyfriend Zak were running and I was super charged to see them, cheer them on, and bring them pretzels . . Bill's one request. They trained with the Team to End AIDS, which is the group I trained with in 09 for the Chicago Marathon (then called the AIDS Marathon Training Program). I woke up early and took the train to the Addison stop on the red line, then walked to Addison and Broadway (between mile 7 and 8). It was a tad chilly, but bright and sunny, and I was super charged up to see the elite runners. Unsure if I was early enough, I ran until I saw no runners had passed yet. Phew! I needed to see those fast guys! I needed to see Ryan Hall! And see them I did. Wow, they are fast. I began cheering and didn't stop for 2 hours. I saw people with their names on their shirts and cheered for them by name. Their smiles and thumbs up were so exciting for me because I am pretty sure one of the main reasons I finished the race in 09 was because of all the people cheering for me. Hearing "GO JAMIE" on every street, in every neighborhood, over and over again never got old. Around the 4:30 pace I started looking for Bill and Zak. I was so worried they would be running on the other side of the street and I would be unable to give them their pretzels. After searching and searching for every runner with a red shirt, I finally recognized the runner right in front of my face as Zak! I called his name. He looked at me and screamed. Bill was right behind Zak. I hugged him, cheered, threw him pretzels, and told him he was amazing. What a relief. I didn't miss him.

At this point I thought about maybe heading back home, but I was hypnotized. BY EVERY RUNNER. I got teary. I saw large people, small people, fast people, slower people, older, younger. I called people's names and high-fived a few. I cried a little. I felt a deep appreciation for humanity and respect for people who work hard, fight, push themselves, and have audacious goals. I could see how life changing this race was for many, many of the runners and it overwhelmed me. Cheering and supporting complete strangers just felt so therapeutic, so purely good. I stayed until the end, when the police cars drove through, and then I stayed for a few more runners still pushing on behind the cars. It was enriching and I am glad I have finally felt the other side of a race.

Bill and Zak finished together at 4:48. They are marathoners now. Way to go, guys!