Summary: It was on April 19th, in the year of our Lord 2000, that I first registered the domain name of SteveRunner.com. It wasn’t my idea. It was that of a good friend of mine, Jim, who I had attended the University of Lowell with in the early 1980’s, and worked with for over 20 years. It was on that 19th day of April, 13 years ago that he suggested I reserve a domain name for my running blog. I had been posting my running related essays on a website hosted at CompuServe, but the only way you could read my running words was if you knew the complicated numerical universal resource locator that pointed to it. Today, I’d like to read for you some of the essays I wrote back then. They are written from the perspective of a new and very enthusiastic runner of 38 years old. We are quite often oblivious to the way our lives change, and how we change through the year. Your perspective will vary, but for me: 13 years wasn’t all that long ago. It was the peak of the Dot Com bubble, President Clinton was serving his last year in office, and I had just lost over 50 pounds. Running had become one of my greatest passions. I had started in December of ’98, ran my first marathon in October of ’99 and now I had a blog where I could write about the experience. Inspired and enlightened by the cardiologist, fellow runner, philosopher and author, Dr. George Sheehan...I began writing about my running lifestyle and how it had brought me joy. My life has changed drastically since I first created the SteveRunner.com website. The essays you’ll hear today are from a person who no longer exists, a younger version of myself that was filled with hope, excitement, opptomism and enthusiam for the act of running. This isn’t to say that I’m worse off today than I was back then...it’s just that I never expected to be where I am today; none of us do. Go back into your own 13 year old past and it’s likely that you’ll experience the same revelation. You aren’t who and where you expected to be. Life is an uncharted, unscripted reality. It’s not always dramatic, and it’s not all sad or happy endings. We lace up our shoes and we open our squeaky doors to roads that lead to an unknowable future. Who you are today is nothing at all like the who you’ll be in ten, twenty or even thirty years, God willing. One thing is for sure, that despite your best plans, despite whatever goals you’re aiming for; when and if you get there...everything will be different. This is who I was 13 years ago....what I was thinking about, what I was writing about. It’s a revealing and personal cause for introspection...but it’s also an example for you to contemplate your long ago and far to come. Links: Hark the Herald Boom-Box sings: Featured Site of the Run: The song “Stereo” was by “The Watchmen” Intervals between episodes can be found at steverunnerblog.com In Vino Veritas with at PHEDIPPIDATIONS SITE OF THE RUN: ONLY IF YOU LIKE IT: (But PLEASE, only if you can afford it!) Phedippidations is supported monthly through the kind and sincerely generous financial support of 68 friends and fellow runners: William, Vera, Katie, Heather, Ryan, Chaise, Gordon, Scott, Mike, David, Jeff, Colin, Jason, Diane, Cheryl, Ron, Mark, Martha, Greg, Jim, Tim, Bill, Michael, David, Doug, Vance, Brad, Marcelo, Shawn, Roberto, Zaki, Ria, Jan, Margaret, James, Norm, Simon, Albert, Janice, Andrew, Pam, Rob, Teresa, Glenn, Trey, Steve, John, Angie, Al, Toni, Martin, Lynn, Nancy, Matt, Eric, Claudia, Jim, Kara, Robert, Dino, Joe, Martin, Rich, Sarah, Tom, David, Pierre and one Anonymous fellow runner! THANK YOU! {} Follow me on: Blog: Stream: Apple App: Android App: Support:
