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Gate River Run Can Do It for You

Posted on: Wednesday, 16 November 2005, 18:00 CST

By Bill Longenecker

The 29th Gate River Run is set for Saturday, March 11, at 8:30 a.m. It's the best $22 you can spend in Jacksonville. That rate lasts through Dec. 31.

For that $22, you can gain a wealth of stuff and even improve your self esteem for much less than a visit to a psychiatrist. Please allow me to list the benefits you may acquire.

A T-shirt, your choice of sizes!

Some trinket at the finish line that says Gate River Run finisher!

A piece of glassware from the Gate Booth at the Runner's Expo.

If you are fast, you may get a top 10 percent award.

If you like beer and are over 21, it's at the finish line.

Free water at many locations along the course.

Free food at the finish line.

A chance to burn off maybe 1,000 or more calories.

Free use of portable toilets.

A 9.3-mile tour of downtown and nice San Marco neighborhoods.

Bragging rights for the office or any place where the overweight might meet.

A photo proof sheet with as many as six pictures taken of you during the run, most within the final mile.

Rather short, live band concerts at various locations along the route.

A real reason to call in sick on Monday. At least one gains earned sympathy for the pain of sore, aching muscles.

As you read through the list above, your heart must be racing with anticipation. There is one more thing to emphasize. The self- esteem gain is priceless. In a recent Reader's Digest article, a doctor wrote about his amazing weight loss. He went from 470 pounds to about 215.

His final humiliation came when a stewardess told him he should have bought two tickets for a flight that forced him into a middle row seat. He also says he felt really bad about telling his patients to "do as I say, not as I do."

For most of my 23 years as a columnist, my message has been that everyone can be a homegrown hero. Each of us can be the person our children can look upon as a role model and hero.

Many novice runners have given up the hopefully embarrassing habits of smoking and overeating. Some have also cut down on alcohol consumption. Healthy habits often quickly replace the unhealthy ones. Choosing to run the Gate River Run can be the gateway to a new you.

The fee schedule is simple, $22 until Dec. 31, $24 in January, $27 in February and $30 until March 10. If you buy a mere eight gallons of gasoline at Gate and send in the receipt, you can save another $1.

If you have never run 9.3 miles, the very idea may seem outrageous. Check with your doctor first and invite him or her to join you if you are approved for training.

If you can walk 2 miles non-stop by the end of December, you should be able to finish the entire course with more, but reasonable training. During January, alternate "running" days with simple walking days with a goal of 10 to 12 miles a week total.

"Running" means whatever you choose it to mean. High speed is not essential to be a runner. Give up the notion that only the first place finisher is a winner. That comes from the wrong way to see athletic performance.

Nothing is more pathetic than overweight crybabies whining that their team is a loser when they never even set foot on the field. Being an athlete because you enjoy the motion and health is the true measure of success.

During February, try adding a mile to the longest run or walk of each week. By the end of the month, if you can cover five to 10 miles in one session, you should be able to enjoy all of the above benefits of The Gate River Run. Then, you will be ready to celebrate the 30th anniversary edition in 2007.Bill Longenecker is a free-lance writer who lives in Neptune Beach.

Source: Florida Times Union

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