Joe Wilcoxson

Joe Wilcoxson - Tredici- Half Beginner 11-12 min/mile

Joe Wilcoxson

I am a software engineer and the father of two teenagers.

In my adult life, I've felt the best physically and emotionally during those periods when I was running. I felt great in my early 20s, but then gave it up. I took up running again about two years ago to stay in shape for cycling over the winter. While running I made myself a promise that I would run the next Tulsa Run. When Spring came around I was back to cycling but also keeping up with my running. I ended up over training and decided I needed to quit running or biking. Since I'm writing this, I guess it's obvious what choice I made. I made the choice because I had promised to myself that I was going to do the Tulsa Run and I didn't want to break that promise. A couple weeks before the Tulsa Run, a part of my life disintegrated. But, I decided it was not the time to quit and I needed to keep that promise to myself. I ran the Tulsa Run and was relieved to have done it.

Part of my life was still in a shambles so a co-worker's wife sort of needled and prodded me to run with Runner's World and at one of the sign-up meetings I decided to try a half-marathon--the OKC Memorial. It was cold getting up those winter mornings, but Simone and Ed (my run leaders) were always there to encourage me as well as Kathy and Brian. I'm back to feeling the best I have in probably 20 years, and it's all due to running. I don't think I could handle the stress of my life without it.

After my big goal of completing the OKC Memorial half was finished, I kept running--but without a purpose. I entered a few 5Ks, but was feeling sort of down. During one of my runs, I figured I needed another goal--so why not another half marathon? I signed up for another half, but then got an e-mail from Runner's World asking if anyone would like to be run leaders. I decided that I would like to try and pay back the gift that Kathy and Brian and everyone else involved with Runner's World had given me--the gift of running. So, I completed one session of leading, and decided to do another--still trying to pay back the gift. I also found the old adage, "it's better to give than to receive," also applied to run leading and have gotten joy out of seeing other runners complete their running goals.

There's a saying not related to running of "it works if you work it." I think this is true of running. If you keep at it and follow the program, you will succeed. I always figure that if I can do it, then anybody can do it. All it takes is the perseverance to do the weekday runs and the long Saturday run. I learned a long time ago that long mileage is just so much easier to complete in a group than by myself. The camaraderie or even the silent suffering sometimes is just made easier when running with a group.