Taking on the challenge....

I love the marathon. There I've said it. It is a reality check into what is possible, and plausible for ordinary people to accomplish. It's simple really, get up early in the morning, crawl out of bed, head out the door in all kinds of weather and run. For short (3-4 miles) jaunts at first and culminating in ever increasing long runs (up to 2o miles) and then head to the starting line. Simple. Not easy. Life happens along the way, moments of rational thinking keep many of us away from the starting line. And then there is the marathon itself. All the miles, all the commitment all the desire will take you a long way during your training, but the test of the marathon is reserved for race day. I'm fond of saying to my runners that "if you don't know God, you will usually find him waiting for you around mile 22..." If you have done the work, gotten up when it's 28 degrees outside and still headed out the door, kept up with the 2 or 3 midweek runs and the ever increasing long runs, more than likely you will answer the call in the latter parts of the race that will require, no really demand that you dig deeper into your soul to answer the question "Why am I doing this?" What do I need to prove? and to who? You will face the question, and you will answer. You will have climbed to the top of Marathon Mountain and you will find that you will have mental, physical and spiritual strength that you didn't know you had.

I've been letting myself rationalize away some recent races. Lost some of the motivation that drove me out the door. I've been happy to watch as my runners achieved goals of their own and quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) proud to know that I was able to help them in some small way.

Well, I've found my motivation. On March 30, 2008, I will run what I believe is my 15th or 16th marathon. I will be running in the ING Atlanta race where I live. I said in an earlier post that my cousin Ray passed away recently, and his passion for running and life will be my motivation. He was going to run with me and my brother Mike, the three Polish amigos, trampling the hills of Atlanta. That and the opportunity to take someone else to the top of the mountain......So in his stead, I will be training my son Kyle to reach the top of his first Marathon Mountain. It will be interesting to see him go through the metamorphasis of traininig, seeing first how impossible the task appears and then slowly, almost imperceptibly, realizing that Hey, I can do this...

So here's to climbing the mountain once again. Again, with passion for life, for the stories on the road that make each day worth living, for each of you that are seeking to find the answer to the question......

"There is no view in this world, like the view from the top of Marathon Mountain"...jk

Knowing you can, believing you will...

Coach JK

Cold Weather Runninig

BRRRRRRR....early morning runs are tough enough, but getting out the door when it is wintry can be damn near impossible. And once you are out there, it can be dangerous if you aren't dressed properly and careful. If you'll follow these guidelines, you WILL find the motivation to get out the door and you'll have FUN doing it....

1. Remember why you are training....thinking about your goal race when you are getting ready to go out can provide you with the necessary motivation to get out the door. Envision running along effortlessly during the race, the cheering fans, the exhiliration of crossing the finish line. That's usually enough for me to get my clothes on and at least move toward getting out the door. If that's not enough, just do it!

2. Change up the start time. If you normally run early in the morning like I do, you are hitting the road when it is the coldest. See if you can change your schedule while the "butt cold" weather is upon you and you might have a different view (so to speak)

3. Layer Layer Layer. 3 layers of loose clothing (running clothes) can provide good insulation and provide you with enough warmth. Include a winter running jacket, gloves and a good wicking hat to top it off and you are ready to go. If you are a guy, get over your inhibitions about wearing running tights (you could call the pants, but really, they are tights....). I love these things cuz they keep your legs warm.

4. Run slower. When you start out in winter weather, your body is going to be a bit more stiff and will most likely take a little while longer to get warmed up. Give it the time it needs, nice and easy gets it every time. (About 15-30 seconds slower per mile than your normal long run pace)

5. Run with friends. Running with a group is the best way to make sure you are committed and get out the door. Don't let your friends down.

Run Long, run hard, run well...

Knowing you can, believing you will.....Coach JK

In honor of Ray

I'm starting this blog so that I can begin to share all I've learned over the past 11 years of running marathons. Here you will find my occasional thoughts, ramblings, cajoling and rantings about running and life. Today, for my first blog, I want to introduce you to my cousin and my friend, Ray Kalusa Jr. or Little Ray as I have always known him. I'd been running marathons for about 4 years when Ray told me he had started running so that he could get back in shape, which is pretty funny because he was alway athletic, playing softball, football, baseball and really anything that could keep him around sports. Having grown up idolizing him and his exploits in radio, it was a bit humbling actually to have him ask me to be his "coach". But I took him on and began telling him as he struggled through the first extended miles to get to his first 10k, then half marathon, that soon enough the miles he was doing would seem easy, even laughable as he stretched his running muscles. He ran 5k's and 10k's at first, and when he found the half marathon (or did it find him?), I told him he was destined to run marathons. He laughed and said he was quite happy to stay with the half. We ran the Las Vegas Half marathon together a couple of times in the late 1990's and the joke we shared before each one went "So tell me again why we are getting up at 3:30 in the morning to get on a bus and drive 13.1 miles into the desert where it is 30 degrees outside and then run back into Vegas so we can get a tshirt...oh yeah and we are happy to pay for this privilege...." I kept telling him that now that he had mastered the half, that the only place left to go was to climb marathon mountain....that once he did one, he'd keep on running them, because that's what marathon runners do, they keep on running. In 2001 he ran the inaugural OKC Memorial Marathon as his first. One that will always be special.

On November 21, 2007, Ray died on the 10 freeway in California, driving to see his Mom for Thanksgiving. He was a testament to what marathon running is about, seeking out opportunities to test himself in a way that was intensely personal and that connected him with the world he lived in. I'm certain that he, like all of us who run marathons, discovered a part of himself in the miles he ran to train and race that only he understood. The ability to dream big dreams, to set out on a path that few have run, and to persevere in the face of adversity. He climbed Marathon Mountain, and now, he is enjoying the view....He ran long, he ran hard, He ran well...