Following is my monthly running column, which appeared in the Republican Herald newspaper today.

A good day to watch a marathon is a bad day to run a marathon

The 121st Boston Marathon provided excellent conditions for the nearly one million spectators who lined the historic 26.2-mile route from Hopkinton to Boston’s Boylston Street, but for the more than 26,000 registered runners, temperatures nearing 80 degrees heated by a tailwind meant slower times and plenty of dehydrated casualties at the medical tent.

Mentally, after training for months and logging thousands of miles in all kinds of weather, waking up to summer-like conditions in mid-April can break the spirit of a marathon runner. Goal times are abandoned and the race becomes an exercise in survival.

Many runners wilt beneath the heat, but for three of our local runners, their drive to complete the task — perhaps inspired by their dedication to training and their devotion to helping others — propelled them across the finish line on Boylston Street and earned them the coveted Boston Marathon participation medal.

Last month we told you about Tower City’s Timmy Harner. A little over a year ago, Harner was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. On Monday, April 17, Harner crossed the finish line at the Boston Marathon.

Harner has not only beaten the disease and run the Boston Marathon, but he has raised over $12,500 for Team in Training, the main fundraising arm of the Leukemia- Lymphoma Society. On June 9, Harner will be the keynote speaker at a seminar for cancer survivors at the Hershey Medical Center.

If you are booking a vacation and you are hoping for warm weather, consult Minersville’s Father Christopher Zelonis. Father Zelonis has run the past two Boston Marathons, braving warm temperatures each time. He also survived tropical conditions at the Run for the Red Marathon two years ago, when temperatures and humidity levels reached 90 degrees.

Father Zelonis donates his time to the elderly at several area nursing homes, as well as serving as a volunteer at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill.

Schuylkill Haven’s Rick Devaney is a veteran of nine Boston Marathons. He, too, crossed the finish line despite this year’s heat, and he, like Father Zelonis, serves as a volunteer at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill.

Mike Peckman, director of marketing and public affairs at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill, heaped praise on his two long distance running volunteers.

“To think we have two members of our volunteer department who are part of a very special club … those who have run the Boston Marathon,” Peckman said. “We are very proud of the training, dedication and accomplishments of both Father Zelonis and Mr. Devaney for the marathon. We are equally proud and appreciative of all they do for our patients, our friends and neighbors, each and every day here at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill.”

Harner, Zelonis and Devaney are special, indeed. Their drive, determination, and dedication extend to both their race training and to their desire to serve.

                                                    Timmy Harner

EMBRACE AND ENJOY

Best of luck to all the runners who have qualified to run in the world's oldest and greatest
marathon tomorrow.

In my opinion, there is no other race that boasts the history, tradition, and prestige as the Boston marathon.

Enjoy the city, the crowds, and the one-of-a-kind course.

From Hopkinton to Boylston, this is one of the world's most iconic sporting events.

Embrace every moment, and...kick ass!!!

ARRS

If you enjoy reading running statistics, I mean every conceivable running statistic, there is a site you absolutely must visit.

The Association of Road Race Statisticians, ARRS, www.arrs.net, was created by Ken Young.
ARRS focuses on elite distance running at distances from 3000-meters and longer. ARRS has a huge date base of more than 900,000 performances from more than 160,000 races by more than 35,000 elite distance runners from around the world.

Simply put, if there is a legitimate running performance or achievement that is noteworthy or elite, you will find it on the ARRS site.

The task of compiling the mountains of data has pretty much fallen on Ken Young, as the influx of race results increases. Currently, he is seeking sponsors so that he can hire a programmer to structure the online data base. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, contact Ken at: kenyoung@wildblue.net

You can also become a member of the ARRS for $50 a year. Members receive 50 issues of the Analytic Distance Runner, which is distributed to members through email, on a weekly basis. The newsletter contains comprehensive information about road, track, and cross country events.

Just like many road races and endurance events, the ARRS needs our support to continue to keep an accurate listing of distance running records.

Visit the site or contact Ken Young to learn more.

24 of 38

"I ain't old, but I've been around a long time."

From the song, "Been Around a Long Time," by Delbert McClinton.

Most days, when one opens their mail, it is filled with advertisements, political jokes or comments from friends, bills, and occasionally, something useful or informative.

On Saturday morning, as I perused my email, sipping my coffee on a cold March day, I received a message from Ken Young, president of the Association of Road Racing Statisticians. http://www.arrs.net/

The ARRS focuses on elite distance running at distances from 3000-meter and longer. Many of the statistics been generated from the ARRS database which has more than 900,000 performances from more than 160,000 races by more than 35,000 elite distance runners world-wide.

Mr. Young informed me that I earned 24th place on an all-time list of runners who have broken the 3-hour marathon mark for 5 different decades. http://www.arrs.net/TR_5Decades.htm

Indeed, I ran my very first 26.2-mile race at the Harrisburg Marathon in Pennsylvania, in November 1976, where I turned in a time of 2:49:06. In November 2010, I ran a time of 2:59:01 at the Philadelphia Marathon.

Following are my best times for each decade.

21 Nov 2010   2:59:01     Philadelphia PA/USA       Philadelphia
17 Apr 2006   2:55:33ax   Boston MA/USA             Boston
20 Apr 1992   2:33:52a    Boston MA/USA             Boston
18 Apr 1983   2:22:54a    Boston MA/USA             Boston
17 Apr 1978   2:29:21a    Boston MA/USA             Boston

Yes, I've been around a long time. But it's been a pretty good run.

DKM

Today, the Irish punk rock group, Dropkick Murphys, released their new album, entitled, "11 Short Stories of Pain and Glory."

It is already downloaded on my running power playlist.

Dropkick Murphys is all Boston, and for runners, DKM is all in.

One of the songs on the new album is, "4-15-13," written in honor of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Dropkick Murphys is not a group of loudmouth, spoiled entertainers. After the bombings, the group sold t-shirts, and gave 100% of the proceeds to victims of the bombings and their families.

On 4-15-13, I finished my 16th Boston Marathon. I wrote the account of that day in my book, "Personal Best," amazon.com/author/joemuldowney , in chapter entitled, 'Was That Thunder?'

We witnessed terror up close and personal, and the day is indelibly forever etched in my mind.

Three weeks later, at a Dropkick Murphys concert in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, DKM lead singer, Ken Casey spotted my Boston Matathon yellow shirt, asked me if I was ok, and we embraced.

This is a special group of entertainers who give back to the community.

For Boston!

RUN WITH ZEAL

Most of us love to train.

Our daily workout, whether it be running, walking, cycling, or swimming, is an essential component of our day.

We stress our bodies in ways most other people cannot imagine, because we want to achieve our personal best during our competitive endeavors.

We try to consume healthy foods, but sometimes that just isn't enough. As we seek a competitive edge, we search for a wellness product that is all natural, containing no stimulants. A product that helps fight inflammation, high blood pressure, and one that can increase our endurance and performance. A product that is vegan, non-GMO and gluten free. 

Check out Zeal. https://m.facebook.com/healthy-with-zeal-1740615302892158, or at: https://www.zurvita.com.

Zeal is a terrific product that is an all-in-one nutritional formula that shortens recovery time, thus enhancing training efforts. It increases endurance and stamina, which will improve race times. Zeal decreases inflammation and pain, which aids in recovery, and it lowers blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels.

I highly recommend Zeal as a product that will give you a competitive edge, in a safe, natural way.

                    

 

GREAT DEAL-SHORT AND SWEET

Gee, if you register for a half marathon (name will not be mentioned) by a certain date (very soon), you can get in at the low, low price of $110!


Come on!


Get real.


Look, sometimes runners throw money at foolish things.


Don't do it.


I'm not a salesman.


I'm a runner, whose career has spanned 40 years, 54 marathons, over 1,200 road races, a 2:22:54 marathon, and a 3:04 marathon at age 59.


In my two books, I tried to pass along that wisdom, in an entertaining, yet informative way.


Now, by visiting www.muldowneyrunning.net, you can buy one of my books for $7.99. No gimmicks, no shipping and handling, just my signature, and this blog, where, in the true spirit of "service after the sale," you can ask me questions about training, racing, or anything running-related.


I guarantee that the $7.99 you spend will do more for your running than that $110 half marathon "bargain."

UNFORGIVING

Jimmy Buffett once wrote a song entitled, "It's My Job."

The tune celebrates the dignity of performing one's job, from street sweeper to bank president.

I try to respect the dignity of everyone's line of work, but I must say I do take issue, at times, with those whose job it is to deliver the weather forecast.

As I watched yesterday's Boston Marathon, I was pleased to see the graphic that told me the high temperature would reach 58 degrees, with a mild headwind. Almost perfect conditions, I mused.

Then I watched as the leaders of the women's division labored through the Newton Hills, reading a subsequent graphic which read, "72 degrees."

What?

Come on.

What happened to 58?

The bottom line is, yesterday was an unforgiving day for runners in the 120th Boston Marathon.

Conditions didn't approach the over-90 degree reading of 1976, or the heat of the 1982 race, which was dubbed, "The Duel in the Sun," or even the 80-something blast furnace conditions of 2012.

But make no mistake about it. For most runners, after training through cold winter conditions, yesterday's Boston Marathon felt like a day at the beach. And, when one is running a marathon, a day at the beach is the very last place one wants to be.

There was no cloud cover and there is no shade, (no leaves on the trees yet) and conditions were perfect for spectators, which meant conditions were very imperfect for runners.

Few marathons are as unforgiving as the Boston Marathon. If a runner "Lets the genie out of the bottle," that is, goes out too fast, in this race, the race is lost. Never mind how well you were running at sixteen miles, because, at Boston, that's where the race begins.

One can roll a coin from the start at Hopkinton, and it will continue to roll all the way to Framingham. A fast downhill start could lead to a personal best 10K time at the Boston Marathon. The Newton Hills, however, will snatch that time away and jolt fast starters back to reality.

You can't fool the Boston Marathon. One must enter the race rested and with fresh legs. Run too many races prior to Boston, and the course will make you pay.

Yesterday's times weren't so much slow as they were conservative. Runners who respected the unforgiving nature of the course and the day were able to cut their losses and take what the course would give.

Congratulations to all who crossed the finish line yesterday. You have added your names to the list of Boston Marathon heroes. And you learned that the Boston Marathon is a very unforgiving race.

Everything you need to know about the Boston Marathon can be found in both of my books, at: www.muldowneyrunning.net, amazon.com/author/joemuldowney

MARATHON WEEKEND

Boston, Massachusetts is the epicenter of the running world at this moment. The thousands of runners, their families and friends, and the people of the city who adore them are mingling, and enjoying the sights and sounds of one of the world's great sporting events.

Runners will be treated like the special athletes they are, by pedestrians, police, waiters, and cab drivers. The people of Boston know and respect runners. And, they know and respect an iconic event that has been conducted for the past 120 years.

On Monday, Patriots' Day, nearly one million spectators will cheer on the runners, in what could be described as one big block party. They will blast music, tunes like the 'Rocky' theme, 'Chariots of Fire,' and 'Born to Run,' from frat houses and front lawns. Water, orange slices, and wet cloths will be offered to runners by ordinary spectators. At Wellesley, thousands of girls from the college will display signs, scream at the runners, and even steal a hug or a kiss.

Boston College, Red Sox fans, and Commonwealth Avenue denizens will escort the runners into the city, where, they will make a right on Hereford, then a left on Boylston toward the greatest finish line of the greatest marathon on the face of the earth.

Monday's weather appears to be ok for both runners and spectators. A high temperature of 64 degrees is expected. Runners would prefer it to be a bit cooler, but 64 isn't too bad.

It's a great weekend in Boston.

But it will be a greater Monday.

ONE FAST FATHER

“Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

-Hebrews 12:1

When the nearly 30,000 runners line up at the starting line in Hopkinton, Massachusetts on April 18 for the 120^th running of the fabled Boston Marathon, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, will be represented by one “Fast Father.”

Father Christopher M. Zelonis, 39, is a Catholic priest who resides at Saint Clare of Assisi Parish in Saint Clair and ministers to the Catholic population at the Schuylkill Medical Center, Pottsville, as well as several area nursing homes. He grew up in Saint Clair, graduated from Nativity B.V.M. High School in 1994, earned Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Allentown in 2003.

Halfway through his seminary career, in response to looming health concerns in his immediate family and personal spiritual struggles, he began to improve his previously poor habits of diet and exercise.

Walking soon graduated to running as his weight decreased and his miles increased. Aside from running a 5 mile race in the seminary, and a handful of local 5Ks near a previous assignment in Reading, Zelonis did not consider himself to be a competitive runner.

In 2009 he returned to frequent running after a hiatus. By 2012 his long runs became more frequent; on one day off he surprised himself and his mother by running to Tamaqua to meet her for dinner.

 The suggestions of friends and the sight of “26.2” bumper stickers finally convinced him to sign up for the Via Marathon, held in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which he completed in September 2013 with a time of 3:36:12.

At last year’s Pocono Run for the Red Marathon, Zelonis survived blistering temperatures, and upon crossing the finish line, earned a trip to the medical tent, a victim of heat exhaustion and dehydration.  More importantly, however, he earned a qualifying time of 3 hours, 3 minutes, 12 seconds, which qualified him for this year’s Boston Marathon.

His quest to run the Boston Marathon, however, would not come without a significant obstacle.

While visiting friends in San Antonio last summer, Zelonis embarked on a daily training run. A quarter mile from home, he stopped at an intersection, but a vehicle making a right turn did not. The car ran over his foot, the compression and torque tore his heel, and he received stitches both inside and outside of the skin.

Undeterred, he slowly built up his training mileage, recovered from the injury, and has returned to marathon-running form.

On Saturday, he competed in the Two Rivers Half Marathon, a 13.1-mile race, held in Lackawaxen. There he ran a personal best time of 1:23:29, earning a second place finish. Later in the day, he completed an “Easter Double,” as, on wobbly legs, he celebrated an Easter Vigil service.

In Boston, on Marathon Monday, thanks to superb preparation and intense dedication, Father Zelonis is certain to run his best in the race God has set before him.

 

 

IT QUALIFIES

I like it.

I like the fact that, in the past few years, running has become the people's sport.

I like that, in the face of a worldwide obesity epidemic that threatens, for the first time in modern history that the next generation may have a shorter lifespan than ours, that more people are entering more running races than ever.

I'm happy that 5Ks, half marathons, and marathons continue to grow in numbers.

But I really like the fact that the Boston Marathon, the world's oldest and most prestigious marathon, continues to strictly adhere to qualifying standards.

The Boston Marathon is special, in a sport that is special. In no other sport can you actually compete with the elite athletes of that sport. When you run a race, you could possibly compete against an Olympic champion.

And at Chicago, New York City, or London, if you enter quickly enough, pay an outrageous entry fee, or get yourself on a waiting list, you're in!

But not at the Boston Marathon.

You must qualify at a Boston-approved marathon, and you must do so within a prescribed time period.

To me, it makes a unique running event even more magical.

In a goal-oriented sport, it makes folks work very hard to achieve a worthy goal.

And, in a sport that oozes democracy, where all runners are created equal, it is a great equalizer. Our name, pedigree, or past accomplishments mean nothing if you're not able to qualify.

Lest you think that I speak from some lofty perch, think again.

I have competed in sixteen Boston Marathons. In 1983, I ran my personal best marathon of 2:22:54 at the Boston Marathon. After running a 3:04 at the 2013 race, I suffered a string of injuries that may prevent me from ever returning to the Boston Marathon. Because if I don't qualify, I'm out.

And that's alright.

It gives me hope. It gives me an incentive. If I want to go back, if have to qualify, just like everyone else. Qualifying times provide all of us, despite our age, an incentive to run the big race.

Keep those qualifying times Boston Marathon. Crack down on the cheaters and keep the race special and pure.

That qualifies in my mind as a pretty good deal.

PATRIOTS' DAY

There's only one major marathon that dares to hold its event on a Monday.

It has been doing so for 120 years.

The race is the Boston Marathon.

Why Monday?

That easy.

The third Monday of April is Patriots' Day. A holiday celebrated in the states of Massachusetts and Maine (which, in colonial times, was part of Massachusetts). Many businesses are closed, and schools are shut down in honor of this historic day,

Around midnight on April 19, 1776, a force of about 700 British 'Regulars,' some of the finest soldiers in the world at the time, began a march from Boston to the tiny village of Concord, some 20 miles west of the city. Tensions between the British, who occupied the city, and the colonists were tense, and the British believed the locals were storing weapons and ammunition in Concord.

Surrounding towns were warned of the pending arrival of British soldiers by three men: William Dawes, Doctor Samuel Prescott, and Paul Revere. Revere, the most celebrated but least effective of the three, made it only to the village of Lexington before being detained by the British, warning the townsfolk that "The regulars are out."Contrary to popular folklore, he did not say, "The British are coming," because, everyone living in the area was British.

Near dawn, a local militia, about 70 untrained men and boys from the village of Lexington, muskets in hand, attempted to block the road on which the 700 British soldiers approached.

Shots were fired, 8 American colonists were killed and 10 were wounded. The American Revolution had begun.

The British made it to Concord, where the colonists had successfully hidden their cache of weapons and ammo.

As the British attempted to return to Boston, they were attacked by the Concord militia at the North Bridge. On the march back to the city, colonists fought  guerrilla-warfare style, shooting British soldiers from behind trees, rocks, and from barn windows.73 British soldiers were killed and nearly 200 were wounded during the skirmishes.

The war between Great Britain and her American colonies had begun.

The American Revolutionary War would drag on for eight years after these initial battles, The result was the birth of a new nation.

Courage, strength, and incredible dedication were the attributes of the early American Patriots.

They are the same attributes that earn one a place in the field at the Boston Marathon.

It is fitting, then, that the race is held on Patriots' Day.

HEARTBREAK

Two weeks from tomorrow, the 120th Boston Marathon will be run.

Runners will enjoy the history, the excitement, and the roar of the crowds that annually cheer wildly for the participants on Patriots' Day.

After a fast start, the screams of the girls at Wellesley College, the half-way mark of the race, and the Newtown Hills, one final climb will challenge the leg-weary competitors: the famed Heartbreak Hill.

Why "Heartbreak Hill?"

Why not BC hill? I mean, it is close to Boston College.

How about "Final Hill?"

Once you crest it, it's all downhill and flat to the finish
.
To find out why this less than a half mile bump, which ends at about the 20.5-mile mark of the Boston Marathon, you should read the chapter entitled, 'Boston,' in my first book, Running Shorts.
www.runningshortsbook.net, amazon.com/author/joemuldowney

That's what we call the 'tease.'

Following is an excerpt from the chapter, "Boston," which explains the origin of the moniker, "Heartbreak Hill."

"Johnny Kelley notched his first of two Boston Marathon victories in 1935, after having endured a second place finish the year before. Kelley became the favorite to win the 1936 race. He did not, but the story of his defeat is richly steeped in Boston folklore.

Climbing the last of the Newton Hills, Kelley who had lagged behind the leader, Elison "Tarzan' Brown, a Narragansett Indian, whose shoes fell apart at the twenty-one mile mark of the previous year's race, surged up the incline, apparently catching the front runner. At that point, Kelley, by all accounts a sportsman, tapped Brown on the back as a sign of respect. Brown, however, construed the gesture as a taunt, and became infuriated. The Indian then sprinted down the other side of the hill, into the city, breaking both Kelley's will and heart.

The site of running's most famous pat on the back is forever known as Heartbreak Hill."

A memorial statue of Johnny Kelley, who died in 2004, at the age of 97, stands atop Heartbreak Hill today.

20 YEARS LATER

In 1996, the Boston Marathon celebrated its centennial race.

The world's oldest continuously held marathon was turning 100, and the running world, more than ever, descended upon the historic race.

A few days before the race, the volatile New England weather dropped over a foot of snow on Boston and its suburbs. Race organizers worries turned to the staging area. 38,708 runners were scheduled to run the marathon, and the tiny village of Hopkinton, "Where it all begins," was buried under a blanket of snow.

Warmer temperatures melted the white stuff, turning the athletes village into a muddy mess. So, race officials were assisted by the National Guard, which utilized a convoy of helicopters to swoop close to the ground, their huge blades soaking up the moisture, thus drying out the earth for the army of athletes.

35,868 official finishers crossed the line in Boston at the centennial race, which still stands as the largest Boston finishing field ever.

It was an exciting race to be a part of.

Every Boston Marathon, for all participants, is historic.

NO FOOLING

The month of April has begun with April Fool's Day, a concept I really can't grasp any more.

In an age of social media and 30-second news cycles, we're never sure if we have been fooled each time we pick up a device or turn on our televisions.

Don't be fooled by imitations.

There's only one.

There will only ever be one.

It'll never be held on a Sunday.

It won't be deterred by snow, rain, wind, or blistering temperatures

It will be run from point to point, the way it has been run since 1896.

Although it is truly a "people's race," you have to earn your way into it.

The crowds, rowdy, raucous, and respectful, will always carry the participants.

The 120th Boston Marathon will be run on April 18.

From now until then I will devote all my blogs to this iconic race. Three years ago I ran my 16th, and probably my last, Boston Marathon, dating back to 1977.

 A series of injuries which began with a torn hamstring tendon suffered three weeks after the 2013 race have severely curtailed my running.

But the Boston Marathon is, and will always be, my favorite race, for many reasons.

No fooling around here.

Boston Marathon facts, legends and lore will abound on this age for the next few weeks.

You can read my personal account of the events surrounding the 2013 Boston Marathon in my book, Personal Best, available at: www.muldowneyrunning.net, and at amazon.com/author/joemuldowney

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SALE INTO SPRING

Spring is right around the corner, and it's time to implement your running goals for the upcoming season.

Following is an excerpt from my latest book, Personal Best, the chapter entitled, "Was That Thunder?," my personal account of the 2013 Boston Marathon.


"A good day to run a marathon is usually a bad day to watch a marathon.

That was not the case on April 15, 2013.

 

The day broke with a deep blue sky; a chilly wind fluttered from the west, the air was dry.

An endless procession of yellow school buses departed from the Boston Common to begin the journey along the Mass Pike to the village of Hopkinton, the center of the running world on Patriot’s Day.

My morning began in an unusual manner. Preparing to run the Boston Marathon for the sixteenth time, my wife and I decided that, rather than deal with the crowds at the bus loading area, she would transport me to the athletes’ village, drive back to the train station at Riverside, and later assume her place near the finish line on Boylston Street.

At the toll plaza, buses were lined up like yellow jackets at the hive, and despite some congestion on narrow country roads, we reached the quaint “Welcome to Hopkinton, Incorporated in 1715” road sign by 7:30 a.m. In the forested area on the edge of town, placards nailed to the trees bore the warning, “No Stopping Monday.” Between the words, “Stopping,” and “Monday,” was the image of a runner breaking the finish line tape.

Within three blocks of the athletes’ village, all roads were barricaded, and as my wife and I exchanged farewells, an achy, empty feeling of loneliness enveloped me, even as I approached a small city of more than 23,000 runners. I stood, motionless, for a few moments, as her car faded to a small silver dot. On a magnificent mid-April morning, something didn’t feel quite right to me."

Both of my books, Personal Best and Running Shorts are available now, for the lowest price yet, $7.99 each, AND, we'll pay the shipping and handling.  Visit www.muldowneyrunning.net, and just click on the 'store' tab. Heck, that's about what we pay for a pair of socks today.

 

You can also go to Amazon, at: amazon.com/author/joemuldowney where you can find both books, reviews of them, and the Kindle version of Personal Best for $1.99. Try finding a pair of socks for that price these days!

 

The books are also available from my publisher's site: www.lulu.com

 

Fact is, if you plan to take you first running step, run your first marathon, or want to learn how to drop that marathon time, Personal Best will offer ways for you to achieve your goal.

 

If you want to be inspired, to laugh or cry, with stories from the road, read Running Shorts.

 

And, as my readers know, I pride myself as a "hands on" author. Having trouble with plantar fasciitis? Let me tell you about the 'donut' cure. Want to break 3 hours for the marathon? We can develop a training plan together to make that happen.

 

Spring is near. A time for new goals, hopes and aspirations.

 

Want to achieve your personal best?

 

Let me know.

 

I'll help you get there.

 

ARE YOU READY?

Spring is right around the corner, and it's time to implement your running goals for the upcoming season.

Following is an excerpt from my latest book, Personal Best.

 

"Your first step toward a personal best should begin right now.

There are over forty million reasons, in the United States alone, why folks have chosen running as a means of achieving personal bests. Their objectives range from weight loss to a shot at the Olympics.

It is the choice, however, not the reason, that matters. We live in a society that craves instant gratification; a drive-through world where the most exercise many people get in a given day is the movement of their thumbs and fingers over keyboards, Smartphones, and iPods. Overweight has led to obese; obese has ‘grown’ into morbidly obese. Americans are killing themselves in record numbers by mixing a lethal cocktail consisting of overeating, overindulgence, and lack of exercise."

 

Both of my books, Personal Best and Running Shorts are available now, for the lowest price yet, $7.99 each, plus $2.00 shipping and handling, at www.muldowneyrunning.net. Heck, that's about what we pay for a pair of socks today.

 

You can also go to Amazon, at: amazon.com/author/joemuldowney where you can find both books, reviews of them, and the Kindle version of Personal Best for $1.99. Try finding a pair of socks for that price these days!

 

The books are also available from my publisher's site: www.lulu.com

 

Fact is, if you plan to take you first running step, run your first marathon, or want to learn how to drop that marathon time, Personal Best will offer ways for you to achieve your goal.

 

If you want to be inspired, to laugh or cry, with stories from the road, read Running Shorts.

 

And, as my readers know, I pride myself as a "hands on" author. Having trouble with plantar fasciitis? Let me tell you about the 'donut' cure. Want to break 3 hours for the marathon? We can develop a training plan together to make that happen.

 

Spring is near. A time for new goals, hopes and aspirations.

 

Want to achieve your personal best?

 

Let me know.

 

I'll help you get there.

 

 

TURNING FORTY

Well, I turn forty this year.

Ha, I wish!

Actually, as we begin 2016, I enter my fortieth year of competitive running.

It all begin in May 1976, in the small town of Jim Thorpe, a quaint hamlet, nestled in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. The town is named after the deceased Native American Olympic champion, who, peculiarly, resides there now. If you want to read that bizarre tale, read about it in my book, Running Shorts. www.runningshorts.net It has been a long, strange trip for the Indian from Oklahoma.

Although I ran competitively in both high school and college, turning in some unremarkable performances, there was something about the freedom and the dedication it took to train independently to run all distances that captivated me then, and still does, some forty years later.

Accumulating more th 123,000 miles over those forty years, enough to circle the globe more than four times, the thousands of races, a personal best marathon time of 2:22:54, sixteen appearances at the venerable Boston Marathon, all pale in comparison to the friendships I've made, the relationships I've forged, and the experiences I've enjoyed.

A torn hamstring, suffered three weeks after the 2013 Boston Marathon, and arthroscopic surgery for a torn meniscus in November have forced me to reevaluate my training regimen, but have not diminished my love for the sport.

Through coaching, writing, and mentoring, I enjoy assisting others in reaching their running goals. My mantra remains that, while my best running days are behind me; yours, indeed, lie ahead.

I'm happy to be turning forty. Forty years doing something you love. Because, there is no retirement age in this sport. Just ask Ed Whitlock.

So, if you're beginning your first year of running, or if you're pushing forty, I'm with you. We are a brother/sisterhood of addicts to the most positive addiction.

Here's to another forty.

             Meeting running legend, Ed Whitlock, who is setting world records at age 83

CYBER CHRISTMAS 2015

Here in the woods of Pennsylvania, many of us go deer hunting on the Monday after Thanksgiving. After I put up the Christmas lights on Black Friday, I pack up the vehicle and head to the mountains in the southern part of the state to look for the big whitetail. As I hunt for deer, my wife hunts for bargains on Cyber Monday. She informs me of the great deals she gets, and it was her suggestion that I jump on the 'Cyber bandwagon' as well.

So, I figured it was time to get busy and offer my customers something free with the purchase of my books, Personal Best and Running Shorts, on my website, www.muldowneyrunning.net.

 From now until Christmas day, if you visit my website, www.muldowneyrunning.net you can take advantage of the Christmas two for one sale.

For the retail price of one book, $14.99 plus shipping, you can purchase BOTH books, Personal Best, AND Running Shorts. That's $7.50 for running books written by a runner for runners.

Heck, you can even purchase two of the same book, if you like.

I will personally sign each book and send it out to you promptly.

NOW HERE'S THE FREE OFFER!!

You can take advantage of the two for one sale, AND receive a ten-week training program ABSOLUTELY FREE!! That's a value of $25.

Here's how it works. You must purchase the two for one offer on my website, from now until Christmas Eve. You will then receive one 10-week free personalized training program, and I will make that offer valid for an entire year. So, if you want to train for a marathon next November, you won't have to take advantage of your free training program until next August or September.

When you checkout, I will record your email, then you can email me at: runnr@hotmail.com, and we can begin your training program at your convenience.

This is a Cyber sale you can use to become inspired by reading my books, and reach your very own personal best by receiving a training program written by me just for you.

Check out reviews of my training plans, submitted by runners from all over the world at: https://www.fiverr.com/s2/bd1a006ea9

And, if you want to buy the best stocking-stuffer ever, go to my Amazon page,   amazon.com/author/joemuldowney, where you can buy the Kindle version of Personal Best for only $1.99.

The digital time clock is ticking. You have only until Christmas Eve to take advantage of this one-time offer.

I look forward to helping YOU achieve your personal best.

PERSONAL EMPATHY

Today's blog was supposed to contain a description of my rehab since my arthroscopic surgery which was performed on Thursday. My one mile leg-strengthening walk, however, just doesn't seem so important today.

Last night, another group of extremists, possessing an agenda no rational human being has the ability to grasp, engaged another senseless killing spree in Paris, France.

They call it terrorism, and it is. Gutless cowards murder and maim innocent civilians, none of whom have had even the least bit of influence in placing the terrorists in the oppressed state in which they feel they are immersed.

Resenting the fact that civilized, rational folks enjoy each other's company at restaurants, nightclubs, concerts, or sporting events, these savages 'terrorize' by striking at the very core of what makes us human.

As I watched the television last evening, my mind raced back to April 15, 2013, at Legal Seafood, a restaurant two blocks away from the finish line of the Boston Marathon, on Boylston Street. Pleased with my race, which had completed an hour earlier, I raised a glass of Guinness as I waited for my sandwich.

With the sound of a cannon blast, terror, the embodiment of evil, struck.

Fear, disillusionment, chaos, and anger filled my mind that afternoon, as I became a witness to the events as they unfolded..

I wrote a complete account of my feelings about that day in my book, Personal Best, in the chapter entitled, "Was That Thunder?" www.muldowneyrunning.net

In the writing of two books, no chapter was as important for me to get right. It was a day I will never forget, as terror struck home for me.

Terrorism is our new norm. It grips us. It follows us wherever we go. There is no vaccine. There is no immunity.

All of us are targets. All of us are civilian soldiers in a global war.

The enemy doesn't wear uniforms, and the rules of war do not apply here.

At the 2013 Boston Marathon, three people died, and nearly two hundred more were injured, some severely.

Their crime?

Cheering for their friends and loved ones at one of the world's most revered sporting event.

Last night, in Paris, folks watched a soccer game. They ate dinner and attended a concert.

More than one hundred of these innocents were slaughtered.

Their stories will be told over the next weeks and months.

Their family and friends will mourn their loss. The world will never benefit from their potentially positive contributions to society.

I'm not sure what the answer to global terrorism is. I guess there really is no answer.

Is it a "Holy War?"

I don't thing any religion's supreme being advocates the senseless destruction of human life as a way of honoring him or her.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Paris, France.

Having been close to a terrorist attack I offer my personal empathy.

Our world has shrunk and we are more global than ever before.

It is time for the civilized nations on this earth to band together and do whatever it takes to end the scourge of global terrorism.