Ryan’s story is a poignant reminder that we have a choice in
how we frame the adversities we face in life.
Are we victims or do we channel difficulties into making us
stronger? The results verify the
reality. Ryan is stronger than
ever. He has done it with the grace of a
champion.
Ryan and me at the Rocky Mountain Road Runners' December Trophy Series Race.
If you look closely you can see my scar, just behind my left
ear. When it was fresh, it too looked
like a gill on Aquaman. When my father
saw it for the first time, he almost hurled.
It is where the doctor removed the tumor. It was the summer of 1991. Mary and I were newlyweds and we weren’t
sure if I was going to live to celebrate our first anniversary.
The recovery was slow.
I didn’t keep records so I don’t remember when I started working out,
but it was close to two years of inactivity.
I was grateful for my 37:01 at the 1994 Bolder Boulder.
All of us get scraped by adversity and if we stand close enough
we can see the scars that are left as a reminder. But hey, no one looks good that close
up.
In 2013 I ran 2,262 miles, or about 43.5 miles per
week. I also swam 605,650 yards (about
344 miles). I rested 20 days. I doubt I will run or swim that far this
year, but I might. This year I resolve
to race more, which may result in running fewer miles.
This weekend’s runs were in less than pleasant
conditions. Saturday’s 14 miles was run
in a storm that dropped ~6 inches of snow.
Sunday it was 12 degrees when we left the Runners Roost Aurora store. I would have been quite happy with 10 miles,
but Tom Norris sold me
on running 12 miles.
And for a post run sweet treat I made these:
Runners Roost Retail Team Bars
3 mashed bananas
1/3 cup apple sauce (or 1 small apple chopped and microwaved
4 minutes until soft)
¼ cup almond milk
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
½ cup raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix the bananas, apple peanut butter and milk until
smooth. Add other ingredients and let
stand 5 minutes. Spread into a greased 7
x 11 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for
30 minutes. Let cool, cut into 8
servings.
Nutritional Information per Serving
Calories: 170
Protein: 4.8 grams
Carbohydrates: 30
grams
Fat: 4.5 grams
