Welcome

Hi there! Welcome to the first post in my first blog. I've plenty of opinions, but my plan is that this space will be devoted almost entirely to running and the outdoors.

I've been running for about three years now. I ran my first 5 mile race at Boston's "Run to Remember" back in 2005, finishing in 46:14. My second race was the half-marathon for the same event in 2007. I finished that one in 1:55:16. That's the sum total of my racing experience so, obviously, I'm still quite new to this.

I'm currently training for a July 27th marathon in Wakefield, MA, and have to admit (despite the hubris of it) that I have already started thinking beyond it to the next challenge. Over the past four months, I've stretched out my running from the standard 3-6 miles 4 times a week to as much as 20 miles at a pop. As I've done so, I've begun to really love running, rather than simply endure it. I've started to hear the seductive call of ultras, trail running and triathlons. I've started to spend more time on running websites and browsing through magazine racks. It feels like I'm at the beginning of something new and exciting, and I'm not sure where it will lead me.

I'm starting this blog to keep my family and friends updated on my training and races, and to chronicle my adventures in the outdoors. From time to time I'll also post columns on topics that may seem extremely basic to an experienced runner, but are new to beginners like me. I'll do my best to put down everything about training and racing as accurately as possible, no matter how painful or embarrassing, so that you'll know what it really felt, smelled, and tasted like.

Lastly, for those of you who aren't up on running terms, I'll try to bring you up to speed as I go and as I learn them. The first one that might be slightly confusing is this blog address. A "Clydesdale" in running terminology is a heavyweight runner. There is no standard definition of what weight qualifies someone as a Clydesdale, but at around 200 pounds as of the date of this first post, I think I would qualify by most standards.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the posts that follow. Remember to keep me in your thoughts on July 27th. I'm going to need all the positive thinking you can spare.