Welcome to Into The White

So on the advice of a friend I've decided to start this blog called Into The White. I'm not really sure what exactly, or how often, I'll be writing, but it'll mostly be about running. I say mostly, because there may be occasions when I'm taken by a whim and share my thoughts on matters outside the sphere of training runs, gear, races, etc.

Why 'Into The White'? I hear you ask ('you' that is, my currently non-existent dear reader). Well, fans of a certain band from Massachusetts might recognise the name of one of their songs and yes, I am a fan of that track, with its ambiguous meaning, and Kim's vocals in front of a wall of sound (seeing it played live was spellbinding).

But when I was thinking of a name, this song came to me because I think it's how I'd describe what I'm searching for sometimes on those runs, be it on the trails, roads or Tan. Into The White, where you block out whatever it is that you don't want to focus on, when you enter this state of mind and gain this sort of... clarity. Into The White, where it's just the beating of your heart, driving of your legs and your mind. Not every run is like that (in fact, most aren't), but when it is, I wish I could bottle it.

A little about myself. I'm a soon to be 34 year old guy with a beautiful wife and two boys (3yo and 1yo) who are the light of my life. I've been running since March 2010 and would like to consider myself a 'first half of the field' kind of guy for harder events (Roller Coaster 43k) , maybe top quartile for marathons and top 10% for more 'mass participation', events (Run for the Kids, Puffing Billy, etc), although each race is different. 

May 2012 was probably my peak, but then I had some hip problems and lost the better part of 6 months. Since then I've been working my way back and I'm probably where I was last May, maybe even a little ahead. I've got some goals (more on that in another post to come) which will hopefully drive me to bigger and better things.

But make no mistake, I'm largely a weekend (or lunchtime) warrior and I'm sure the more serious athletes would look on in horror (or pity) at the way I approach my training, nutrition, and race planning.

The last phantom question I'll respond to is 'why did you start this blog?' I guess I've always liked writing (but never been remotely good enough to be a writer), and a friend suggested that I might find writing about running to be fun. Hopefully he's right.

See you out there.

Nick