Arrogance can be Humbling

A number of years ago in one of my blogs I boldly stated that anyone could do a marathon as long as they put in the training.  I’m now living proof of how wrong I was.   Over the last 3 years I racked up over 4000 miles, consistently averaging over 100 miles a month.   It’s the first time in my life that I have run continually for that many months in a row.   Given that dedication to insanity it would be natural to believe that a marathon would be the proverbial walk in the park (pun intended).   Not even close.    In fact over the last couple of years not only have the miles gotten harder but I’ve gotten slower.     But it’s not speed that is the challenge, it’s time on your feet.   It’s an interesting conundrum, the slower you go the longer you are out pounding the pavement for the same distance.    The longer you are out there the harder it is to stay hydrated, fueled, and injury free.   At some point you’re like an engine without oil, your body just seizes up and won’t go anymore.

An astute reader might be thinking…can’t you just eat and drink along the way?  It’s a good question Captain Obvious.    If I remember my high school biology class correctly, eating draws blood to the stomach to digest the food.  Guess where that blood comes from.   Going back to my earlier car analogy, the muscles are much like the engine, they need fuel and oxygen to function.  For muscles that’s your body’s stored fuel and the oxygen from your lungs.   The oxygen takes a ride in the blood stream from the lungs to the muscles.   Either getting out of breath or reducing the blood to the muscles will ultimately cause the engine to grind to a halt. 

But enough geeking about the biology.  The reality is despite all the training over the last 3 years, I haven’t been able to get the body to go longer than a  half marathon.  It’s the reason the Marathon Challenge takes me three days.   Is it the lung damage from the chemo, the awkward running mechanics from the Parkinson’s or maybe I’m just getting old.   But the point is, it was incredibly arrogant of me to assume that everyone else had the same physical ability I had been blessed with and it was just a matter of them putting in the effort.  Sometimes wanting something and putting in the effort just isn’t enough.   Lesson learned.

Karma can be a bitch and incredibly humbling.  

Microscope VS Telescope Views

The other day I was out for a run and as sometimes happens, I was really struggling.    Overnight the hills in the neighborhood had gotten bigger, the air had gotten thicker and harder to breathe, my shoes were suddenly made of cement, and every old knee, hip and muscle injury decided it was time for a visit.    

I’m only a little over a mile into the run and that voice of self-doubt in my head (you know, the one that always reminds you of what you can’t do and gives you excuses to quit) grabs a megaphone and starts whining.  “You can’t do this.  Your too old, too sore, too cold and too stiff from Parkinson’s to continue.   Quit now before you embarrass yourself in front of the neighbors with your Walking Dead shuffle, or more likely, keel over in a culvert on the side of the road”.    At the end of these runs I’m tired, frustrated, discouraged and full of self-doubt.  How am I ever going to complete a marathon challenge when I’m struggling with just a short run?

It's easy at this point to extrapolate today’s situation into the future and to lose hope.   It’s like looking through a microscope at your current situation being so focused on the difficulties of this moment you miss the big picture.  

So what is the big picture for me.  It’s remembering it’s not about running a marathon, or completing a marathon challenge or even making it through another day of running.   It’s about helping children fighting cancer and inspiring others to join me in the effort.    

But maybe,  if I could find the right words to show the impact that Help in the Nick is having on the lives of these children and their families then maybe my running would become irrelevant to inspiring others.  Imagine a child, ripped away from their family and friends for months at a time, sometimes hundreds of miles from home.   Endless daily treatments that involve being tested, stuck and prodded, often left feeling nauseous, tired and in pain.   Worst of all, the fear that there is no end in sight and maybe no cure.   There is nothing more heart rending than a child asking “Mommy, am I going to die”.   Bringing just a small amount of hope, joy, distraction and laughter into their lives is making a world of difference.  

So for now, running is my tool.  On the bad days I try to remind myself to focus on the big picture and what it means to a struggling child and their family.   If you wish to join me you can sign up for the Miles for Smiles Virtual Run/Walk at:

https://raceroster.com/events/2023/72063/miles-for-smiles

or donate to Help in the Nick of Time at:

https://secure.etransfer.com/eft/flexblockcode/donation1.cfm?d2org=ECCF&d2tool=HelpNickTimeFund

 

Thank you for all the support.

For now, enough running my mouth, back to using my feet.

How Old is Old

Age had been a regular theme in my running blogs over the last few years.  I don’t feel particularly old (most days), but every once in a while I have to face some situation that reminds me I’m not as … (fill in the blank…strong, fast, handsome, hairy, mobile, etc.) as I once was.   No surprise here but it does raise two questions: how old is old these days and when does the brain catch up with the reality of the body.

The oldest person in the world is currently 118 years old.   In a Scientific America article, researchers projected that if you are not killed by cancer, heart disease or being hit by a bus, people born today have the potential to live to be 120-150 years old.    Of course, your mileage may vary based on your life choices.    Until fairly recently, anyone over 65 was considered old.   I honestly didn’t think of myself as old when I ran Boston at 65.   These days people are doing things at 70 and 80 that would have been unheard of a generation ago.   That’s especially true in sports.  A runner from my city here in VA completed the Boston Marathon last year at the age of 81.   Johnny Kelly, who won the Boston Marathon twice, ran it 61 times, the last time at the age of 84.    There are now age group records for the marathon for runners over 85, 90 and even one set by a 100-year-old man.

My children consider me old…too old in fact to be running Marathon Challenges.   For me, the best bellwether of aging (and my health) has been the yearly marathons/marathon challenges.   It was symptoms while training for the Boston Marathon that sent me to the doctor and ultimately diagnosed my leukemia (and likely saved my life).  It was also difficulty running while getting ready for my Marathon Challenge that resulted in my Parkinson’s diagnosis.   And it continues to be running that not only allows me to assess my health but measure the progression of Parkinson’s as well.    At the same time, I recognize the reality of the physical challenges I’m facing in the coming years.   My new mantra is “acceptance is not surrender”.    That is why I’m enlisting family, friends, and well, anyone who has been touched by cancer to join me in the Miles for Smiles Virtual Run/Walk to raise funds to help children and their families battling Pediatric Cancer.  You can register at:

2023 — Miles for Smiles — Race Roster — Registration, Marketing, Fundraising

or donate directly to Help in the Nick of Time at:

Essex County Community Foundation (etransfer.com)

Join this old man and be part of bringing some joy and a smile to a child in midst of the fight of their life.

I’ll see you out on the roads….

No Brain....No Pain

 I've often heard distance running described as a “brainless activity”.   The kindest interpretation is while running you can turn off your brain and just let your legs go.   Other interpretations are much less polite.    I’ve been delving into the affects on the brain of running/exercise to try to understand the impact it might have on my Parkinson’s.  

My initial hypothesis went something like this….Given Parkinson’s is caused by a lack of dopamine in the brain and dopamine is what causes good feelings (like the high you get from drugs…not that I would know), then the runners high you get when you run long distances should be generating dopamine and therefore alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson’s.   Sounds good in theory but I’m totally wrong (nothing new).     Turns out the brain has multiple chemicals it uses to affect our mood, emotions, body functions and movement (Serotonin, Dopamine, Endorphins and Adrenaline).   Dopamine affects mood, movement, motivation and to some degree, pleasure.  The runners high comes from endorphins that also get released from exercising, eating something sweet, and sex (the latter two being much more enjoyable than a long run).

OK, so running doesn’t have a positive impact on Parkinson’s, does Parkinson’s have a direct effect on running.  I don’t need to know anything about brain chemistry to answer that.  It does, and it sucks.    The best way I can explain it is imagine for a minute that the brain divides the body movement into the left and right sides.   When the brain gives a command to the right side of the body to “run” it responds “yes sir”.   The same command to the left side gets the kind of response you would expect from a typical teenager asked to take out the trash.    “ Do I really have to?” (add the eye roll and heavy sigh here).      To keep from falling on your face the right side has to slow down to match the delay of the left.   My resulting “jog” looks more like a shuffling zombie.     

 That said, I am still preparing for the Marathon Challenge, it just may be a bit more challenging this year.  To assist me I’ve recruited some family members to run along side for part of the distance (more on this in a future blog).   But recognizing I may not be able to do this for another 10 years, I’ve started an annual Virtual Run/Walk (Miles for Smiles) to give more people to get directly involved in helping to raise funds for the children suffering with Pediatric Cancer.     Last year we doubled the number of families we helped and this year we are hoping to reach even more.  If you are interested in participating, or might know someone who would, you/they can find out more and register at the link below. 

https://raceroster.com/events/2023/72063/miles-for-smiles

It’s a win-win, you put a much needed smile on the face of a child while helping yourself get healthier.    

More on how the training is going in the next blog.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

 

I recently finished reading Chris MacDougal’s latest book “Running with Sherman”.   Chris is best known for kicking off the barefoot running craze about 15 years ago with his book “Born to Run” (good read….you don’t have to be a runner to enjoy it).    I went to visit Chris a few years back at his farm in Peach Bottom PA. and when we went for a walk on the trails near his farm he introduced us to his running partner, Sherman. 

If you’ve read the book, you know Sherman is a burro.   Yup…4 legs, tail, twitchy ears and a stubborn streak wider than the Mississippi river.   Chris rescued Sherman from sure death and as part of nursing him back to health he would take him running.   Chris set the goal of getting Sherman healthy enough that together they could run the grueling World Champion Pack Burro Race in Colorado.    The race is 14.5 miles up a mountain with a 3000-foot elevation gain and then 14.5 miles back down.   Some would think running 29 miles on mountain trails is enough of a challenge but try convincing a donkey that he wants to do it with you.

We’ve already established in past blogs that distance runners tend to be a few apples short of a bushel so you won’t be surprised to know there are dozens of crazy, sometimes life threatening, races out there.  Of course, wherever you find the combination of alcohol, testosterone and a bet, you know the result may be entertaining but not particularly sane.        For those that find marathons to be a walk in the park, there are numerous 100 miles races.  And since that is not challenging enough, lets’ do them on trails…. over mountains…across streams…in rain and snow….in some cases without any support (what…no water stations?).    Did I mention that these races typically take 24 hours or more to complete which means running in the dark often in locations where mountain lions, bears and snakes live.    In those areas it might be smart to let someone go ahead of you.

If that isn’t enough of a challenge there are longer races, like the 200-mile 5-day race across Wales.   Or how about the Moab Utah 240 mile run in the dessert mountains around Arches National Park.   I recently ran in the area one morning and it was already 75 degrees at 7AM.    If you are partial to heat, there’s the Bad Water 135 (miles) that runs through Death Valley and ends with a run up Mt. Whitney (over 14,000 feet).    Rumor has it you have to run on the white line on the side of the road because the blacktop will melt your running shoes.     For those runners who can spare the time and are in a hurry to go nowhere, there is a 3100-mile run over 52 days.   It’s run in NYC on a .6-mile loop (over 5100 laps).

The one thing that most of these races have in common (besides the questionable sanity in entering) is it takes a team of support people to help the runner be successful.    In the Bad Water race for example, runners are followed by support teams in RVs to periodically help the runners to cool down (sometimes by putting them in ice baths).     

My team in past years have been the generous people who have supported my marathon efforts by donating to Help in the Nick of Time to help families facing the challenges of pediatric cancer.  In 2022 that allowed us to double the families we helped.   But there are even more families who need our support and unfortunately relying on my Marathon Challenge alone is not enough.    So, this year I’m inviting more people to get involved by setting up a Help in the Nick of Time Virtual Run/Walk.   Shortly I’ll be releasing the web site where anyone can join me by either committing to run/walk a 5K (3.1 miles) at one time or run/walk 26 miles over 47 days between March 1 and April 16 (the day I’ll attempt my Marathon Challenge and the day before the Boston Marathon).     The site will allow you to post your results and everyone who completes their challenge will get a run T-Shirt.    You have the option of going it alone or putting together a team of your family and friends to join you.   All proceeds will go to supporting children with pediatric cancer and their families.

We all either have been impacted by cancer or know people who have.  Here’s a great opportunity to do something for yourself and put a smile on the face of a child battling cancer.   There’s also the added benefit giving cancer the finger.

More info coming shortly….warm up those running/walking shoes and start recruiting your partners!

New Year....New Changes

 

You’ve got to love this time of year. A time when the news shows, talk shows and podcasts all have experts telling us how to make and keep new year’s resolutions.   When someone asks me “What’s your resolutions this year?” what I hear is “You have some real issues and you need to fix them”.  If, heaven forbid, I respond that I don’t have any new year’s resolutions then they are quick to point out I’m totally self-unaware and need a resolution to fix that.

So, this year I have one new year’s resolution….to eat ice cream every day.    It’s not that I don’t have any flaws that need improvement (just ask my wife and kids) it’s just I know from experience, for me, New Year’s resolutions don’t work.   I’m not alone, only 9-12% of people keep their resolutions and most people abandon their them by January 18^th.    In fact, January 17 is known as “ditch your resolution” day.    Resolutions to me are like rubbing your face in your shortcomings that you otherwise can blissfully ignore.  I find being so self-unaware is very relaxing.  

The truth is, I’m pretty comfortable with myself and if something is really important to me, I just throw myself into it.  Like my commitment to use running to fund programs for children and their families dealing with pediatric cancer.   The funds we raise through Help in the Nick of Time touch the lives for thousands of people at a time in their lives when they could really use a helping hand.  In past years fund raising has revolved around my running the Boston Marathon.  When cancer got in the way I moved to running a multi-day Marathon Challenge.    While the combination of age and Parkinson’s create some additional challenges, I will be taking on the marathon this year but with some interesting changes.   This year I working to make it a team effort involving as many people as I can to virtually run with me to help me complete the challenge.

So welcome aboard for this year’s adventure in old age distance running.    As always, your support goes a long way towards helping me making my running and funding goals but more importantly, helping children.  Together we are an awesome team!

More on how to get involved in the next blog.

Challenges Make Life Interesting

It’s been 16 years since I started down this marathon road to raise funds for charities in Nick’s memory and I can say without hesitation, the runs are not getting easier.  Likely at this point you are saying “Duh!!  Your 16 years older, battled through 2 years of chemo, and are now dealing with Parkinson’s.  What do you expect?”   OK, point taken.

So on to this year’s Marathon Challenge.   The goal was to run/jog 26.2 miles over 4 days in under 4 1/2 hours total time.   My strategy was to run a longer run on the first day, give the old bones a rest on day 2 and then 2 shorter runs on day three and four.   While this is not a big improvement over last year’s challenge, the hills around our home in Charlottesville will more than double the vertical climb this year. 

Day one was pretty much on plan.  I was slightly slower than last year but I attribute that to the hills and the Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s makes my left leg stiff starting out and because the brain to muscle connection is slower it also causes the left foot to drag a bit.   The first 2-3 miles are really slooooow and awkward as I work to get the stiffness out.  So slow that the deer I pass on the road don’t even bother to run off.   On a typical day the first miles will be around 2 minutes slower than my last.   

I started day three stiff and sore but loosened up a bit as I got into the later miles.  Did I mention there are a lot of hills where I run?    Turns out over the first two days of running I’ll climb more vertical feet than the whole Boston Marathon.   On this day alone I’ll cover the equivalent of running the infamous Boston Marathon Heartbreak Hill 3 times.    It turns out, as tough as the uphills are, it’s the downhills that actually beat up your legs.   By the end of the second day of running my left quad (thigh) had more knots in it than a 5-year old’s shoes.    At this point I’m just a hair below the pace I need in order to bet the 4 ½ hour mark.

 

Day four dawned rainy and cold (35 degrees).  I normally don’t mind either rain or cold, but rain just above freezing is the worst.   There is just no way to dress that will either keep you warm or dry and the more clothes you wear the heavier they get as they saturate.  Kind of like running with a 5 lb. bag of sugar on your back.   The good news, this will to be the shortest of the three runs.   After struggling through the first few miles the quad loosened up enough to get a reasonable stride out of it.   The pace was slower than the previous two days but I was able to complete the run.

And yes…we made it…26.2 miles in just under 4 hours 30 minutes.   Definitely tougher than I expected but a win just the same.

To put this in historical perspective, my last Boston Marathon was in 2018, in between chemo treatments, and I completed that in 4 hours 5 minutes.    I know it is stupid to look back and compare the two but I had hopes that one day I would be able to run a marathon again.   I’ve come to the realization this may be the best I can do.

Truth is, it’s not about me, or the marathon challenge.  It’s about raising funds to help people who are struggling in some of their toughest moments.  We’ve all been there and we remember the relief when someone reached out and said” let me help”.   Your support for me and Help in the Nick of Time has allowed us to do that for hundreds of children and families.

 

So that’s it for this year.  I’ll be back next year to do it all again…God willing and the creek don’t rise.

Marathon Spectators

 
As we come up on the 126^th running of the Boston Marathon in a little over a week, the pressing question on everyone’s mind is “What’s the appropriate behavior of a spectator at a marathon?”   Well, maybe not everyone’s mind, or for that matter anyone’s.   In case you find yourself motivated to attend a race, as someone who has run a few marathons, I can offer a bit of an insider’s perspective on etiquette and how to be a supportive spectator.

If for some strange reason you find yourself planning to stand for hours on the side of the road waiting to try and pick out a runner in a crowd of thousands, so you can shout a few words of encouragement or offer some sustenance in the few seconds they blow by you, bless your soul.  There’s a special place in the afterlife for you.    But if you plan to put out this kind of effort it is good to know the do’s and don’ts of being a good spectator.    This is especially true for the Boston Spectators who have honed the practice over decades and feel that it is their right (no, their duty) to set you right on what you are doing wrong.

Signs

Before we talk about appropriate signs, I’d like to point out how helpful signs can be.  Comedian Bill Engvall said it best in his routine about stupid people where he proposes that stupid people should carry a sign so you lower your expectations when dealing with them.  His routine on why Preparation H has a warning on the packaging that says DO NOT EAT, had me in tears.  It’s online, I highly recommend watching it.

A sign saying something stupid like “Only 24 miles to go” or “One foot in front of the other” are not only unhelpful, they reflect poorly on you in front of thousands of runners passing you by, not to mention the spectators around you.

Signs like “Go Daddy Go”, and “You have this Uncle Dave” have the personal touch that offer great encouragement, while the same un-personalized messages from a stranger, not so much.    Anyone with a “Go Faster” sign should be burned at the stake.

The best signs are the ones with humor or backed by enthusiasm.  Most notable in this category are the woman at Wellesley college who set up the scream tunnel.   Not only can you hear them screaming a half mile before you get there but they have great creative signs like “kiss me I’m Irish”, “be my first kiss”, “I know CPR and mouth to mouth”.     There are videos of this online, definitely worth a watch.  I’ve been known in the past to have thrown a few kisses to the women.  Unfortunately, with Covid the mouth-to-mouth personal interaction has been curtailed a lot but the scream tunnel is still the best spectator part of the race. 

Of course, signs aren’t limited to the spectators, the runners get into the act with messages on their clothes.  Some are aimed at other runners, particularly on the backs of their shirts.   “I spit to the right”, “I may be slow but I’m ahead of you”, and on a pair of shorts “stop looking at my butt and run” are both creative and helpful.     Other messages are for the crowd like putting your name on your shirt or the charity your running for.  The crowd does pick up on these and will add some personalization to their cheering.  Having done this, I can say I have mixed feelings.   It can be tiring towards the end of the race to keep looking into the crowd to see if the person calling your name is really someone you know.  A bit of history, the old days (the 1970’s), when I first started running Boston, the Boston Globe published the names and numbers of all the runners and spectators would try to spot your number, look you up and personalize their encouragement.

Other interactions to keep in mind:

-         Lying to a runner is a violation punishable by being staked out in front of the starting line and stomped to death by thousands of runners.   Saying things like “you’re at the top of Heart Break Hill” when you are not or “one mile to go” when there is two or more, are notable examples.  Saying” you are looking good” is excusable as a form of encouragement.   Looking good is not likely or high on the list of priorities.

-         Runners love upbeat music.

-         Hours of ringing cow bells or blowing horns are not bloody helpful to either the runners or the spectators around you.

-         Offering runners food or drinks is very generous but don’t shove them in their face or run along side with repeated offers.   One of the best gifts I received was a popsicle at mile 22 on a 90-degree day.    Jellybeans are my favorite but I even partook in a sip of beer from a college student one year.  

-         Don’t ask the runner to stop to take a picture.   It’s understandable that if you are standing in the sun or cold for hours that you want to get a picture of the person you are supporting, but don’t take it personally if they blow you off to keep running.

-         Don’t spray water on the runners.  I know this sounds obvious but on hot days some people bring hoses to the street to help cool the runners.   There may be times when this is helpful to some runners but it’s the runner’s choice, not the spectator.  Wet shoes and socks are heavier and can contribute to blisters.  One year it was so hot the Boston Marathon was almost cancelled, but instead the race director set up cold misting spray tents on the side of the course and you could just run through the tent and keep going.    I have to say, despite the wet shoes it was awesome.  

-         Lastly, and this is the most important, don’t ask if they are in pain or want to stop.  If they are anywhere past the 15-mile mark they are tired, likely in pain and fighting mentally to keep going.   Of course, they want to stop (Bill Engvall would say “here’s your stupid sign”), but the spectator’s job is not to tempt them to quit but to encourage them to keep going.    Any spectator who says “keep going, pain is just a state of mind” should get a knee to the groin to help to put them in the right “state of mind”.

With my marathon challenge coming up in the next week I can honestly say I’ll miss the Boston spectators, even the inappropriate ones.   Even I get tired of my own company and spending hours in my own head is a scary place.    A screaming tunnel and maybe a few rowdy spectators yelling encouragement would be welcome.  Instead, I’ll be avoiding deer jumping out of the woods in front of me, dodging pickup trucks on the narrow country roads and cursing the incessant steep hills that make up my neighborhood in Charlottesville.    But when the going gets tough I’ll remember all the people who are supporting my efforts and those pediatric cancer patients benefiting from Help in the Nick of Time.  

Wish me luck!

Giving Up or Letting Go?

 In one of my blogs years ago I made the claim that anyone could run a marathon if they were just willing to put in the months of training.   Get out the salt shaker, I’m about to eat those words and they are not going to go down easy.

In the 4 years since my 3-month all-inclusive vacation in luxurious Fox Chase Cancer Ward I have been working diligently to get my running back to where I was before the stem cell transplant.    For those that have followed the blog over those years you may remember I replaced running the Boston Marathon with my own marathon challenge spread over multiple days run at the same time as Boston.   The first year was 3 months after I left the hospital and my challenge was to walk a 5k (3.1 miles) without the bloody walker.   A year later the challenge was to jog/walk a marathon distance (26.2 miles) over 7 days in under 8 total hours.   In April 2020 in the midst of the pandemic I set and completed the goal of covering the marathon distance in 6 days in under 6 hours, jogging the entire way.   Raising the bar again last year, I was able to jog the 26.2 miles over 4 days in around 4 ½ hours.    Using my mathematical wizardry, I calculated if I continued to improve at this rate, I might be able to complete a full marathon in a single day sometime 3 years from now.   

So, it’s a year later and I can honestly say my calculations sucked.   In the last year I’ve consistently run over 100 miles a month (almost 1400 for the year) and I haven’t improved a bit over last year.   Granted we did move from somewhat hilly Pennsylvania to almost mountainous Virginia, but even allowing for the hills, the old legs don’t seem to have the endurance necessary to run even a half marathon.    Is it age, the effects of Parkinson’s or left-over effects of all the chemo?   Certainly, part of it is the Parkinson’s.   It’s like termites in your house, it slowly eats away at your muscles and coordination.  I’ve given up trying to figure it out and just accepted it is what it is.    I’ve also accepted that doing another Boston Marathon is just not in the cards.  

But acceptance is not surrender and I’ll keep going at it as long as circumstances allow.    On those occasions when I get frustrated, I remind myself that is not all about me (It’s not?), it’s also about supporting the children and their families still fighting cancer at a time when the pandemic adds to the risks/challenges they face. 

So, this year I'm again targeting 26.2 miles in 4 days in around 4 ½ hours.  As I've done in the past it is timed to coincide with this year’s Boston Marathon (April 18).    More on the progress with the training in the next blog.

Stay safe!

When Weird Becomes Normal

 

Distance runners have always been looked at as a little weird.   Who in their right mind gets excited about subjecting their body to hours of bone jarring, foot pounding, joint twisting, muscle tearing exercise and do it in weather when most people won’t even take out their cars?     For most runners, there are no financial rewards, no Olympic medals, no TV appearances, and on most days no cheering crowds (unless you count the rude comments from passing motorists).    

While it may come as no surprise that runners are at the high end of the weird scale, when it comes to marathon and ultramarathon runners, we enter a whole new world of strange.    Here’s a few examples:

Skewed definition of “FUN”:  A fun way to start our day is getting up at obscene hours in the AM to get in an hour of running in the rain before work.    Just in case you don’t believe we are having a good time we call our race gatherings “Fun Runs” and give them catchy names like Turkey Trot, Jingle Bell Jog, and Easter Bunny Hop.    Some might say more appropriate names would be Slug Slog, Misery Marathon and Agony of de Feet.

Obsess over shoes:  We have more of a shoe fetish than Carrie in Sex in the City.    It needs just the right amount of cushioning, flexibility, motion control, breathability, and of course there is the new carbon fiber “super shoes”.    Once you find the right pair that fits just right you have to stockpile several pairs because the shoe companies change the fit and style every year.

Will run for food:  We pay $30-50 to enter a race where the reward at the end is a free bagel, banana and a protein bar (oh, and maybe a t-shirt).     The training does allow you to have that nightly extra-large bowl of ice cream guilt free (not that I would know firsthand).

Vacations are for running:  When planning a vacation, the location of where you stay is often based on the running routes in the area.    Those runners with more accommodating spouses (angels) might even plan their vacation around a race.

Nature calls don’t require a bathroom:  Enough said.

Unusual medical maladies:  Bleeding nipples, black toenails, rashes in unmentionable areas, shin splints, runner’s knees, Plantar Fasciitis and IT Band Syndrome.   When runners get together you often may hear them proudly comparing war stories how they ran races with crippling injuries.

Tech accessories: In the old days we would tie on the old shoes and head out the door.  Now it’s like preparing for war.  GPS Watches, cell phone holder, wireless earbuds, flashing wrist/ankle bands, heart rate monitor, specialized UV sunglasses, and a hydration belt.  Makes you wonder how early man was ever able to outrun prehistoric animals.

Monitor everything:   All this technology has runners hyper-focused on tracking every aspect of their run including stride length, average cadences (how many foot strikes/minute), peak cadence, average pace, fastest mile, avg heart rate, peak heart rate, vertical climb, and max Vo2 (oxygen consumption) to name a few.     Not only do people monitor their stats but there are websites that help them brag about them.   Do other runners really want to hear daily about your heart rate or average pace on a daily basis or your commentary about the sun shining and seeing a little bunny rabbit on your run?  I don’t.

Most runners would say that the above behaviors are normal, at least for a runner.   I think the big question is…”Are runners’ weird people who were attracted to running or does process of running make normal people weird?”

Opinions welcome, I’ll post the results on the next blog.

On a personal note, when people say I’m crazy for running the way I do, I like to remember the Stephen Hawking’s quote…”The thing about smart people is they seem like crazy people to dumb people.”   Most of the time I don’t say it out loud.  Most of the time.

Embracing Challeges

 

I’ve always been someone who loved a challenge….well most of the time anyway.   Telling me I can’t do something is like waving a raw a steak in front of a tiger, a red flag in front of an angry bull, a juicy worm in front of a hungry fish (you get the idea).     I probably hold the world record for saying “you wanna bet?”.  

The other day while I was doing my awkward facsimile of running, I was thinking about the different challenges I’ve faced.  I broke them down into three categories: The ones self-imposed as goals (raising a loving family, successful career, run the Boston Marathon), the ones I foolishly took on in response to the phrase “I bet you can’t….” (scary flashbacks to college days), and the ones that life foisted on me (Leukemia falls into this category). 

It’s the first category that caused me to start Help in the Nick of Time with the goal of helping families dealing with a child fighting cancer.   I hate asking people for money, especially these days when so many people are struggling as a result of the pandemic.   If I was going to ask people to part with their hard-earned money, I had to do something equally hard.   To show my commitment I choose running a marathon each year.

This year I will again challenge my aging body to respond to a new marathon challenge in April.  For the last three years since the stem cell transplant, I have been gradually improving from using a walker to walking/jogging, to last year’s goal of doing 26.2 miles over 4 days in under 5 hours.   Never one to be satisfied with just achieving a goal, this year I planned on doing even better.     

I think the saying on planning goes something like “Man plans and God laughs”.   I noticed my running was becoming more challenging which I chalked up to age and the after affects of chemo.   Turns out it’s another little challenge called Parkinson Disease.   Currently it doesn’t stop me from jogging, although some days I move like the Tin Man after a rainstorm, but it does make it a bit more difficult.   Not one to shy away from a challenge, my goal this year is to meet or beat the marathon goal of last year.

Some might ask “Why keep doing this?”.  Thanks for asking.   This year will be the 15^th year of my marathon challenge and the 12^th year of Help in the Nick of Time.   In that time, we have blown by the goal of raising $100,000 and are well on our way to a quarter million.  But what really makes me feel good is the stories of joy and relief we have brought to children and their families who are struggling emotionally and financially with cancer.   Sometimes its as simple as paying for parking on their daily visits to the hospital, toys for a young child spending their birthday in the hospital, or fixing a parent’s car so they can take their child to treatment.

So this year I’m back to do my part but I could use your help to continue to bring smiles and happiness into lives struggling with childhood cancer.  Come on along for the ride, it should be an interesting one.

Happy New Year! 

Interesting Week

As the saying goes…”Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them makes life meaningful.” (Joshua Marine).   By this definition it was truly an interesting week as I strove to also make it meaningful.

To recap, the Marathon Challenge was to run/jog 26.2 miles over 4 days in under 5 hours total time.   My strategy was to run a longer run on the first day, a shorter run on day two, give the old bones a rest on day 3 and then run the remaining miles on day four.  

Day one the weather is chilly but clear, a good day for a long run.   The target is to go at least 10 miles but not to wear the legs down knowing I have to get up the next day and run again.   While in the past that might not have been such a big deal, the legs these days have a mind of their own and demand more recovery time.   At some point it’s not unusual for them to just declare “enough” and cramp up.    When the legs lock up it’s like watching the tin man trying to run after a rain storm.      The first few miles were OK but as the miles went by the legs got stiffer making the last few miles a tough slog.  

Day two dawns chilly and over cast but the rain is holding off.   On a typical day it takes me a couple of miles till the legs warm up and I don’t feel like the joints are filled with cement and someone has shrunk my lungs.   Today I’m stiffer than normal and a bit sore from the day before.  One of the challenges of the area where I live is that it is very hilly.   When the legs are stiff and tired hills are a literally a real pain.  While the uphills are challenging for the lungs and quads, the pounding on the downhills are can be like someone driving a nail into your thighs.    The strategy for the day, go extra slow and keep the hills to a minimum.   It worked.

Day three is only significant in that I had to go in for a colonoscopy.  Just what you want on your rest day.  The good news, everything is fine and I slept really well during the procedure.

Day four dawns windy and with occasional sprinkles.   Feeling better after a day of rest and while stiff starting out, I gradually loosen up.   At the end I was tired but able to push through the last few miles at a slow but steady pace.  Mentally it’s so much easier to keep going when you can see the finish line.

So, 4 days, 26.2 miles and total time around 4 ½ hours.    It’s not going to set any record books on fire but definitely a step up from where I was last year (7 days and 5 ½ hours) and two years ago when I wasn’t able to run more than 100 yards.   It will be interesting to see where we are this time next year.  Doctors say it is unlikely I will regain what I had before the chemo/transplant but I don’t think we have found my limit just yet.

Thanks for all the support, words of encouragement and donations to Help in the Nick of Time.   I don’t have the words to tell you how much it means to me.   Your support feeds my motivation to keep going, keeps good memories of Nick alive, and it truly has a huge impact on all the cancer lives we are able to touch with our programs.

Stay well and safe!

Focus on Distraction

I swear my dog has ADHD (Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder).   The three-year-old pug rushes from one activity to the next with extreme enthusiasm and frantic intensity often with the annoying goal of getting everyone else to participate.     Tucker’s idea of a good time is to wait for when I’m focused on some activity like paying bills or house maintenance and then to start bringing me his toys and pushing them against my leg to play.   If I don’t engage, he goes and gets another, and another, and another until the house is a minefield of dog toys.   If I do engage, he plays for 30 seconds and then loses interest and wanders off to terrorize his sister or get into some kind of other trouble.   He’ll be back in a few minutes to start all over again.

If I could read his mind, I’m sure it would sound something like….”Play time, I’ll bring him a toy.   Here’s a toy, let’s play.  Not that toy?  OK, I’ll get another.  Oh, there’s my sister, I’ll go bite her tail.   I need a drink.   What’s that outside?  Another dog walking by, I’ll bark a warning to keep moving.   Is it food time? Check the bowl.   Hey, there’s a toy.   Play time…..

My life these days seems to be full of distractions and interruptions.   There’s likely no more than I was use to in the past it just seems I’m more responsive to them these days.   Part of it is the concern that if I don’t respond to this issue right now I’ll forget about it.   Definitely an age thing.   My feeble attempts to multitask only make things worse.   And don't even get me started on the impact of the internet and email.  The other day I spent an hour writing two checks not because it took that long to write them (not that senile yet) but because I kept thinking of issues related to the bills that I needed to take care of and was afraid I would forget if I didn’t handle them right now.

Distractions can be blessing when you are running long distance.   Anything to keep the mind focused off how tired you are, how far you still have to go, or that nagging little pain in your left hamstring.    Some people run with music as a motivator and distraction while others listen to podcasts or audio books.   I find the crowds during a race are also good distractions and motivators.    In the past I would often use the time on the road to work on business or family problems.   The challenge these days is running takes a lot more effort and focus.  Since the transplant I’ve had a problem with a “lazy” left leg (likely the result of micro-strokes) that makes my stride and balance a bit awkward.   Where in the past I may have been able to run on autopilot letting my mind wander, these days it takes constant attention to form and effort.   I really could use some distractions to focus on.

This weekend (traditionally Boston Marathon weekend) is the start of my Marathon Challenge (the goal is 26.2 miles over 4 days in under 5 hours total time).   It’s a step up from last year’s goal (26.2 miles over 7 days in under 6 hours) although a long way from the last Boston Marathon I ran 4 years ago.   No complaints though, just could use a few more distractions during the upcoming miles.   Maybe I should take some lessons from Tucker.

If you think of it, send along some good vibes over the next few days.  I’ll provide an update on the effort when I’m done.  Wish me luck!

An Angel gets his Wings

 

Over the course of my 50 years of running I’ve met hundreds of people who have turned their running into a way to help others.   It was not unusual before the pandemic to be asked by friends or families to sponsor their efforts in a run and even during the pandemic some people were raising funds participating in virtual races.   

Of all the runners I’ve met, four stand out as extra special, true angels.   One of those angels, Dick Hoyt, passed away this week.   Dick’s son Rick was born in 1962 with cerebral palsy and was quadriplegic.    At the age of 10, Rick was given a specialized computer that enabled him to communicate with the rest of the family.  An avid sports fan, in 1977 he asked his dad if he would push him in his wheelchair in a local 5-mile race.   Thus began a journey that spanned more than 1000 races including numerous Boston Marathons and even the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon (2.4-mile ocean swim, 127-mile bike and a full 26.2-mile marathon run).  In the swim Dick actually pulled Rick in a rubber dinghy behind him.    During that time Dick started a foundation, Team Hoyt, to foster athletics for disabled people.  I remember the first time I saw Dick pushing Rick in the Boston Marathon.   I caught up to them as Dick was pushing Rick up Heartbreak Hill.   I’m puffing my way up the hill thinking this guy is an animal pushing a wheelchair with a full-grown man up a steep hill 19 miles into a marathon and he is just chugging along.   As I passed them, I wished them well and said I’d see them at the finish.   It wasn’t too long after they went whizzing by me on the downhill.    As inspired and impressed as I was by his physical ability, it was the love of his son and willingness to help others that affected me most.  He will be missed but this angel now has his wings.

This year’s Boston Marathon was moved from April to October but in 2022 it will go back to April.   Registration opened this week for runners meeting the qualifying times from a previous marathon in the last 2 years.  The field is being restricted this year to only 20,000 runners so it will be very competitive to get in.    In addition, for the first time this year they will have a Virtual Boston Marathon.  No qualifying time is necessary and they will accept the first 70,000 runners to apply.   You have the option to run your marathon anytime between Oct. 8-11^th and I assume they will require one of the running apps be used as proof of completion and time.  In exchange for the entrance fee, you get a Boston Marathon completion medal, a marathon shirt and some running goodies. 

The Boston Marathon, arguably the most competitive marathon in the world, normally raises more the $30 Million a year for charities.  They do this by granting 2500-3000 runners who otherwise would not run fast enough to qualify for entry, the opportunity to stand on the starting line with world’s most elite runners and earn a coveted Boston Marathon completion metal.   Current fund-raising minimums for these runners start at $5000 and can be as high as $10,000.   With the virtual marathon offering people the option to get a medal without raising funds it will be interesting to see how it affects the charities.

As for me, I’m sticking to April for my Marathon Challenge.   You may recall last year we targeted to do the 26.2 miles in 5 days in a total combined time of under 6 hours.   This year we have upped the challenge to 26.2 miles in 4 days in under 5 hours.   To put this in perspective, the last time I ran the Boston Marathon in 2017 I completed it in one afternoon in 4 hours 5 minutes. 

Thanks to all who have supported me in my road back.   It’s truly a journey with no end date or goal but with your continued support I’ll keep plodding, blogging and supporting Pediatric Cancer programs.  More on the challenge next blog.

Winter Running - Slip Sliding Away

 

I often wonder what people think as they pass me on a cold winter morning.    I know what a few of them think because they yell it out the window as they drive by.  Most times it’s not complementary.     Running regularly takes a certain amount of commitment and fortitude.  Running in winter needs that plus a certain a degree of mental handicap.    So on a particularly slushy morning when a passing motorist yells “Crazy SOB”, I’m reticent to disagree with them.   They’re probably just jealous they can’t be out there with me.

The range of weather really defines winter running.   There’s cold, cold with wind, cold with rain, cold with wind and rain, cold with wind and snow….you get the picture.  Running in rain is manageable, snow is trouble, slush is worst, and Ice is the enemy.    Wind makes them all nastier.   Last winter was fairly mild with no snow and only a handful of really cold days.  This year Mother Nature is making up for it with 40 inches of snow in the last two weeks.  

Winter running does have its benefits.   You don’t sweat as much, you don’t suck in bugs panting up a hill, fewer dogs out to chase you, and you get to wear wooly hats that look like a racoon has taken up residence on your head.   But it’s not all lollipops and ice cream.   Here’s a few things I’ve learn over the years, usually the hard way. 

-         Icicles can form in the strangest places.   On your mustache and eye brows, on your hair, and off your hat and gloves.  

-         When it gets below 20 degrees, I have to double up on everything.  Two shirts, two pairs of socks, two pair gloves and running tights with wind pants over them.  Only one hat though.   It’s a bit of a miracle I can even move after I’m dressed.

-         Tights are never to be worn without wind pants over them.   My neighbors are not ready for the sight of "Dave in Tights".

-         Always bring a hanky.  The cold makes your nose run and an icicle hanging from your nose is just nasty.

-         Getting splashed by passing cars is a given in the rain.  When it snows the streets get narrower making dodging the spray from cars that much tougher.  I not as agile dodging the slush waves as I use to be.  There’s nothing worse than being miles from home and caked in ice from your knee down.

-         Running mornings when it’s dark can be a form of Russian Roulette.   Even with a headlamp it’s hard to pick out the icy patches.  It’s not unusual to see me skating around a corner, arms flailing and feet doing unnatural acts.  It supplies great entertainment for the school kids waiting at the bus stop.

I suspect some of you are thinking, “why would anyone voluntarily do this”.     I think we’ve established in the past that when it comes to running, I may be a few beers short of a six pack.    There are some days, when even the dogs don’t want to go out, I need an extra cup of caffeine and kick in the butt to get out the door.  But the reality is there are a lot more “nice” days than bad, and on the good days there something special about starting your day getting a bit of exercise, being outside and watching the sun come up.    Part of getting out is remembering that only a few years ago I had to spend most of a winter unable to even leave the hospital floor.    I often think about the kids with cancer going through the same isolation, an isolation we’ve certainly gotten a small taste of in the last year.    Finding ways to bring them and their families a bit of joy is the goal of both my running and the efforts of Help in the Nick of Time.    So, the next time you are hunkered down on a particularly nasty winter day, think of me and be glad that my form of insanity has passed you by.