Over the years I started gaining weight and developed something call hypoglycemia that kinda gradually came on when I didn't have a good meal. I had times when I collapsed and past out in public including church as my health and weight was out of control. At one time I was at a lifetime weight of 220 pounds in May 2001. I didn't do anything about it the rest of that year until the New Year of 2002. I set goals to get better and try to get active. One day in March 2002, I was listening to the Sports Animal on the radio, mentioning something about a race called the Red Bud Classic. They were giving away free registrations at a cell phone company in Edmond. I got to thinking, oh boy this is a great opportunity to start running again. So I registered for the 2 mile race that they had at that time.
The day of the Red Bud Classic there was a forecast for rain sometime that day and there was cloud cover. When I got to the race that day I was amazed at how many runners that came to run on that cloudy day, it was incredible. Anyway channel 9 and Gary England was there and said it wouldn't rain until after the race, but guess what. It started as soon as we lined up for the race. I wasn't worried about the rain as long as no tornadoes came about that day.
When the race started it seam like the rain came down a lot faster, and my cotton shirt and shorts were sucking up that rain water like a sponge. A mile into the race I began to wear down a bit from the race and the rain soaked clothes. Someone told me I ran a mile during the race and I was half there but where. I had rain in my eyes and I couldn't see very clearly. So I was just hanging on and trying to follow the other runners. When I finally get to the finish I thought I was going to collapse but I manged to make it to the massage table where I almost didn't make it on my feet because of leg cramps. They didn't get really bad until I got in the car and tried to drive home. I got the worst Charley horse cramp when I tried to push down on the gas pedal. I ended up getting cramps in both legs and wasn't able to drive for a while. It was an interesting day indeed but I had fun and met new people.
My time for the 2 mile race was 26 mins 30sec. Today I look at the time and laugh but didn't go by time back then just effort. I never forgot the older gentleman that pat me on the back during the race and said see you at the finish line. I could of sworn he was in his 70's.
Since then I never missed a Red Bud Classic race I got every metal from 2002 to the present. I guess you could say that race has sentimental value to me every year in remembering how I turned my life around. It was the only race I ran in until May of 2005 I did Sooner State games and four more races that year. I lost 40 pounds that summer running the lake. I join the Okc running club in the summer of 2004 when I discovered them at Lake Hefner's Stars and Stripes park.
Since I've been running I met some wonderful people who I thought help me and pushed me to become better runner. Even saved my life on a hot summer day one of the times I didn't run alone. And my health has been much better. My weight has been struggling of late because of the holidays but that's changing.
See you all of you on the trail. And thank you for reading. God bless!!
