posted by Chris Barber
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We have recently added an “About Us” section at the bottom of the webpage to explain our backgrounds here at seriousrunning.com.  So, I thought this would be a good time to introduce myself as the blogger as well.  I am a runner, just like you.  All of us are the same, but here is my background, which may or may not be different than yours, or maybe it’s the same as yours, which is great.  Maybe we’ll be BFFs!  All of the people who read my blog are my friends.  Thank you, friends.

I’ve toyed with this title for a blog for some time now and have found the perfect fit for it here explaining myself and my background.  Please do not confuse the title with Tom Petty’s popular song, “Runnin’ Down A Dream.”  Notice my title has not abbreviation on the -ing; very different.  So what is the dream I’m running down?  This website, but read more to fully understand.

I started running competitively in the 6th grade on my middle school track team.  I was one of only three 6th graders to make the team that year and to my surprise, placed in the top 15 out of 80 runners in the mile run at try-outs.  Since I hadn’t been a spectacular baseball, basketball, or football player, I decided maybe I was just a runner.  I ran for three years in Middle School, becoming the Captain of the team by my 8th grade year and participating in the maximum number events allowed at track meets, including the 1-mile, 800m, 4x400m relay, disc, and hurdles.  Our team won first place that year, probably from all the garbage points I earned for finishing 4th or 5th in the disc and hurdles at the meets.  From there I ran cross-country and track for four years of High School, transferring schools between my Freshman and Sophomore years.  I was always a good runner, running Varsity on a team that finished 3rd in the state in the AAAA division, but was never a star.  My state race time was faster than the A and AA state cross-country winners’ times and good enough to have finished first on my previous AAAA team; however, I was still middle of the road on my Varsity team.  I was kind of like Derek Jeter on the Yankees.  And no, I never juiced.

From here I went to college where my running revolved mostly around ROTC training.  The first week of college, us new cadets took a PT (Physical Training) test which consisted of evaluating the amount of push-ups and sit-ups we could do in two minutes and then a 2-mile run.  I was the only person who passed the PT test overall (I had been practicing my push-ups over the summer) but placed 2nd in the 2-mile run.  The whole week prior we had been wearing our brand new Army boots around campus and I am blister prone.  My feet were covered in them.  I asked my superior before the race if I could run the 2-mile run barefoot but got a stern “NO” answer.  Little did I know, this would not be the first “No” answer to a logical and legitimate question I received in the Army.  I still think I would have run better and faster barefoot and beaten that kid who ran faster than me that day.  From his first showing of running stamina, the other cadet received the nickname “wheels” but never beat me again on any other run (we took a PT test once a month) for the next four years.  I was later dubbed nicknames such as, “Top Cadet”, “Outstanding”, and “Above His Peers.”  So it was fine with me.  Who needs “wheels” when you have really fast legs anyways?  What you think about that Mar-cheesi?!

Upon graduating I began my four year commitment to the Army.  My fun college experience along with my new found Army salary lead me to add about 30 pounds to my body.  No.  I’m not the one on the right in the picture above.  I still maintained a good running fitness during that time, being a better long distance runner than most of my peers in the Army, but this was due more to my mental toughness and experience than level of fitness.  I was stationed in Ft. Bragg, NC in the 82nd Airborne Division where I jumped out of airplanes over 30 times.  These not so soft landings definitely took a toll on my knees.  I now have to pay attention while running but I’m still a young man.  While serving as an Officer in a Field Artillery unit I deployed twice.  Once in a no-notice deployment to Afghanistan and again for a 15-month long tour to Iraq where I served as a Platoon Leader and a Logistical Officer.  While serving the 15 month deployment I began to focus on my fitness level again, starting by lifting weights daily and then running.  The weather and terrain weren’t very motivating or conducive to running so I was in the gym a bit more.  I also began eating healthier and was able to shed that excess 30 pounds to come back down and now maintain my “playing weight.”  Game on.

Although most people find me very interesting, you’re probably tired of reading about me for today.  I’ll discuss more tomorrow about my post Army and college career, life philosopy, and why I’m “Running Down A Dream.”  Now get back to work!

Tags: about us, Army, cross-country, track

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