ChornyRuns! on his Birthday

Today I am 33 years old (my twins sister is, too). It's taken me a while to accept the fact that I'm getting older. I used to make people guess my age, but I'm owning up to it much more often now. In fact I'm proud of being this old and looking so much younger. One thing that has helped me stay young is my running. I just finished off another 70 mile week on Saturday. That makes 6 of the last 8 weeks at 70, and a whole slew of 60 mile weeks before that. I haven't raced that much since May of 2008, and that is a long time to not race. This fall, however, I raced in a cross country race at Indiana University, it was the Sam Bell Invitational 8K. My time for the race was 25:16, and the crazy thing is that in 1999 at the first Sam Bell Invitational, on the same course, I ran 25:16. So, I'm thinking, have I really aged at all? AND, if that 1999/2000 season was any indication of how I will do this coming year, then I am looking forward to it.

It was great to see Sam Bell, who was my college coach for my first 3 years at Indiana University. When I see him it always reminds me of the goals and dreams that I have always had with my running. I haven't accomplished them all yet, so there are no plans to slow down. I've started coaching at Indiana University (volunteer) and it gives me a new perspective on my own training. I realize that I was the kind of athlete that may have frustrated a coach because I have a lot of talent but I never really knew what it meant to be consistent. I might still be figuring out some of it, but it's much better now.

So, today for my birthday, I get to watch some of the athletes that I help coach race at the NCAA Finals in Terre Haute. Should be a great show, and I can't wait to see how they do. I have big goals for them this year and I can't wait to line up on the track this year to go after some of my goals again.

Gotta run...

-Chorny-

Favorite Track and Field event to watch...

My favorite event to run is the 3K steeplechase, but I have always been a fan of the Triple Jump. I had a chance to watch John Edwards compete back in 2001 and it was amazing. So graceful and powerful... I would love to do all of the events, but Triple might be my favorite to watch.

What's your favorite? The Survey is at the bottom of the page. Thanks for reading.

-Chorny-

Why Do I Run

I wrote this many years ago...
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Why Do I Run?

I feel like I should write some words of motivation, so I'll do my best, but I don't claim to be effective all the time: (I'm going to steal this idea from the Bill Bowerman in ""Without Limits"" because I feel that it is 100% true...).

Running is an absurd past time...some might say…… We get shouts from everyone..."nice shorts fag" "run, Forrest, run" etc. Is there a point to running? I run from here to here! I end where I begin so in fact I get nowhere. I run up a hill...hard, jog back down, and then do it over and over again. To someone who doesn't run, this is torture, it's insanity.

I run until my stomach feels like it is bleeding. I run until I feel like I'm literally going to die because I just can't get enough oxygen to compensate for the speed that my legs just carried me over the track or to the top of a hill. If you're not a runner, you will never...and I mean NEVER feel the satisfaction of pushing the limits of your body so much. There's power in finishing a long run. There's power in running quarters on the track or doing 1000m repeats. It's a power that lifts you up to the top of YOUR world so you can take a deep breath in and look out over your kingdom with open arms to say...IF I CAN DO THIS, THERE'S NOTHING I CAN'T DO. To finish a workout...that's a victory. To push beyond that pain threshold just a bit further, that's a victory. SUCCESS lies just beyond your comfort zone...

SUCCESS lies just beyond your comfort zone...so step over that line. I know...I know...this is gonna hurt a little, you say with a concerned look, but it's ok...no need to worry....you'll be fine in a few minutes. Awwww coach, one more hill, one more thousand, one more mile...one more, one more, one more. If you occasionally keep on adding one more...you'll eventually find yourself a new person, and there truly will be nothing that you can't do. Awww...this is going to hurt a little....but now you say it with a little smile, cause you know...you just know!

Running takes time, and it takes dedication to be on a team, so, "Running, one might say, is an absurd past-time. But, if you can find meaning in the kind of running it takes to be on this team...chances are, you can find meaning in this other absurd past-time........life!"

Life is not about winning or losing, it's about learning HOW to win and lose. It's about taking every lesson along the way and on ONE DAY, putting it all together for that perfect performance. Some of us will never win a race. Some of us will strive day in and day out, and never get on the podium. It does not matter! What matters is the journey. There are lessons to be learned from every situation. Running will teach you who you are if you let it.....just remember...that "perfect performance" may not come in a race...maybe it will just be life.

I would say good luck with your season or your race (or your life), but that really won't matter without the workout you do today...whether it's repeats, a long run, or just a recovery run, so, good luck with your run today. LIVE and LOVE LIFE!!!

TC

Reborn Chorny Runs!

Thanks to Joe Jasinski for putting this together.