Original Content

All of my life, I've been trying to fight the fight of staying original. True to my roots, and what I believe. It has been one of the hardest things I've ever done. Everyday you're tempted by society's tricks and gimmicks to make you buy a certain type of clothes, listen to specific artist, or buy this car or that house. Media and money run this world, and it is nearly impossible to avoid he bull shit and have you own real thoughts.

I have tried to live by the quote, "You were brown an original, don't die a copy", and there is nothing more beautiful and attractive than being committed to this and being real. The one thing that has helped me stay in touch with my beliefs is of course running As in every blog I write, I thank running as if it were my God. My bible, Once a Runner, touches upon a lot of things that are important to me. Being able to find meaning and beauty of a run, and how anything can be brought back to the simplicity of a choice. One quote in particular stands out to me, "My only real secret was, commitment to the task. A promise so simple, but so impossibly hard to honor. How they could be expected to understand that?..." I feel like sometimes its my job, my duty, to show people the beauty of a run, and how being committed to a task can be the best thing in your life.

The spring time itch has taken over again, and the hunger for long miles, trail runs and the discomfort of lactate threshold induced miles has risen. I am in no where close to where I want to be fitness wise, but I'm really enjoying the process, or as Quenton says, "the task". As of now, it looks like I will be ready to roll again in late May early June. I had to forgo my indoor/outdoor season due to a knee injury in late January, but it gave me enough time to enjoy the woods and welcome in the warm spring weather, and now my legs are hungry for what lies ahead.

These past four weeks I have been slowly building up my mileage while participating in a study done by a graduate student at Ohio University. He is comparing the benefits of running vs. EliptiGO training. After two VO2 Max tests and a couple 5K time trails, I am now free to train the way I want to, and I have set forth a hearty summer race schedule.

I will end with yet another quote that I find enjoyable to ponder upon.

"Isn't it true that you start your life a sweet child, believing in everything under your father's roof? Then comes the day of the Laodiceans, when you know you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, and with the visage of a gruesome, grieving ghost you go shuddering through nightmare life".
- Jack Kerouac

Go and be real.
- BJW

Building Roots

The Adult life is in full swing in southeast Ohio. Tucked in collard shirts, wrinkle free dress pants, and squeaky leather shoes have become my everyday norm. My title, Kitchen supervisor at Morrison Healthcare, has become a big part of who I am now. I am beyond lucky to have been offered this career, and I finally feel like everything about my life in Athens, Ohio has become complete.

After taking off more time than I could fathom for my injury to my knee, I have once again became a hobby jogger, slowly building my mileage after my work day is over. My routine is coming together nicely, and the opportunity to trash my body everyday in hopes of moving my legs fast over an extended period of time has become available and I don't plan to waste it.

There is something about healthy routines that make things in life more enjoyable and more rewarding. I guess you could say that's part of growing up and becoming mature. The tricky part about life is finding the balance. Finding a routine that both is both efficiently productive, and mentally rewarding. This past year has been a roller coaster ride for me. I struggled to find the balance in my life, and it has ruined a lot of things. But, at the same time I refused to settle for a life where there was limitations to life and I was no where close to true happiness.

It has taken me a lot of time to realize that the balance in life is not necessarily where you work, or the stability of your everyday routines, but more of how you simply stop and appreciate the minutes. You must take advantage of that simplicity of time. True happiness comes within, and no matter how hard you work, you will never appreciate life if you settle down and accept these limitations.

Here is to the balance of my everyday real routines of true happiness.