A Journey Complete

This last post is dedicated to my beautiful, amazing wife Amy, who without, this journey could not have happened. I love you :

I sit here the night after one of the most physically and emotionally exhausting events I've ever taken part in.

I guess here is a good a spot as any to get into the fun details.  Amy and I got up bright an early on Monday morning, about 5:30 AM after spending the night at my mother in laws where the kids would be staying for the day.  After a nervous drive into Boston down Route 1, we made it to Boston common and the waiting zoo of people carrying around their funny looking orange plastic Adidas bags. the systems that are in place just to get 25,000 people from Boston to Hopkinton are amazing.  Once I boarded the bus and we started moving, we were whisked away right on to the mass pike.  Police were stopping traffic and we blazed through the city with our police escort.  I couldn't help but think of Doug Mirabelli being traded for, and flown in to catch Tim Wakefields start and police escorted through the city about 5 years back.

Once in Hopkinton the pure comedy of seeing people run to the port-a-potty's or even better to the woods was fantastic.  Lucky for me, and all of the LLS runners, we had a family that has a home right on the way down to the start line that opened their house to the 125 or so runners to use to get ready and take care of "details" before the race.  The elite Men left the starting line at 10 AM.  Shortly after that we all of us from the LLS were gathered on the lawn at our new home to have on last team meeting and pep talk before the race. 

Amazingly the nerves were still not too bad.  The BAA had come out the night before and sent a very cryptic Cover Your Ass e-mail out urging people who were not very experienced runners to not run.  After 6 months of training we were all sure to run, we were just going to have to do it smart.   After dropping my funny orange bag off for its bus ride back to meet me in the city, I was off for a nervous .7 mile walk to the starting line.  The excitement and sweat was starting to pour out as i inched closer to the start line.   I knew with the sweat coming out before I even started racing, i was probably in for a long day.  As I got closer I ended up hooking up with a bunch of TNT runners, who I knew were all around 4 hour runner, like I was planning on being before the weather change and I felt confident we could somewhat stick together and we could start out slow and figure it out. With temperatures at the start near 80 and expected to reach 88, I had no clue what I was in for, as I have never run more than 3 miles in anything above 60 degree weather. With on heart surgery under my belt and having to continue to monitor my heart for me entire life....I was in for some "fun".

At this point, I was pretty sure 4 hours was out of the question.  Yes I was still thinking about my time rather than just enjoying the experience like my coaches Kelly and Sarad were begging all of us to do.   I figured i would go out slow and listen to my body and maybe it would be a 4:30 day and all would be fine, I would still be able to say I ran in one of the hottest Boston Marathon's ever run.   As I crossed the starting line, hands raised and headphones on low to hear my music but take in the sounds.  As expected the crowd moved slow but was allowing the hill to take us as we moved through the first 3 miles or so at a 9:45 a mile pace.  Toward the end of the second mile I saw my heart rate start to climb a lot faster than is normal and it was starting to hit me that today was really not going to be normal and I was in for a reality check. Once the water bottle I had been carrying that was to last me the first 6 miles or so was gone after 3, there seemed to be an air that was let out of the entire crowd around us that we were in for a dog fight and either we were going to have to slow down or we would be spending some time in the medical tent, or worse.

As I slowed down to about an 11min a mile crawl through miles 4 through 6, I even had to give in and walk as the heat was already searing my skin and I had been forced to walk through water stops and cover myself with water. These first 6 and a half miles or so were also made a little more difficult for me because of the unfamiliarity.  I had never even seen this part of the course before.  As I reached Speen Street in Natic, about 7 miles in, I ran into my high school friend Diana and her husband Nate with their newborn baby Claire.  I ran over to give Claire a kiss on the foot...I didn't want to gross her out with a salt covered kiss onteh face from me.  I asked Diana if she could call Amy and tell her that I was slowing down and would be a long time in to get to Boston, and to lie to her and tell her I looked great.  That got a couple good laughs from the people around them, as one guy exclaimed "oh don't worry pal, your looking good, keep going"

The crowds were fantastic, yelling words of encouragement the entire route, with many of them offering their garden hoses for cooling off runners and offering whatever ice they could get their hands on.  One of the things I will remember most is all of the men and women of the Army that were in full uniform lining each side of the 26.2 mile course making themselves available to help runners and spectators alike.  Along with them were the men and women marching with full backpacks the entire course, which was inspiring and made you proud.

The first three miles, I was definitely thinking about myself and keeping myself in a zone that I needed to be in to run a "respectable" time in my mind. After about 3 miles I had to really step back and take in that this run, from the beginning, wasn't about me and it was all really about me being a part of something bigger. I was running this thing because I was able to, because my kids were healthy and I wasn't sitting in the hospital or in a doctors office wondering if they were going to be okay.  They were at grammy's house, playing with squirt guns not even thinking about me, they were being kids and enjoying life, and there's no way in hell I'm going to not finish this race and get home to see them and tuck them in bed tonight. Like so many other thousands of us wannabe runners we were there to raise money for something bigger, we seemed to come together to help and encourage one another to survive and conquer, smartly, something bigger than ourselves.  No one  is really going to care if i finished in 3 hours and 45 minutes, or 5 hours and 45 minutes, just finish, get home to my kids, and be a part of something bigger.

The majority of the rest of the race was a slow methodical move toward Boston.  A slow jog on the flat and downhill parts of the course and a brisk walk up any of the hills to conserve energy and keep my heart rate low enough to feel safe. There was a point for about 15 or 20 minutes were I wasn't sweating and I started to get worried, but after soaking myself with some water and walking for a little while I felt better and started to sweat again.

I heard Flo Rida's "Good Feeling" in my headphones and I couldn't  help but think, this was my song to get me up heartbreak hill and I'm still 6 friggen miles away from it. All of the support from the spectators, cheering "Go Team" for all of the Team in Training members was a great lift as I worked toward Boston.  I saw my wife's Aunt Debbie and Uncle Don just past the crest of heartbreak hill.  I again urged them to give Amy an update as to my pace and expected time in and to lie to her about me looking great and doing well.

I was able to see Amy and my mom with a little less than a mile to go in the race, they found a great spot just after the last bridge we cross under.  I ran up the side of an embankment to kiss my wife and my mom and then with a last bust of energy took off my ear buds and cranked it home to the finish life.  As I turned on to Boylston Street, in what felt like turning into the Coliseum with all of the people, I finally could say, "holy shit Josh, you did it,  you finished the Boston Marathon"  I ran hard and had the strength to raise my hands in personal victory, and hopefully victory in something bigger, as I crossed the finish line.
 
I started this journey focused on a goal time, of finishing in under 4 hours. And even though I finished in 5 hours, 29 minutes and 12 seconds, I finished.  It wasn't pretty but it was effective.  I am now able to check one more thing off my "bucket list".  With the help of some fantastic friends and family, I was able to raise close to $5,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I got myself in some of the best shape of my life.  I learned a ton about running and marathoning.   I went into one of the most physically demanding things I've ever done and not once did I think about quitting or think that I wasn't going to finish. And on Tuesday morning, at about 5:30 AM, I head the greatest sound in the world. Brady from his bedroom, "dad.......Daddy.....Daddy I go poopy in my diaper....come help me."    Life is good!

To see some of the pictures, click the link here to my facebook page.

Marathon Eve!

Well, tomorrow is the big day.  After dropping the kids off at my mother in laws house this morning, Amy and I made our way out to the Seaport World Trade Center for the Athlete's Expo. The expo was mobbed with an unbelievable amount of people and vendors.  Despite the people it was very will organized.  I was able to pick up my bib number and grabbed some overpriced merchandise.   We grabbed a quick bite at a neat little deli across the street from the expo.

After that we came home and had a nice pasta dinner with the family and now it's time to just chill out and relax.  The Boston Athletic Association is a little nervous with the high temperatures predicted for tomorrow, but I already have made the decision to throw the idea of a 4 hour marathon out the window and am going to enjoy a nice jog with about 27,000 friends.   Looking forward to one of the hardest days of my life, but also one of the more memorable.

A special thanks to all of my friends and family for all of their support throughout this entire process.



Local Dads Running Boston Marathon For Daughters « CBS Boston

Take two minutes to watch this video....

Local Dads Running Boston Marathon For Daughters « CBS Boston

then make sure you hug your kids tonight!

The Taper Begins!

It's officially taper time.  Time to let the body recover and get ready for the race, now exactly two weeks from now.  All I can think about right now is my Fillet and cheesecake at Ruth's Chris that I'll be eating.

I had what was supposed to be a nice easy 12 miler on Saturday with the TNT group.  We did a nice 12 mile flat section of the course and I surprisingly felt really good.  With my goal race pace at 9:09 I was looking to run in the mid to high 9's for this run.  I was more concerned with keeping the heart rate nice and low.  I felt really strong and knew I was out faster than my goal.   After the final water stop that I blew through because I was feeling strong, I looked down at my watch and I had just finished an 8:30 mile.  I really didn't feel like I was pushing that hard at all, and I finished my last 3 miles all in the 8:20's and 30's and I really felt like a had a couple extra gears to hit if I really wanted.  It was a really fun feeling.  Who knows if I'll feel anything close to that on marathon day, we'll see.

The only downside to the whole day was I got my first blister of the entire training period. Just a little one on the tip of one of my toe, not a big deal at all.  This next couple weeks is either is going to fly by or is going to drag like no other.

The Auburn daily

Here's a link to a nice little story that was recently done in a local online newpaper.

The Auburn Daily

20 Miler in the books!

Today was my last big test before race day, the 20 miler.  I drove out to the Wellesley Community Center, my usual long run spot, without the TNT crew today.  I headed backwards toward Natick Center for 4.5 miles and then looped back to the community center.  My plan was to run about 10 minute mile today, but I felt really good and was anywhere from 9:25 to 9:40 for my first 15 miles.  It was near perfect running weather, about 45 degrees with overcast sky's.  There were a TON of runners out on the course.  There were busloads of people being dropped of and running at various points on the course.   I felt really strong for the first leg back to the community center.   After refilling my camel pack with GU juice, I replaced the GU Gels that have been doing a number on my stomach the last few weeks with dried fruit and nuts which were an awesome change.  I headed into Newton and felt really strong on the hills.  I made it all the way up to the top of heartbreak hill at mile 15ish feeling really strong.  I stopped for about 20 seconds at the top of the hill to stretch and catch a breath and then headed back down the hill home.  I think the stopping to stretch hurt me more than anything else.  I finished the last 5 miles home at about a 10 minute pace. ON race day I might have been able to push more, but I ran out of water with about 3 miles to go and that hurt me a little as well. Overall felt really well with no intestinal turmoil from the dried fruit and it was just some muscle ached when I was done.






I rewarded myself tonight with a nice little treat.   Poor thing never had a chance.  Going to be at least two or three days of recovery and then the three weeks of taper to get ready for the race.  I think it's going to be a long three weeks  

I get to stop complaining today!

No complaints today.  Put in a nice easy 13 with the TNT crew today.  Went out with the intent on going slow and keeping a steady pace throughout the run.  Which I did better than I could have imagined.  My splits were between 9:21 and 9:38 for all 13 miles.  I actually had some of my quicker ones at miles 10 and 11.  It was a relatively flat 13 today going back from mile 15 to Speen St. in Natick and back.  Feet felt great.  I switched out the insole of my Glycerine's which were awesome as far as hot spots and blisters and.  I put them in the new 3030's and it was the perfect combo.  No hot spots and no sore knee's, hips or anything.  The right top of the ankle is a little sore this afternoon but really feeling great.

The best thing about this morning was that the TNT coaches brought in one the the researchers from Dana Farber. He spent a few minutes going over the types of research he is doing and explaing how the money that is being raised is helping him to get steps closer to cures for the type of blood cancer he is working with.  It was very informative and helped to keep the running thing in perspective.

I now need to find an alternative to my GU gels.  They have been killing my stomach over the last few weeks. I got some salt in my system today and it helped a little bit but I don't think it will help.  That and keeping healthy will be the main goal over the next few weeks.   This week it  will be preparing for my big 20 miler on Sunday of next week.  Looking forward to and dreading it at the same time.

Fun Run

Finally a fun run.  Went for a quick 3.5 mile loop near the house.  I didn't even bring the watch, just wanted to go out and push and see how it went.  Went great.  Everything gelt great,  and I feel like I'm getting stronger and better for Boston.  I'm going to try to swap out the insoles from my glycerins which were aweseom from a blister standpoint and put them in the new 3030's which have been awsome from a support and structure standpoint but have given me a couple hot spots on my feet. Looking for another strong 13 miler on Saturday with the TNT crew!!!

Off to see the Wizard

Feet were slicing up and getting hotspots on my 13 miler (intended 18 miler on Monday)  Still feeling the effects of my peatree dish of a child bringing home the flu last week.  Off to the running store to exchange my shoes for a pair a half size smaller to alleviate the issue.  Other than that no complaints what so ever.  I know Shocking!!!

I'm a lucky guy

Time sure does seem to fly in between blog postings.  As we get closer to D day, the postings here will probably get more numerous and more excited/terrified.

I've been working hard the last 4- 5 weeks trying to just get healthy and work out the aches and pains that have come as a result of the training.  Last week I want over to PR Running in Westboro to replace my Glycerin 9's with a new pair that would probably be my go too pair for the race.  After reviewing what I've been dealing with and looking at my gait again, I walked away with the Asics 3030's and couldn't be happier.  They are specifically built for my type of late pronation and should be a big help with the toe issues I've been having basically since the start of training.

So on Saturday, rather than go out and battle the recently fallen snow and ice, I trucked over to the gym to go hit a quick 13 miles on the treadmill.  The first 9 miles felt very good.  Other than being a little bored....you can only watch sportscenter for the first 45 minutes before it gets obnoxious and you've memorized every highlight.  My feet, knees and ankles all felt great, my breathing and heart rate were pretty good and I really felt solid.  Then of course it changed.  I felt my calf tighten up a little bit.  Then after the 9th mile I felt a sharp pull in my right calf that brought me to an instant halt. 

I went and stretched for about 20 minutes trying to work it out, but I was done for the day.  I was frustrated as hell because it seems like i can't get back to 100%.  Now a couple days later, the calf is feeling much better and I'm going to try a couple miles on the treadmill tomorrow at the gym before my workout.  I talk to my Team In Training coach and she thought I should spend some more time doing core and back work because that is why my calf is probably so tight and let to the pull.

As frustrating as it is, I still have to feel pretty lucky.  I had to go pick Brady up from school on Friday morning after he vomited.  It turns out that he was exposed and came down with Hand, Foot and Mouth virus.  The poor kid was up all night Saturday night, literally getting about 45 minutes of sleep the whole night.   Amy and I were up with him all night and he wouldn't nap all day Saturday.  The poor little guy just couldn't get comfortable.   As frustrated as Amy and I were that we couldn't help, it helped to reinforce why I'm running this race.  I know that within a few more days he's going to be better.  I saw him in the min johnny when we went to urgent care Saturday afternoon and he looked cute because I knew we could go home and he's have it off.  I have no clue what I would do if that was a more common wardrobe for him.

Despite all the frustration and minor setbacks that have gone into this training....I really am a lucky guy.

My First Race!

So I officially ran in my first road race today.  Ran and finished the Hampton Half Marathon. It was a really well put together race with about 1500 racers on a very flat coarse on the ocean in Hampton, NH.   I had a really fun day enjoying my first race with Amy.  I think she had more fun than I did, getting to eat a huge breakfast buffet all by her self while sipping on mimosa's and enjoying the quiet while I was out running.

As for the race, my goal was to finish in under 2 hrs with a stretch goal of finishing in under 1:55. I really wanted to focus on staying slow in the first few miles and not letting the excitement of the race get me going too fast too soon.  I felt really good, finishing in 1:58:04 which accomplished my first goal but fell short of my 1:55 goal.  It was good to know that I paced myself well, and I think the other positive was that I feel like I can throw out any thought of finishing Boston in under 4 hours.  I ran a relatively comfortable race for the first 10 miles or so and then tried to kick it up a notch for the finish.  I go into a late kick and ran my 11th and 12th mile at about 8:40 after running about a 9:05 for the first 10.  I felt really strong late but kicked a little too early and bonked with a mile too go and did my last mile at about 9:10 though I was able to sprint in the last .2 miles with a great crowd cheering you on.

With the finish today I feel like there is no way in hell I can finish Boston in under 4 hours which was my goal going in and it helped to put my finishing tim in perspective.  Now I think I'm looking more like 4:10-4:15 as a finishing time and should be there to just enjoy the race.

After enjoying some great beer and chowda after the race and chatted with some friends,  Amy and I headed home to pick up the boys and head home to finish off the weekend.  My loving wife was sure to get a couple photo's of me icing down my ankle pain with a bucket of ice and a glass of Southern Comfort.   Looking forward to getting re-fitted for some new runnnig shoes this week as we work toward Boston in 8 short weeks.

Carb Loading

I didn't realize how long it's been since I've posted on here.   Time seems to be flying by and the marathon seems to be running up on me faster than I can track.

I have spent tonight fueling up on pasta and water in prep for my first half marathon on Sunday at Hampton Beach.   I have been fighting off injuries basically since November when i started the training and at this point I'm just getting over some soreness and tightness in my right foot.  I ran a nice slow 6.5 miles on Wednesday and unfortunately didn't get to the gym to hit the bike today.  At this point I'm not going to go out between now and Sundays race, and I can already feel my body itching to get some activity.

I'm going with the family up to Peabody tomorrow morning to spend the day at my mother in laws and spend the night there so we have a short ride Sunday Morning.  it will be nice for Amy and I to have some alone time for the day and am excited to have her there. 

My goal for the race is to be able to hold myself back for the first 5 to 6 miles of the race and not get out too fast on a fast flat course.  Once I hat the 6 mile mark, I'd like to let loose a little bit and finish strong.  I'll be very disappointed to finish anything over 2 hours, and I have a stretch goal of 2:55 but I won't be terribly disappointed if I don't get there.

I'll post after the race.

At the scene of the Crime!

This weekend I finally had a chance to get out for a run with the Team In Training group for a 15 mile run along the actual course I'll be running in April.   I got up early on Saturdya morning and left a sick wife to get out with the group.  We met at the Wellesley Community center, which is at about mile 14 on the course.   There was about 75 men and women there, many of whom are in the same boat training for thier first Boston, many thier first marathon.  I spent most of my time as we were getting ready to go out talking to a guy who had left his house in New Jersey at 4 Am to make it to the group workout for 8.   Like me he was looking forward to forging some relationships and hoping to get even more from the experience.  He had ran in 5 prior marathons but this was his first crack at Boston.

This was also going to be my first run, outside after the last two weeks working my long runs indoors and spending most of my weekly workouts on the bike in order to rest my toes as well as give me shin and knee some time to heal.

With the excitement of running with a large group for the very first time as well as being on the course, it was hard to hold my self back as we got out.  The first half mile or so was pretty cramped as we were forced onto the sidewalks for the run. I was able to hold back but one we separated ourselves, I was running at about a 9 minute mile which is race pace for myself.  I should be running these long runs at 45 seconds to 1:30 slower than race pace, so I definately ran the run too fast.  I will definately be more deliberate next week to keep at a slower pace that is more suited to what I should be doing.   On the very positive side, no real knee or shin pain to speak of, although the toes were sore Saturday and Sunday.

The course it self was fantastic. The neighborhoods and areas we ran through in Wellesley, and Natick were just beautiful and really a fun time.   While I was running basically solo it was nice to have some water stops provided by TNT as well as encouragement from other runners who really understood what it was I was going through.  Looking forward to continuing to build mileage and get to my half marathon in New Hampshire in three weeks as well as the big day in April.

Time to Hit the Pavement

After about two weeks of nursing the feet and legs on the treadmill and the bike, this week I'm going to be hitting the road again to see how I hold up.  I have a scheduled couple miles on the treadmill and a strength training workout scheduled for tomorrow, and then a nice 6 miles on Wednesday followed by 15 or so with the Team In Training group in Newton on Saturday. Hopefully the knee/shin/ and toes can hold up.

After an appointment with my chiropractor last week, he informed me that the reason both of my toes were in so much pain was basically tyhat my toes are crooked.  They have been all I know, so I didn't realize that both my big toes point inward about 15-20 degrees and are not straight like everyone else's.   So that angle puts a ton of force and pressure on the joint between the big toe and the foot.  As a result, I need to do some stretches of my toes tendon to hopefully try to straighten out my toe and just tape up my foot nice and solid.

We'll see how this week goes...

Half Marathon....sorta

After a week with no running I was anxious to hit the treadmill on Saturday in a controlled environment that would allow me to stop if at any point I felt like I was making my toe issue any worse.   I felt good with both feet taped up pretty good and a focus not on time and pace put purely on keeping my heart rate at an average of 163 and never above 170, which is unheard of on any other training run since this running thing began.

Overall things were very successful. I had only planned to go about 10 miles max, but I felt so well and my heart rate was going so well that I decided to keep going and pull off a full 13.1 miles. My heart rate was fantastic, being indoors, with no hills I'm sure contributed to the heart rate being stable as well as going nice and slow.  I averaged about 9:40/9:45 a mile which if my goal is sub 4 should be where I am running my training long runs anyway.  I had some normal soreness but felt amazing.  The toes were a little uncomfortable but nothing major.  After talking to some of my friends on the message boards, I received some good encouragement to go another week or two of working just on the bike or pool for cross training during the week to continue to give my body time to heal. My major goal is going to be to get to the start line healthy and not killing myself training will be key.

I'm looking forward to a meeting with my chiropractor tomorrow for an adjustment and a possible x-ray of the foot to see if there is anything major going on.

Humble Pie!

It's Sunday afternoon of wildcard weekend, and thankfully I have some football to watch while I am icing down almost everything below both of my knees.

On top on continuing to have some pain in both of my toes, I've been dealing with what i think is runner knee in my left knee for wuite a while and now I have what I think are shin splints in my right shin for the last week and a half or so.

This all came to a head yesterday when i was out scheduled for a 12 mile run in Millbury and into Sutton near Singletary Lake.  My goal was to run about nice and slow and keep my heart rate in check.  I felt like I ate well and drank enough fluids the night before. woke up and went out early for a run with some beautiful weather, about 40 degrees and partly sunny.  The first 4-5 miles went pretty well and I was ahead of my pace the first 2 plus miles, down a pretty good hill and kept about what I thought I should be doing through the first 4-5.  Then my heart rate got up pretty high and it was a struggle to keep it in a good range for the rest of the run.  I have to learn to slow doen even further and run these long runs to my heart rate rather than any specific time.

So with all this with about a mile to go, and half way up a killer hill, I had to walk to a short distance, and again about a quarter mile later becuase my body wouldn't let me do it.   Both my lungs as well as my knee acting up with with the runners knee made it very tough.  I have to swallow a little of the Patriots preverbial "Humble Pie" as this running and training is definately one of the hardest things I've ever done.

I'm now starting to question my ability to finish in under 4 hours like I want.   Hopefully yesterday was just a bad day and I can get in a better run at a better pace next week. I am going to back off my midweek running this week, maybe strictly just on the bike to give the body a chance to recover for next weeks 13-14 mile run.