It's not a sprint....It's a MARATHON!

This is my last blog post before I take on the ultimate running challenge. The marathon has become a metaphorical event for my life. The pain, the struggle, the dedication and commitment, and ultimately the joy, satisfaction, and victory of accomplishment. I CAN do this!

...but first...a look back.

As I blogged many months ago, I have been down this road before. I completed five half marathons between 2001 and 2005. I only trained for the first one, and just walked the other 4. From 2005 through 2009 I let my health take a back seat and ballooned to 310 pounds (picture above 07/2007) when my son was born in November 2007. For the next 2 years, I yo-yoed my way around to 285. (picture below 10/2009). Since I'm so tall, I have always carried this weight well, but I was hiding in 2XL and 3XL clothes.

The first turning point was the completion of the Yorktown YMCA. Upon becoming a charter member, I, along with my wife became regulars at spin class, and as I began to feel stronger, I knew it was time to set a goal.

The goal needed to be HUGE, and it needed to be DISTANT. In my mind, I wanted it to sound impressive, and yet, I wanted to have plenty of time to make it a reality. I searched the internet for days before deciding on the Monumental Marathon.

The date of the Marathon is November 6. As I looked at a calendar to see where that fell, it occurred to me that this was the last day of Daylight Savings Time. The real irony of it all was that the upcoming weekend was the beginning of Daylight Savings Time. ****HERE'S YOUR SIGN!**** It was a voice in my head saying, "it's time for a change! -- we're changing the clocks, you're changing your life!"

...and so it began. We changed the clocks on March 14, and I started to change my life.

While this blog is primarily for me to revisit my progress, I hope it may somehow inspire you. If you're doubting yourself, I believe you can change your life as well. Look at where I started, and study how I progressed. From March 15 to June 20, I did the exact same workout every single week focusing only on my ability to increase my pace and run each distance nonstop.

Monday - rest
Tuesday 3 miles
Wednesday 4 miles
Thursday 4 miles
Friday - rest
Saturday 3 miles
Sunday 6 miles

MARCH - 47 Miles - I ran only inside on the treadmill

First 3 miles = 48:00 (16:00) - that's 3.6 on the treadmill, and that's all I could do!

First 4 miles = 65:00 (16:00) - occasionally I'd bump it to 3.9, but not for long!

First 6 miles = 100:00+ not sure I even walked it all!

APRIL - 84.1 Miles - YTD = 131.1 Miles - I started doing my long runs/walks outside

Best 3 miles = 34:00 (11:18) - first time I ran the whole 3 miles nonstop

Best 4 miles = 46:00 (11:35) - also first time I ran it nonstop

Best 6 miles = 73:00 (12:10) -

HIGHLIGHT - COMPLETED MY FIRST 5K RACE IN 34:15 - (but had to walk a little)

MAY - 77.1 Miles - YTD = 208.2 Miles - I got my Garmin on May 20 - still can't imagine running without it!

Best 3 miles = 31:25 (10:28)

Best 4 miles = 44:57 (11:14)

Best 6 miles = 72:00 (12:00)

HIGHILGHT - COMPLETED ANOTHER 5K RACE IN 31:23 (10:23)

JUNE - 66.72 Miles - YTD = 274.92 Miles - Officially began the 20 week training plan on Father's Day, June 20

Best 3 miles = 29:53 (9:58) - first sub 10 pace run

Best 4 miles = 42:49 (10:41)

Best 6 miles = 69:36 (11:36) - first time I ran it non stop

HIGHLIGHT - COMPLETED ANOTHER 5K RACE IN 30:55 (9:59) - AND A 5 MILE RACE IN 52:58 (10:35)

JULY - 83.1 Miles - YTD = 358.02 Miles - Started adding the longer distances

Best 3 miles = 29:49 (9:56)

Best 5 miles = 53:24 (10:41)

Best 6 miles = 69:07 (11:30)

Best 8 miles = 1:42:00 (12:45)

Best 10 miles = 2:13:22 (13:20)

AUGUST - 54.2 Miles - YTD = 412.22 Miles
Multisport training. - Subbed my 12 and 14 milers for additional training with Swimming and Biking workouts

Best 5 miles = 53:10 (10:37)

Didn't improve any of my measured distances, but got MUCH stronger!

SEPTEMBER - 105 Miles - YTD = 517.22 Miles
Subbed my 16 miler for the Sprint Triathlon On Sept 4

Best 3 miles = 28:36 (9:32)

Best 6 miles = 64:54 (10:49)

Best 8 miles = 1:37:50 (12:13)

Best 10 miles = 1:53:55 (11:23) - nonstop

Best 18 miles = 3:33:29 (11:51)

HIGHLIGHT - COMPLETED MY FIRST SPRINT TRIATHLON
(8:31 SWIM, 50:03 BIKE, 42:00 RUN)
BUT ENDED UP WITH A $1000 HOSPITAL BILL
COMPLETED A 15K RACE IN 1:34:29 (10:13)

OCTOBER -128.4 Miles - YTD = 645.62 Miles
Best 3 miles = 26:32 (8:51)

Best 4 miles = 38:42 (9:40) - first sub 10 pace over 4 miles

Best 5 miles = 49:25 (9:53) - first sub 10 pace over 5 miles

Best 8 miles = 1:24:25 (10:33) - though still not as fast paced as last months 15k

Best 10 miles = 1:47:35 (10:45)

First 20 miler = 3:53:55 (11:41) - ran every step of it!

Best 20 miler = 3:48:32 (11:25) - ran every step of it...FASTER!

HIGHLIGHT - COMPLETED ANOTHER 5K RACE IN 26:26 (8:43)

NOVEMBER -26.2 Miles remaining!!

HIGHLIGHT - FIRST MARATHON = PRICELESS!

I said all along the goal was simply to finish the marathon, but the perks would include weight loss, increased energy, and improved self-confidence. All of the perks have far exceeded my expectations. I will run this marathon at 235 pounds. 75 pounds less than when my son was born, and yet probably still one of the heaviest men in the field...and I'm okay with that!

On my initial blog, I said I wanted to do complete the run in under 6 hours. On my registration, I said I expected to finish in 5:15:00. I still believe I can achieve this, but run, jog, walk or crawl, I WILL FINISH!

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR LOVE, SUPPORT, AND ENCOURAGEMENT!

Monumental Marathon Play List

This is my Play List for the Marathon...what do you think?

Miles 1-7 "RUN THIS TOWN"
Run This Town	Jay-Z ft Kanye West & Rihanna
Beautiful Day	U2
Lose yourself	Eminem
Airplanes (Feat. Hayley Williams)	B.o.B
TiK ToK	Keisha
Bad Romance	Lady GaGa
Cooler Than Me	Mike Posner
Hey Soul Sister	Train
I Gotta Feeling	Black Eyed Peas
Clocks	Coldplay
The Way I Are	Timberland
Dirty Little Secret	All-American Rejects
Down (Feat. Lil' Wayne)	Jay Sean
Fergalicious	Fergie
Fireflies	Owl City
Waking Up in Vegas	Katy Perry
Glamorous (Feat. Ludacris)	Fergie
Glitter In The Air	Pink
Please Don't Stop the Music	Rihanna
Hot 'N Cold	Katy Perry
Mighty To Save	Hillsong United
In My Head	Jason Derulo
Miles 8-14 - "DANGER ZONE"
Highway to the Danger Zone	Kenny Loggins
Always	Building 429
Check Yes Juliet	We The Kings
I Will Rise	Chris Tomlin
If You Only Knew	Shinedown
The Kill	30 Seconds To Mars
Leave out All the Rest	Linkin Park
The Motions	Matthew West
OMG	Usher ft Will I. Am
Shattered	OAR
Vertigo	U2
Your Love Is My Drug	Ke$ha
Low	Flo Rida ft. T-Pain
So What	Pink
Teenage Dream	Katy Perry
Dynamite	Taio Cruz
Let It Rock	Kevin Rudolf ft. Lil' Wayne
Teenage Wasteland	The Who
Viva la Vida	Coldplay
Addicted	Saving Abel
Girlfriend	Avril Lavigne
Living on a Prayer	Bon Jovi
The Words I Would Say	Sidewalk Prophets
Miles 15-21 - "I'M NOT AFRAID"
I'm not afraid	Eminem
Alive	Pocket Full Of Rocks
By Your Side	Tenth Avenue North
Just Dance	Lady Gaga Ft. Akon
Hearts On Fire	Rocky
Kings And Queens	30 Seconds To Mars
Live Like We're Dying	Kris Allen
Numb	Linkin Park
Something Beautiful	Needtobreathe
Stronger	Kanye West
Sexy Chick	David Guetta Ft. Akon
Uprising	Muse
The Great Escape	Boys Like Girls
When You Were Young	The Killers
What I've Done	Linkin Park
Use Somebody	Kings Of Leon
Imma Be	Black Eyed Peas
Whatcha Say	Jason Derulo
When You're Gone	Avril Lavigne
Welcome To The Black Parade	My Chemical Romance
According To You	Orianthi
California Girls	Katy Perry
Boom Boom Pow	Black Eyed Peas
Miles 22-26.2 - "HOW FAR WE'VE COME"
How Far We've Come	Matchbox Twenty
Everlong	Foo Fighters
In The End	Linkin Park
More	Matthew West
Shake It	Metro Station
Skater Boy	Avril Lavigne
U + Ur Hand	Pink
Shut Up and Drive	Rihanna
All The Small Things	Blink 182
Evacuate The Dance Floor	Cascada feat. Carlprit
Four Minutes	Madonna Ft Justin Timberlake

I ADVISE U TO ALWAYS RUN WITH MUSIC!

2 WEEKS TO GO!!!

Just a quick update! Things are going great.

I ran the Chase Charlie 5k, and ran my fastest 5k in just over 26 minutes.

I continue to run with Pete, and we really push each other well.

My second 20 miler was last weekend, and I went 11:25 pace, just as I planned.

With that tapering officially began. Yay!

Today was 8 miles, and we paced it at 10:32. There's nothing more than 5 miles between now and race day.

The game plan for race day is start with the 4:45 pace group (10:52/mile) and hang with them through the 13.1 mark. At that point, I'll decide how long I can hang with them. If I need to start fading, I can fade at a rate of a minute per mile and still finish ahead of 5 hours!

The goal of course is just to finish, but to go under 5 would be the icing on the cake!

I ADVISE U TO TAPER AS NEEDED!

Ready or not, here I come!

It's been a month since my last post, and it's only another month until the marathon. It's been a good month. All my times are faster, all my paces are more consistent, and my body feels like it's ready.

I ran a 15k race 2 weeks ago on the greenway and surprised myself with a 10:13 pace finishing 3rd in my age group.

Last week my long run was 20 miles. It was fun to run from home to Prairie Creek and halfway back to the downtown Y. Pace was 11:41 which is :14/mi slower than where I need to be, but it was a freezing cold morning and rained on me 8 of the 20 miles.

Next weekend is another 20 miler and I think I can go 11:25 or better.

Today was a great 10 miler with my friend Pete. He has even agreed to sign up for the half marathon and travel down with me. We think we can even run together for the first 7 miles until we split courses.

After next week, I start tapering back gradually. Long runs are 12 miles and weekly runs never go over 6.

I've decided my goal is to break 5 hours (11:27 pace)...and I'm ready!

I ADVISE U TO DETERMINE YOUR GOALS NOW!

My First Triathlon / Ambulance Ride

I expected to finish my first tri, but I never imagined it would end in the ER! We'll get to that...

The day started off well. I'd gone to bed early the night before, and was wide awake at 5 a.m. Had a banana and some toast, drank a bottle of water, and got dressed. Molly got the kids ready, and we were out the door by 6 a.m.

It was quite windy and only 55 degrees on the way there. The kids stayed in the car while I set up my transition area. The crowd was growing, and my nerves were building.

Previously this week, I had not felt well. I stayed home from work on Friday with some pretty nasty G/I issues. My stomach was still not settled, but I assumed most of that was nerves. I had not eaten well the day before just a bowl of soup and some spaghetti. But this morning I felt pretty good.

We headed down to the beach and I found a familiar face, my friend Brian Riggins was doing his second race, and I thought I could trail him on the swim and feel pretty good. I was right. Got a strong start, felt pretty good. The water wasn't bad at all. In fact they say the water temp was 74, and that was much warmer than the air temp.

My swim split was 8:31, and which was 49th out of the 69 finishers.

Spotted the fam on the way to T1. And felt great.

Only spent 2:19 in transition, and I was off on the bike.

The wind was strong, and the temps never came up much, so I was pretty cold most of the time. I was getting passed by many most of the way, but I didn't let it bother me because I knew there were multiple events going on at the same time. Sprint Tri/Olympic Tri/Sprint Du/Olympic Du/Aqua Bike, so I just went as hard as I could. I only passed a handful of people on the bike, but my splits were what I was expecting. The bike course goes right past my good friend, Chuck Reynolds' house, and they were outside watching, so when I yelled at them, they went crazy cheering me on! I got a huge boost from that. Shortly after that, another friend of mine, Terry Glidden, doing the Sprint Du caught me and I went hard to chase him, but then...

THE CHAIN CAME OFF! I was shifting the big gear before the biggest hill on the course and it jumped right off. I unclipped and got off to fix it. I know at least 8 people went past me while I was working on it, and where that mile would have been a little over 4 minutes for me, it ended up being over 6. I was fired up at the top of the hill, and ran my fastest mile at 2:58.

Finished the bike with a split of 50:03, 63rd of the 69 finishers.

Into T2, I spent 2:12 changing my shoes, and somehow found a slow jog to get me out on the course.

The run was painful to say the least. I ended up walking far more than I ever imagined. I saw many of my friends running back in while I was on my way out and they were all so encouraging. Each time I saw one, I could go just a little more, but when I got to the turn around, I was about ready to quit. Another friend, Josh Shirey, that I've met through training caught me. He was doing the Sprint Du, and had had bike trouble also. He jogged me in for a bit, before I let him go. I had pretty bad lower back pain and abdominal cramps at this point, but when I got to the bottom of the last hill, I could hear my kids cheering for me. I found it in me to jog up the last hill and to the finish line holding hands with my girls.

Run time was an embarrassing 42:00, 66th of the 69 finishers.

Final time was 1:45:41. 66th overall. My goal was 1:45:00 so I know without the chain incident, I had it. And even with that 2 minutes, I would've only improved one placing.

Upon getting my finishers medal and hugging the kids, I sat down on the ground and started to eat a banana, but within 3 minutes something very bad was happening.

I began shaking, shivering, convulsing uncontrollably. Molly got me a blanket, but it didn't help. She thought my blood sugar was low so she tried to give me some M&M's, but my mouth was so dry I couldn't eat them. Others began to take notice of my condition and volunteers were quick to assist. I was taken to a pick up truck where the owner had turned the heat on full blast while I awaited EMT's. Molly was wonderful and strong, but I think the kids were terrified about what was happening to daddy.

The EMT's loaded me pretty quick into an ambulance and covered me with blankets and heat packs while they checked all my vitals. I was in extreme pain, particularly in my lower body as all of my muscles were tight and locking up while I was flexing them with every passing shiver. The official diagnosis was HYPOTHERMIA with DEHYDRATION. My body temp was 96.1 and my Heart Rate remained over 130.

They started and IV, and called for transport. Yep, I was going for a ride. Couldn't believe it. Have never had an ambulance ride in my life. They moved me from one ambulance to another, and Molly rode shot gun with me. I finally stopped shivering about the time I we arrived at the Hospital.

With my body calming and the first bag of IV nearly in me, I became very tired and exhausted, nearly falling asleep. But once I got into the ER room, I was very aware of what was going on. The reality of it all was setting in. Where was my bike? Who has my kids? HOW MUCH IS THIS GOING TO COST ME?

My physician, Derrick Williams, is a great friend, and showed up to check on me as they started the second bag of IV, they ran some blood tests and everything came back normal. I was already feeling better, and my body temp had warmed to over 100, but they wanted to put a third bag of fluid in me just to be sure.

We were checked out shortly after 1:00. And then I get the rest of the story.

My bike and all my gear were picked up by volunteers. A volunteer drove one of my vehicles with my kids in it to the hospital to meet my mother-in-law there so she could take them. My other vehicle was stranded at the reservoir with a dead battery.

It's now 4:00 and I feel great. The boy is napping. The girls are playing. My wife got a ride to the reservoir, got the vehicle started and is on her way home. It's a pretty day outside, maybe I'll go for a jog! ;)

In sticking with my I ADVISE U blog...

I ADVISE U TO ONLY RACE WHEN YOU'RE 100% HEALTHY. BUT IF YOU END UP IN THE ER, KEEP YOUR FINISHER MEDAL ON!

It's the Y Team! And it's my fault??

Motivation breeds motivation!

Yesterday was another 5k race at the reservoir as part of the Muncie Multisport Tri/Duathlon series. Unlike last time when I ran alone...this time I had the Y team with me! Who is the Y team? Well, I'm not sure to be honest, but here's a picture of us...













By now, you know I motivated Molly to sign up for the Triathlon. But did I mention she motivated a friend of hers (Tracey) to join her. Well they both thought this 5k race would be good for their training since the race is on the same course as their triathlon. Well Tracey motivated her Husband and 2 sons to join her today. And they motivated another friend, who motivated another friend to join us. And since we're all from Yorktown and work out at the Yorktown Y...we're now the Y-team!

So proud of Molly yesterday. She crushed her own expectations! I also was very pleased with my efforts. Under 10:00 pace had me at 30:48, and first in my age group! It was only the second time that I paced 3 miles under 10:00 pace. This week I also paced 4 miles under 44:00 for the first time.

The distances are still the same, but only for a couple more weeks, then we start cranking them up!

I ADVISE U TO MOTIVATE OTHERS!

Feels like I'm running in circles

And that's because I am! Molly and I decided we could do our runs together today if we went to the high school track. We let the kids play in the infield (or the sand in the long jump pit) while we ran. I ran my fastest 6 miles, and Molly finished a very strong 4 miles. But, running on that track is BORING!! I'd rather run on the treadmill than on that track.

Yesterday was a great day. I participated in a 5k as part of the Muncie duathlon/triathlon series. It was my fastest 5k on a hilly course near Prairie Creek Reservoir. The next race out there is June 12 and I'm hoping Molly will go with me so she can run the 5k course and also so she can witness the atmosphere of these elite triathletes!

May is half over, and soon I'll be increasing my distances, and I think I'm ready for it!

I ADVISE U TO NOT RUN IN CIRCLES!

Mini Envy

Yesterday was the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon. I'm nowhere ready to do that right now, but I was really wishing I was. Many of my friends participated. Some in under 1:30 and others over 3:30, but they did it, and I was envious. I know my day is coming, and patience is not my strong suit.

I continue to impress myself with stronger and faster runs. I've played around with my pace and know how fast is "too fast". Yesterday, I pushed the limits just a bit and ran my best 3 mile in 31:23, better than a 10:30 pace! I know I've not done that since high school!

I also continue to impress others. So much so, that I've motivated two others to join me at the Monumental. Jason Linke is a friend of mine from high school, that I literally have not seen since graduation (18 years ago), but I can see on facebook that he's stayed in shape. Also, Del Brinson, who is a new friend of mine in the last couple of years from church has committed it as well. Del ran cross country in high school, but this will be the first full for all 3 of us.

And apparently, I've motivated my wife to go beyond her comfort zone. She has committed to a Sprint Triathlon here in Muncie in just 11 weeks! I'm concerned for her safety with such short prep time, but she's getting good training from her friend, Jason Roberson. And in turn, she's motivating me!

I filled in a calendar with what my running assignments are for everyday between now and race day and it's a little overwhelming, but I'm still on schedule.

Happy Mother's Day!

I ADVISE U TO FIND YOUR MOTIVATION!