My name is Alan Johnson and I am 52 years old and reside in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I have been running for over 44 years and concentrate mainly on middle to long distance running and marathons. My first marathon was in 1974 at the Atlantic City Marathon, where I placed 10th with a time of 2:48; good enough to qualify for my first "Boston Marathon". This was the first of 10 times that I would qualify for Boston, running only the 1975 and 1996 (100th) races. My fastest marathon is 2:43:45 - not bad for a one-time 100/200m runner! I have run other marathons including Kansas City, Dallas-White Rock, Las Vegas, Colorado, Milton Keynes(England) and Pikes Peak, 14 times!
I am a high school teacher in Colorado Springs with History, Psychology and Special Education, Geography, and Special Education as my main areas of concentration. As a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco, North Africa, I have traveled quite a great deal, and have been in England, Wales, Germany, Spain, Portugal, the Philippines, Mexico and Yugoslavia (1976). I always find unique places to run and the people are warm and kind; even though the language barrier can get in the way!
I am a graduate of Adams State College, Alamosa, Colorado, where I ran under the guidance of Joe Vigil, now an Olympic Track coach. While in college I ran the 400/800m races; missing the Us Olympic trials standard of 1.50,00 in the 800m with a 1.51,5. Truly a heartbreak in 1968!
With my running, it has also expanded into my own running camp - the Colorado High Altitude Running Camp, that is held near Colorado springs, Colorado, at an elevation of 9000 feet. We run trails and the mountains around the area and venture off to other areas as well to increase elevation. It's a camp for all ages and levels/abilities of runners. I can hold 34 runners each session that is held in July/August each year. The final run is the ascent of Pikes Peak to the summit at 14,110 feet elevation. What an accomplishment to have "run up" a mountain that is approximately one-half the elevation of Mt. Everest! More info at: charc-mt@uswest.net or bajarunner@yahoo.com.
I belong to the Pikes Peak Road Runners running club and participate in both road races and cross-country races during the year. The mountains, however are my favorite, and seek to run on the trails and at altitude if at all possible. I run 45-50 miles a week in the winter and increase to 75-80 in the summer. Cross-training in the winter consists of cross country skiing and snowshoeing. I run year' round, but my favorite season is summer; especially in the mountains.
My favorite running companion is my wife, Eileen, a registered nurse, and age-group winner of the Pikes Peak Ascent race. We have run many races together and are always looking for races to share together. Our favorites are the "Bay to Breakers" 12k in San Francisco, California; and the "Steamboat Springs half marathon" in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
As age can be an obstacle, it can also be historical. I placed 9th in the very first "Peachtree 10k Road Race" in 1970; there were only 110 finishers. There are now over 50,000 that run this race - the largest 10k in the world! Who would have known that it would become one of the premier road races in the world! I ran the first 3 Peachtree races, and have since returned (as an invited runner) to run the 25th and 30th anniversary runs.
Hopefully this has given a "thumb-nail" sketch into the running that I have enjoyed, in the over 40 years, and looking forward to continuing (for another 40+ years) and sharing with others the love and pleasure that this wonderful "sport" has brought me.
Run The Planet would like to thank Alan Johnson from Usa/Colorado for taking part in the Planeteer Spotlight.
