Guest Post: Endorphin Dad?

Hello endorphin(mom) junkies, my name is Shane.  For those of you that don’t know me, I am Sara’s husband.  I have wanted to do a guest blog for some time.  Two weeks ago I wrote one about a 5k I had just run.  Sara read it and said that it didn’t really say anything so why would people want to read it.  A few days later I reread it and it was like watching NASCAR.  I’ve got better things to watch than NASCAR.

One of my favorite movies is Throw Mama from the Train. If you haven’t seen it, the movie stars Danny DeVito, Billy Crystal, and Anne Ramsey.  DeVito’s character, Owen, is attending an adult college writing class but he is having trouble coming up with ideas.  Crystal’s character, Larry, tells him to “write what you know”.  So Owen comes up with a great story about pushing his Mama from a train.  Only problem is Owen wants Larry do the pushing.  If you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s a great 80’s comedy.

What was the point of telling you about the movie?  Simple, I decided to write my blog post about what I know.  When I go to races or talk to people about running I usually get asked three questions.  So I am going to answer them here.

 

All in the family.

Question #1:  When did you start running and why? 

Right after Sara had our second daughter she started doing 5k’s every weekend.  I looked at her and said, “Why do you do this? Running is pointless.”  I continued to shoot my mouth off for about a month.   Finally I said, “Running is easy.  Anyone can do it.  I’m running in your next race.”  I had no idea what I had just gotten myself into.

Race morning I had on an old t-shirt, old work shoes with holes in them, and a pair of Old Navy wind pants from 1998.  This took place on November 7, 2010.  When the gun went off I was gone.  I yelled back to Sara, “This is easy!”  I even went as far as running backwards just to show off.  Then came the half mile mark.  I was exhausted.  Is it over yet?  I jogged/walked/crawled to a  time of 32:12.  And yes, Sara beat me. 

Come the next morning I decided I had to win.  I couldn’t let a girl beat me!  I started training and a month later I was at my second 5k.  I finished with a time of 26:25. I have been running ever since.  Do I love it?  Well, I do like to earn a medal and I love spending time with Sara doing something we both like.

 

Running in a mine!

Question #2: How did you come up with Team Brunazzi? 

When Sara and I started dating she was on Team Under Armour, the clothing line.  After Sara got pregnant with Ash, they did not renew her contract.  When Sara started running again she started looking for a new team.  She got turned down by a couple brands because she didn’t have any race times to report while she was pregnant.   That got me to thinking, “Why does she need a team?  We could be the team.”

At first I was going to call it the Brunazzi Running Team.  However my boss said when his kids all participated in a sport his wife would call them Team L.   So by my fifth 5k, we were in gray shirts with a turtle and Team Brunazzi on them.  A few months later I changed to the bright blue shirts and skeleton logo we use today and the team started to grow as our family and friends started coming to races.

#3 What made you start your own 5k?  Well, two things happened pretty close together.  The first was we were at one of the two 5k’s on our local trail. A group of runners started talking about why there were two 5k’s in the spring and none in the fall.  I cannot remember if it was Sara or I who said, “We should just do one”.

A few days after the second spring 5k a woman named Melanie messaged me.  She wanted help organizing a charity 5k in the fall for her friend’s son who is suffering from Batten’s Disease.   I said I would help out so I sat down and started running numbers and costs.  About two days later, I decided to go for it; I would put on the 5k.  I picked a day and hired a timing company and the rest is history.  I had Sara and Gemma design a logo while I typed up a request for sponsorship letter.  Five months later it is all coming together. 

***WARNING: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!  Planning a race is not easy nor is it cheap.   I spent all of my free time, lunch breaks, and even some family time planning the race.  It was like having a second job.  It was also fun and rewarding.   Heck, I’ll probably do it again.  But it is a lot of WORK.***

 

Recruiting new Team Brunazzi members.

What do you think? To Blog or Not To Blog.