“Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary” – that is a line from the movie Dead Poets Society as spoken by Robin Williams.  That is what today’s post is about. You can apply it to anything and running falls under the ‘anything’ category.

I lost a good true friend this week suddenly.  She was not a runner – not an athlete – in many ways she was the opposite.  However she was full of life, always making people laugh – she had an infectious laugh….and was kind and caring.  Hanging out with her was always fun – you never knew what to expect.  There was always a moment that might catch you off guard …. but you would laugh 10 minutes later or 10 years later.  She was only 46 when she died….that is too young for anyone to die.   And I am struggling with the fact that I lost 2 friends just this year from heart attacks at the same age as I am now – 46.

Life is too short to not make every day count.  yea, you may be tired and cranky, you may not want to go to that next gathering with friends, but you don’t know when your last day will be.   So, whatever it is, just do it – get it done.  We don’t have all the time in the world to do everything, so get out there….

To connect this to running – go run with some friends, even if it is a 22 minute drive to get there; get up for that daily renewal – that exercise that gets you going.  What do you have to lose:  try your hardest – every single time;  leave it all on the track or on the race course.  You can’t regret what happened in the past – just get them in the next race.  There are inspirational stories of people who run with only 1 leg, or with a disease, etc.  If you are reasonably healthy and stay careful, there is no reason, no excuse, to not get out there and run, or bike, or love, or care…..

This has been a tragic week….we all have to remember the good times with people who passed.  But for the people still alive, we can make new memories with them all the time – we have to just make the effort….

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Runners Grave

Nickolas Joannidis
Nickolas Joannidis
I have been running for over 35 years, having done practically every possible racing event or distance from the 100 meters through the marathon. I competed in varsity high school cross country and track at Saddle Brook High School in the mid-1980's, varsity cross country and track at Division II Pace University and finished well over 200 road races since then, including 20 marathons with a lifetime best of 3:14:50. I was the president of the Hoffmann LaRoche corporate running team for 7 years, growing the team from 25 to over 90 during his tenure. I coached many of these runners to achieve their goals, whether they were beginners or advanced. In 2011 I was an assistant coach for the Fair Lawn Recreation track team, helping the 10 to 14 year old group. I am currently personally coaching dozens of runners, from beginner levels to advanced levels and getting them to be prepared to meet their goals.

1 Comment

  1. Korinne Ross says:

    Nick, I want you to know that I and the family have a heavy heart . Even Matthew and Olivia remember Vicki as little we saw her. I feel so badly for all of her friends and family. She is leaving a whole in your lives. I pray we all remember that no one is promised tomorrow. Are we ready to meet our maker, thankfully it’s not what we do here on earth, but what Christ has already done. By that I don’t mean that we just let go, but in our attempt to bring glory to Him, we will hit bumps and disappoint…that’s really peace. He’s already done the work as a propitiation for us! May God comfort all with the truth! Love you all to pieces!