Favorite Running Movies: Dramas/Comedies

This category is tough. Unlike the biopics and documentaries, running is not the main component of all these films. There are a few films that some include in running movies where I don't think running is an important enough part of the plot to include them like, "Marathon Man," where although Dustin Hoffman's character is a runner, that part of the plot doesn't seem very important.

There are others, however, that might not come to mind when you think about running movies, but I included them because I don't think they'd be the same movies without running. Feel free to comment on those I left out or those I included.

Saint Ralph
I thought this one was funny and somewhat heartwarming. Ralph is a troubled boy whose mother is in a comma, and he basically lives alone while attending a Catholic school. He finds running as a way to cope, and becomes connected with a former marathon-running priest. The priest trains Ralph to run the Boston Marathon. While the plot is a stretch at times, especially in the race itself, and though parts of the film are crass, "Saint Ralph" is definitely entertaining.

Forrest Gump
Running is one of the most important parts of this film--don't even argue on this one. Forrest gets into college, becomes a military hero, and  gains national attention because of running. What would "Forrest Gump" be without Forrest's run across America? Without his famous line, "Ever since that day, I was run-en!" If you haven't seen it, watch it right now.

Run Fat Boy, Run
This film employs the quirky humor of Simon Pegg as he attempts to train for and complete the London Marathon--in a span of about three weeks. This film is entertaining, though parts are completely unbelievable. The race itself is pretty entertaining, so if you have ever run a marathon or want to know what one parts are like, this one's worth a watch.

Across the Tracks
"Across the Tracks" features a very young Brad Pitt as a half miler on a quest to win the county championship and earn a scholarship to Stanford. His younger, troubled brother has just returned from juvenile detention, and although Brad is initially met with hostility from his brother, his brother also joins the track team. This one is a little cheesy in parts, but the running scenes are actually pretty decent and the story is entertaining enough that you might enjoy it if you're a runner.

Running on the Edge
In this Bruce Dern film, Dern plays a runner unfairly banned froom an iconic mountain race.  Twenty years later., he sets his sights on winning the race. The race itself is based on the the famous Dipsea race, and Dern plays a compelling runner. There's a Jock Semple/Kathrine Switzer scenario with an angry director trying to remove a runner from "his" race, which makes it entertaining for running historians. The cinematography is also excellent, and I would enjoy watching this film just to watch the runners cross beautiful landscapes.

The Jericho Mile
This one's fun if not purely for the 70s lingo. Set in a prison, an incarcerated runner is spotted by prison officials who see his talent, set up a race for him, and try to get him entered into the Olympic trials. If you can get over the pure 1970s feel of this movie, the running scenes are well-done and the story is entertaining if you turn your brain off.

It's Goal Time 2017

Last year I didn't set any goals on my blog for the first time in several years. My lack of goal setting was partially due to my my lack of success in 2014 and 2015. Instead, I decided to set a couple of private goals, and I met one officially and another unofficially. The three goals I'd set for myself was running under 17 minutes in a 5k, and setting PRs in the marathon and half marathon.

I didn't meet the goal of running under 17 minutes for the 5k. I only ran one 5k in July, and though I likely would have run under 17 minutes if the weather had been more cooperative, my time off from running in June and the first week of July had me in less than peak shape. It was the only 5k I ran, so I never gave myself another chance to break 17 minutes.

My goal of setting a marathon PR was unofficially met. You can read all about the debacle that was the Milwaukee Marathon (parts one, two, and three), but suffice to say I ended up covering almost 30 miles. I took a split at the 26.46 mark, figuring that would be about right considering GPS correction and not running the tangents perfectly. My unofficial split at that point was a PR, so I unofficially met my marathon PR goal.

As for my half marathon goal, I officially met that one, running a PR time of 1:16:09. Everything came together at the City of Lakes Half Marathon. I was in good shape, had a good day racing, and the weather was almost perfect. It felt good to set a PR in the half marathon, especially since my last half marathon PR was over four years ago.

So there's the rundown of my 2016 goals. Three goals seemed like a good amount, so I'll do the same of 2017.

Goal 1: Set a PR at the marathon distance. I'll be running Grandma's Marathon in June, a marathon that won't be in danger of having a mis-marked course. I'm hoping for good weather since running in the heat is tough after training in cold and cool weather in Minnesota's winter and spring.

Goal 2: Break 17 minutes in the 5k. I'm looking to run a 5k in February, and if the weather is decent I'll have a shot. If it's too cold, I'll probably try to run a 5k in the fall.

Goal 3: Set a new indoor mile PR. I'm running a mile race in less than a week, and my training has been going pretty well. I'll have to break 4:52, and I think that based on my training I've got a chance.

These should all be doable goals. I'm looking forward to a great 2017!

Happy Running!

Year in Review

This year was the most eventful year of my life, and included the biggest life change ever--a new baby. Calvin is almost a year old, and it's been an amazing year. Being a father is sometimes challenging, but it's worth every minute. I won't break down every month with Calvin, and since this is a (mostly) running blog, I'll write a bit about my running and racing.

January
Our lives changed forever when we were blessed with a healthy baby boy on January 22. Calvin seems to be doing something new nearly every day, and though it's been almost a year, I still feel like a new parent.

February and March
February and March brought a lot of visitors eager to meet Calvin. We were also blessed with a lot of support from friends and our young adult group through church who brought us lots of meals. In March we got to see lots of friends and family at Calvin's baptism.

As far as running goes, I ran the Lake Johanna 4 Mile. I wasn't in as good of shape as I was at the beginning of 2015 and was over two minutes slower than the year before, but I still had fun.

April
In April my running started to pick up. I trained pretty consistently starting the end of February, and I came up just short of a PR at the 25k distance on a terribly cold and windy day at the Ron Daws 25k. I got to enjoy going out for drinks and talking to a couple running buddies after the race.

In March I ran my first ever Mudball 4 Mile race, and took second overall. Even better than that, Laura and Calvin came to watch me run.

May and June
May was a busy month for running. I paced the Valley Fair, Minnetonka, and Fargo half marathons. I also got in the most running I had for the year, logging 276 miles. In June, I paced the Lake Waconia Half Marathon. At the end of June, I took it a little easier with running and reduced my mileage and took some extra days off. I wanted to be fresh going into my marathon training.

July and August
July brought a lot of fun. We had a Hill family reunion (my mom's side of the family), a trip to a lake house with Laura's side of the family, and Calvin turned six months old.

Hill cousins

Calvin also got his first haircut. He was completely calm during his haircut, and he sure was handsome when it was finished.

As far as running goes, July started my official training plan for the Milwaukee Marathon. I also ran a 5k, Juliette's Race, with goal of running under 17 minutes. The weather didn't cooperate as it was very hot and humid, and I missed my goal by just under 10 seconds.

August brought me into the thick of marathon training. I ran every day of the month besides the first, and put in over 260 miles, averaging over 60 miles a week.

September and October
In September I raced my one half marathon in 2016, the City of Lakes Half Marathon, and came away with a shiny new PR of 1:16:08. It felt pretty good to set a PR as my previous PR was over four years ago in 2012.

October brought my low of the year, being hospitalized for symptoms of bipolar just over a year after my last hospitalization. Though it was a bummer, it resulted in some adjustments to my medications which have now become even more effective. It also led me to a therapy skills group where I learned more strategies to manage and prevent future bipolar episodes.

November and December
In November I raced my first marathon in over a year, the PNC Bank Milwaukee Marathon. I had high hopes for the race, but due to a turnaround that wasn't well-marked I ran over three miles extra, and I missed out on an official PR. My unofficial split when I had run 26.46 miles was good enough for a PR, but since it wasn't official I'm going to try for a PR again this spring at Grandma's Marathon.

Though the race was disappointing, we did have a good time in Milwaukee visiting some friends.

December brought some nice holiday fun including our annual Christmas party with Laura's side of the family in Eagan. Unfortunately we were unable to make it to Rochester on Christmas Day due to weather, but we did get to stay with her family for several days after Christmas and celebrate then.

December also brought me to my second highest mileage total for the year. I ran over 2,300 miles in 2016, only about 100 miles short of my all-time highest year in 2011.

All in all, 2016 was a great year. A new baby has brought so much joy to our lives, and we got to do many fun things with friends and family. I'm looking forward to another great year in 2017.

Looking Ahead to 2017
We don't have any big trips or vacations planned for 2017, but I know it's going to be an eventful year. Calvin will turn one in January, and soon he'll be walking and talking. He'll also start going to Laura's school in September--another big change.

As far as blogging goes, I'm planning on writing more about my challenges and successes with bipolar, sharing a bit of my story.

Happy New Year!