Why Do I Run? Because I Can...Thanks, Iron Mike!

Sometime last Spring, as I'm sitting in my office, patting myself on the back for being smoke-free for a few months and for losing about twenty or so pounds, along comes a Facebook message telling me that my sister's husband, Mike, is going to be partaking in an Ironman triathlon later in the year. Furthermore, the message goes on to tell me that Mike's going to be swimming, cycling, and running ridiculously long distances (in the same day, mind you) not only to prove to his 50-year-old body that it still had some giddy up, but (more importantly) to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis, a disease with which both of his kids - Anna and Aidan - have had to live their entire lives.

I looked at the screen with a bit of awe and wonder at what my brother-in-law was about to undertake, and I thought about the reasons for him challenging himself. Mike had always been an amazing athlete, he never fell prey to the "letting himself go" trap as I had, and he certainly had nothing to prove athletically to anyone. Although he was no longer playing soccer or rugby (regularly anyway), and although he had undergone a hip replacement just a few years earlier, Mike remained relentless with his exercise, attending spinning classes multiple times each week, running, and just keeping himself as fit as any person you'll ever know...and that includes everybody you know, not just the fifty-somethings.

But this was bigger than conditioning. Yes, I am now in touch with the emotion of wanting to put one's body to the test, and what better test is there than swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles, and then finishing up the day with a full marathon of 26.2 miles? What's bigger than that? What test is greater? Well, this one...

 

Can there a more daunting race than having a couple of kids with Cystic Fibrosis and constantly racing the life clock to ensure that those kids live full and (mostly) healthy lives? Mike, my sister Sandy, and my niece and nephew Anna and Aidan have been racing this race their entire lives, and theirs is a daily challenge that casts a shadow over the challenge of an Ironman.

Mike's Ironman endeavor was another of those "hit me between the eyes" moments that brought me to the very ugly realization that I had spent most of my adult life in very sedentary fashion, smoking cigarettes, and letting obesity get ahold of me. Yes, I had quit smoking and was slowly losing weight...but at this moment I knew it was time to change everything. It was time to get off the couch and start moving. It was time to go beyond crash diets and "white knuckling" my way through weight losses and gains. It was time to be the completely healthy husband and father my wife and daughter needed and deserved. It was time to be a more supportive uncle to Anna and Aidan...It was time to start running.


Fast Forward a Few Months...

When Mike completed Ironman Wales in just over thirteen hours last September, all the while raising over $18,000 through his First Giving Website, as well as quite a bit more through outside donations, I had been hitting the pavement for about a month and a half and had worked my way up to just under two miles each time out. Having watched the following video about Team Boomer, I learned that a number of people with Cystic Fibrosis keep running for their health...and it's not uncommon when asked why they run, they answer, "because I can"...




So when asked why I run - and when I ask myself why I'm running, even when I don't feel like taking another step - I choose to steal that three-word answer...Because I Can.

In the next installment, I'll look to answer the "Where will I run?" and "How far?" questions that started going through my head...and I'll acknowledge (and thank) some of the other people that helped me to find those answers.

Until then, enjoy your journey...