WE'RE NOT IN THIS ALONE

Although running is an individual sport, and it is we who put one foot in front of the other and go as fast as we can for as long as we can, we truly owe our running success to the members of our team.

On the front line is our family. They enjoy our highs and endure our lows. They are there for us during the best and worst of times.

Our training partners are also an integral component of our team. They arrive at our doorstep when they say they will, and they pull us through workouts that we may not have done without their companionship.

And, to keep us "running," in every sense of the word, we need our medical team. It's debatable as to whether the human body was constructed to run 26.2 miles, but what's not debatable is that our fragile bodies sometimes break down.

Today, after a few months of frustration, I returned to my physical therapist. After tearing two hamstring tendons in May, my left leg remains weak and wobbly. My physical therapist, Joe Halko, a former football player at Temple University, is knowledgeable, encouraging, and brutally realistic. He lets me know exactly what I should do and what not to do. His sessions are as therapeutic mentally as they are physically. He tested, evaluated, and informed me that if I were a sprinter that my career would be over. I assured him that, although I've been accused of many things, being a sprinter has never been one of them.

His treatment plan for me seems sound. The rest is up to me.

My family doctor runs a 4-hour marathon, my podiatrist is an avid cyclist, my chiropractor was formerly a wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, and my dentist runs 5Ks. When I visit members of my health care team they know me and are familiar with my running addiction. They treat me accordingly.

Make sure you are surrounded by a good team. The team members will extend the quality and quantity of your running life.

Here's a toast to our running "Team."