No Peace Race

I'm back in Ames from my trip to Pittsburgh/Youngstown and there isn't a lot of good news to report. While running the course on Saturday I stepped on a rock and turned my ankle pretty hard. It swelled up immediately and it looked like there was a tennis ball hanging out of my shoe. This was enough of a setback that I couldn't run on Sunday and I'm only running today thanks to the help of a few great people. First, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my host for the weekend and the president of the Peace Race committee, Rick Kattouf. Not only did he host me at his house he was driving the race course with me on Saturday. When I turned my ankle he was right there and arranged a doctor's appointment for me immediately. His doctor, Dr. John Clendenin, gave me some great advice and treated me to help reduce swelling. Today my friend, Travis McCathie, has helped me out and through a massage and a wrap he had me up and running for a little bit this afternoon. We're set to meet for another session in the morning so hopefully by the end of the week I'm back to training at full force. Saturday was a long day, most of which I spent hobbling around feeling sorry for myself. Sunday I went to the race and helped out where I could. I met a bunch of great people and it was a worthwhile experience. One of the athletes that sticks out in my mind is a guy who runs races caring a 50 pound log. He ran the whole 10k carrying the log and I had the pleasure of having a chat with him before the race. He said that he carries the log to spread the word of Jesus and his effort was definitely impressive. Another highlight was helping as a spotter near the finish line. It was great to see the joy that many of the runners had when they heard their names coming down the last straight-away. Watching all these runners enjoy the simple act of finishing a 10k definitely helped to put things in perspective for me. I won't go into the details of my disappointment, but in the last 24 hours the silver linings have become more clear. First, the opportunity to spend the weekend with Rick Kattouf was worth the trip. Not only did I meet a world class duathlete, I feel like I made a good friend. Please check out his website: http://www.teamkattouf.com/ He gave me a copy of his book and for anybody out there looking to make some positive steps in their fitness and lifestyle, this book is the place to start. I also need to thank the race director, Ted Rupe, for helping me set up the details and working hard to get me to Youngstown. The biggest “thank you” goes out to all of the people who have called, emailed, sent texts, or just lent an ear while I was venting my frustration. Your support has been great and definitely has made me realize that running isn’t the most important thing in the world.