Random Running Ramblings

Apr 27, 2012 by Greg Fowler

A Few of My Shoes

If you’ve poked around my site here, you probably know I have been a runner a relatively short period of time – since December of 2008. Here are some random (and mostly useless) facts about my journey since then. Enjoy!

Most unusual find on a run: Smashed iPhone. It had been run over by a car. I was tempted to take it with me to try to locate the owner. It did seem to power on. I had many more miles to run, though, and did not want to carry it.

Weirdest roadkill encounter: Raccoon. OK, not really all that weird. Encountering roadkill is one of the bummers in running, though.

Strangest live animal encounter: I startled a turkey vulture as he had a big deer breakfast in a ditch. He came up out of there fast and returned the favor, startling me.

Strangest smell: There are many farm fields on my usual run routes, so at various times, I am hit with fertilizer or onion harvest smells. However, the other week, on a new route, I passed a house that sits very close to the road, and I swear I caught a whiff of some stuff that was prevalent in concerts I attended in the ’80’s at Greenville Memorial Auditorium. Hmmm.

Races run: 25 (2009: 10, 2010: 5, 2011:7, 2012 YTD: 3)

Race Distance Breakdown:

5K: 7
10K: 6
12K: 1
15K: 1
Half Marathon: 7
Full Marathon: 3

Age group medals won: 2 – a 1st and a 3rd in a couple of small 5K’s. Both in 2009. In my second ever race, a 5K, I was pretty excited about winning first place in my age group (yes, there was more than one in the group) until I saw the overall winner was my age. He beat me by about 8 minutes. My first encounter with local running phenom and ageless wonder Eric Ashton.

Miles run: Almost 3300

Pairs of shoes I’ve used: 13 (not including the two pairs from the Merrell Barefoot line that I use for casual wear and work.)

Books purchased about running: At least 11. That’s all I could find in 2 minutes of searching my bookshelf. I’m sure others are scattered about.

Current running magazine subscriptions: 3 –Runner’s World, Running Times, Trail Runner

Pounds lost: 20

Waistline inches lost: 3

POFIFOTO!