Let's talk success!

   Good Morning on a beautiful Saturday! Today is Recovery Day after an awesome 11 miler yesterday. Being a bit cold here, and by cold I mean 60 degrees (yes, we are wussies in San Diego), I decided to do my run on the treadmill instead of going out. If I'm completely honest, it was also an attempt to save time, but the weather was a big factor. Preparing for a long run involves driving my route and hiding half bottles of Gatorade or water every two miles so I can rehydrate along the way. This easily tacks on an extra hour, but at home I can have the jug right there. Let me tell you. . . Anyone who says running on a treadmill is easier is flat out wrong! Physically, I guess, you have the option to make it easier, but that depends on the person. You can walk as much as you want on the pavement too. I personally like to use the treadmill as a way to force myself to run at a faster pace - something I have trouble with on the pavement. I seem to run a 10-minute mile no matter how far I am running. I find that the truly difficult part on the treadmill is that you aren't going anywhere. You're not making any headway at all! In fact, all you have are the little numbers staring at you, ticking ever so slowly, telling you just how far you haven't gone yet, and how LONG it has taken you! Wow it is daunting! So mentally, I had my butt handed to me yesterday. But in the end, it was me that got to say neener neener to the treadmill! You really should have seen me step off and say, "That's right, sucka! Take that!" I'm actually glad no one was there to see that. Might have been embarrassing. It was nice to have something to talk trash to after a run though. That is normally a tough thing for me after a hard run. As bad as it sounds, everyone knows how good it is to be able to say you beat the other guy. But when the other guy doesn't exist...
Now onward to an even better success story. I'd like to to highlight a truly amazing man who is a great inspiration in my journey. My Father-in-law, Bob.
Just to give you a quick background... Bob is 63, recently retired, and was diagnosed with diabetes about 7 years ago. Since I met him, he was a person that was in control of his diabetes which is a feat in itself. He takes extra care to watch his diet, and to walk after a meal instead of using insulin. Anyone who has diabetes knows how challenging that can be, so that alone is a wonderful success story. What I'm telling you about today though is recent growth. Yesterday morning I received a text message from him telling me that he had been making progress in his workouts. "Its no 11 mile run," he writes to me, "but I have been swimming every day, and am up to over a mile a day." Just yesterday he swam 80 laps!  I almost dropped the phone. I was stunned. I was (and am!) so proud. For those who have never tried to swim a mile, I'll try to put it into perspective. . . I'd feel better running a marathon! And swimming is so amazing for your whole body - not just low impact, but NO impact. Between having the discipline to commit to doing the workout every day to remain healthy and swimming that distance. . . Wow! I'm speechless. Huge kudos Dad. So proud of you for choosing to take control and say neener neener to Diabetes! Thanks for inspiring me to continue, and hopefully lots of others. What an example.