GOOD RUNNING is what I Say

"Good luck" is what we traditionally say to runners before a big race. It's nice. It's fine.

But I think we should come up with something better. Something that expresses the same sentiment of have fun and do well, but carries a little more personal agency and a lot more fighting spirit.

The tagline for Team Sparkle Productions is "It's not luck, we train for this." I love that mindset. One option could be a variation of that, "You trained for this. Go get it!"

I also like what my friend Gary Henry says, "Good luck at your race tomorrow (I know you won't need it, but better to have it)." That's fun and when said with Gary's sly comedic tone, it's sure to bring a comforting smile to even the most nervous of runners.

Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica gave me the gusto I was looking for when she chastised Lee after he told pilots to be careful. "Our job isn't to be careful, it's to shoot Cylons out of the frakking sky. Good hunting is what you say."

That's when "Good running" was born. It's tight. It's strong. It's empowering. It's my favorite.

Good running GIF you can share with your friends.

SCOTT OUTRUNS Todd in December

Scott has run over 2,000 miles four years in a row. In December, he destroyed me and crushed his previous monthly mileage record with 304 miles. In 2019, he was my toughest target for my year of pettiness where I compared my mileage to someone who ran less than me. It was his awareness that I was chasing him, and his constant one step ahead of me, literally, that inspired the outrun challenge.

Scott planned out a taco-earning month that he executed with steady determination. He kicked off the month with an amazing 10 miles a day for 10 days!

On December 19 at Winter Shoustice, he completed 141 laps which is one more than what he did last year and over 38 miles. He dug deep when hip pain showed up for miles 16-30. He completed that last lap with less than a minute before the official sunset.

On the last four days of the month, he ran 45 miles, 37 of those around Mackin Park. On December 29, he powered out a half marathon in freezing rain, sleet, and snow. He came home caked in ice.

Scott was the champion of both distance and duration for running during this year's Holiday Streakers, a challenge that runs from Thanksgiving through New Years Day. He logged 343 miles and over 57 hours of running. The next closest in distance was 220 miles.

Scott is one of the most consistent runners I know. He's so impressive. He works problems as they arise, and has a desire to keep moving forward. He's kind, witty, positive, and a tremendous running partner. I'm thrilled to see him have such a dominate finisher to 2020.

LEIA OUTRUNS Todd in November

I first met Leia running the Hawk in September 2016. I was making a second attempt at completing a 50 miler after DNFing another race two weeks earlier. Leia was running her first 100 miler. That year, the weather forced us to run on the roads, which made it faster but certainly added to the beating on our legs.

I was impressed with the fearlessness Leia charged back out for two more 25-mile loops after completing the first fifty. I was in the pressence a true badass.

In October 2019, she placed first place female and fifth overall in the Heartland 100. She rolled throughf aid stations with a fierce competitive efficiency. At one, she took off before her pacer was fully ready. She is focused and driven.

In January 2020, I had the high honor of running the Second Best 100, a self-supported 100 she and I ran based out of the awesome coffee shop she and her husband own. That day the weather was crazy cold and an ice storm coated the ground the night before. In Yak-traks and screwed shoes, we ran up and down the Trolley Trail. She brilliantly led us to finishing by problem-solving issues as they arose, keeping us fueled and hydrated, and pacing us appropriately. I made it through that incredible run riding on her legendary coattails.

Leia keeps her runs on Strava private, so we played November Leia style. We didn't look at each others milage until the end of the month when we revealed our numbers during a zoom call. She outran me 112 miles to 92.