The Running Man

Teammates –

As you know, I am very new to the blog team and having the chance to write for you.  With that in mind, I understand that I am asking for wide latitude in writing the following post about a friend of mine who is neither a member of Team RWB (yet) nor a triathlete (again, yet, but I for one am okay with that for now).  I am writing today to recognize my friend John and wish him the very best as he transitions from Active Duty (today) to his career in the Foreign Service (Monday). 

I met John in the summer of 2010 through my wife after he was her replacement at her last office.   At the time, John was training for his second 100 mile ultramarathon while I was training for Ironman Louisville, and my wife thought we could train together.  The second time we talked, John was preparing to do a 30 mile run the next day – I was not invited, nor did I ask to join in. To be frank, it sounded more than a little crazy.  Looking back on it, that seems like one of the few times we didn’t run together.  Over the next few months, miles, and hours training on the road, I heard about his exploits, though he would never call them that.  We talked about how his athletic background was in cycling, first on the junior then on the National Team, his time as a Marine fighter pilot, and his passion for ultra-running.  My wife and I also got to know John’s family, his very lovely wife and their wonderful young son.  I think our wives were both glad that John and I could talk to each other instead of them about the benefits of wearing compression pants to sleep in, lactate thresholds, and the latest products we were trying. 

Last spring John paced me to a marathon PR on what was a training day for him, prepping for a 50 miler he had two weeks later.  A few months later, I paced him through 20 miles of his third 100 mile race, where he both dropped me (excellent pacing on my part, I would have to say), and ran an amazing 19:30 PR.  In the lead-up to that race, he ran a 15:24 3 mile run for his PFT, while “not pushing it at all.”  Is it any wonder that between being a national level cyclist and that kind of runner that I am okay with him staying away from triathlon for now?  He’ll get to our sport eventually, and when he does, I am sure he will excel at it as he has done with his life’s other pursuits. 

John and me at the start of Western States

For many of us, our time running is our time to think.  It’s when we get to machinate over all the things that are going on in our heads.  Some days are better than others – we solve not only all of the world’s problems, but if we are truly lucky, some of our own as well.  To run with a friend is to be invited into that semi-sacred space, to share in those thoughts, and to be a sounding board for ideas that somehow seem much more plausible at mile 15.  Running, especially over distance, has a way of allowing us to lay bare our soul.  The early runs, where we talk to fill what might otherwise be uncomfortable silence are replaced over miles covered together by insight into one another and ourselves.  Some days that insight comes from simply enjoying the complete silence of the perfect, lulling rhythm of a long run.     

Living in Italy now, I don’t get the chance to run with John very often, though he just recently came to visit us and we got some runs in – him bouncing ahead, exclaiming about the amazing terrain I am so lucky to train in, me laboring progressively farther behind, cursing said terrain.  With him moving on to the Foreign Service, I would imagine that will likely be the extent of our training for a while, and I will miss running with my friend.  I do know though, that no matter where he and his family end up, eventually we will get out there to see them and John and I will run, and fall into step seamlessly.  So here’s to you John.  Thank you for your service – as anyone who has been on the ground in any capacity can attest, the sound of an F-18 overhead is both distinctive and reassuring – and for your continued willingness to work for the betterment of our country.  May this next year be exciting, and if you are lucky, filled with good coffee, gelato, and many, many miles. 

Happy trails. 

Do you have a military member you would like to recognize through Team RWB?  If so, please email me at mdpiet@aol.com.  

For another inspirational profile, make sure to check out the main Team RWB blog page (http://teamrwb.com/blog/2012/01/) for the story of our blog team's own Jillian O'Malley.  Great article by Greg about one of our own!