The Endurance Pig: Putting Life Into Perspective

As I sit here and write this week's blog post, I have the national news on in the background. Shortly after 2:00pm I got a call from one of my close friends from the Twin Cities. She was concerned because she thought I was in Boston at the Marathon. She first tried calling my wife, who didn't answer because she was busy at work. That was when I first heard the news about the explosions. I have been following it with an extremely heavy heart ever since. I received about a dozen other phone calls or text messages from friends, family, and coworkers either concerned for my welfare thinking there was a possibility I was in Boston for the Marathon, or just wanted to make me aware of the situation and get my feelings on what was taking place.

Qualifying and running the Boston Marathon became my biggest goal when I first started running. I held that race on a pedestal, above all other marathon races. It was first run in 1897 and has been run every year since. It is the worlds oldest annual marathon. This year marked the 117th running of the Boston Marathon. Not anyone can run in the Boston Marathon. In order to run in the race, you must qualify by running a separate marathon under a preset time standard which is predetermined based on your age and sex. You can see the qualifying time requirements HERE. The marathon is run on the same day every year, Patriot's Day, or the third Monday of every April. It's the only marathon or major race I can think of that is run on a weekday. In the Boston area, Patriot's Day is treated as an important holiday. Granted, this could be (and probably is) due to the Boston Marathon. The entire city and area shut down. All students from grade school on up to college students are given the day off from class. Most businesses are closed for the day. The Boston Red Sox always play in early day game at home. And the city celebrates the marathon. Over 500,000 spectators line the streets of the marathon to cheer on the nearly 25,000 plus runners.

Crossing the finish line.

My favorite race medal.

In May of 2010 I reached my goal and qualified for the Boston Marathon. I was fortunate enough that my dad also qualified in the same race. My father and I ran the 2011 Boston Marathon and I have not been the same person since. It showed me exactly what hard work and determination can do. I was never a runner, in fact I hated it. I never ran throughout high school and started running for something to do my junior year of college. The fact that I transformed myself from a nearly 200 pound aspiring baseball player who was built of solid muscle into a 165 pound efficient runner is quite an achievement. In 2011 Sarah, Maya, and I went out to Boston with my parents, Sarah's parents, and Sarah's sister and her to-be husband. That trip, although short, is one my favorite memories. Since then, I have held the City of Boston close to my heart and still dream of going back to run another Boston Marathon.

My father and I at the finish line.

My Boston tattoo, to remind me of my journey and accomplishment.

So, obviously, when I heard about the explosions, it hit close to home. I was watching the news coverage from about 2pm until 5pm. Watching the footage of the finish line on Boylston Street struck a nerve. It left me with a heavy heart. I couldn't help but remember crossing the same finish line 2 years ago and sharing that joy with my family. It made me think about the families that were there sharing the same joy we shared that day, two years ago. It really put life in perspective. You never know what God has in store for you. I am by no means a religious man, but I do have faith and believe in a greater good. I believe firmly that everything happens for a reason, am I'm struggling to put a link to this event. It's not fair to those innocent spectators, fans, supporters, and runners. I even read that one of the confirmed dead was an 8 year old, which is absolutely terrible to think. What's worse is that these events were premeditated. Some cruel, cruel, heartless human did this to these people. As a fellow runner and a Boston Finisher, I can say this goes way beyond the endurance population. Sadly, this will get filed along with the rest of the terrible tragedies we as Americans have experienced recently. My only hope is that we never forget the lives lost and families effected by this, or any of the past tragedies. Personally, I ask that you simply just take a moment to reflect on what you have in your life, things that you may find yourself taking for granted. Take a moment and be thankful for where you are and what you have. Tell your significant other that you love them and appreciate them, tell your kids you love them, tell a friend you love them, say thank you, or just say hello to a stranger you pass in the street. Also, take a moment to think about the families dealing with a loss of a loved one or were directly effected by the bombings today.

Sarah, Maya, and I at the finish line.

Brief Recap

There is no real good way to transition from that, to something as truly meaningless as my training, but in short, I will. The previous cycle saw quite a few adjustments to my plan. On this past Sunday I was up early for a long run with 12 miles of goal race pace work. After my run, we left for Milton to spend the day with my brother-in-law and his family for my nephew's first birthday party. The next day I had SWAT training from 0700-1500 and then came straight home for a quick nap and then had to go right back to work for 3rd shift. In short - double back days SUCK! The weather was absolutely miserable this past week. We hadn't seen the sun all week and it either rained, sleeted, snowed, or ice pelleted (if that's even a word). One night we even had a straight ice storm. Bad weather makes for long nights at work and was held over to assist with the needs of the community due to the weather. On top of the cruddy weather, I picked up day shift overtime from 0600-1000 on Friday morning. On Saturday, I did another indoor triathlon. You can read the race report HERE. Sunday, I had a short and easy run. The morning before I ran, Sarah and I brought the girls to the Splash Pad at the Appleton YMCA. I ran Sunday shortly after noon. When I first left, it was snowing heavy. After the first couple miles, the snow turned into a sleet/slush and shortly after turned into ice pellets. It then turned into a steady rain. The rain stopped after about 10 miles and then it was windy. At that point, I was honestly concerned about hypothermia, due to the fact that I was soaked and now running straight into a head wind. It actually warmed up, believe it or not and then the sun even came out before my run ended. It felt as though I ran through 3 seasons...all in one 2 hour run! That evening Sarah and I brought the girls on an eagle hunt to 1000 Islands Nature Center. We didn't see any eagles there, but when we went to another well known eagle hang out, we found one perched on a tree. Monday morning I was up early for a 50 mile bike followed by a 3 mile brick run. When I left, the roads were still wet from the overnight rain. The entire ride was done with a pretty heavy fog. I pushed hard and beat my best time on my 50 mile route by a minute. I got right out from my bike and finished my 3 mile run at a 6:54/mile pace. I didn't intend to push that hard, but was really pleased with my time.

Favorite Workout

My favorite workout has to be my long brick workout on Monday. The weather was not ideal and could have easily had a negative impact mentally. It was cool, windy, foggy, and damp. The temperature when I left was 41* with wind chills near 31*. I pushed through and was determined to beat my best time on that route. The route is hilly with a couple hard climbs. I finished the 50 mile route in 2:36:12 and averaged 19.2 mph and then came in to change out of my rain jacket and into a long sleeve shirt and was right out the door. I pushed hard on the run and finished my 3 mile run portion in about 21 minutes. I ran at an average pace of 6:54/mile. I was a bit sore from my long run when I started, but was determined to stay mentally focused and it payed off. I was especially pleased with how focused I remained and never let the wind or weather conditions get to me.

Moving Forward

This upcoming cycle is another recovery cycle. The biggest workout of the cycle is my final long run leading up to the Green Bay Marathon on May 19th. I have a 22 mile run with another 12 miles done at or near my goal race pace of 6:50/mile. The volume of the week is down, about 3 hours less than the previous cycle. I only have one day with 2 workouts. My long workouts on my off days are minimal (other than the long run). I have a simple, stand alone 40 mile bike ride. I also have a court trial scheduled on that day, so assuming it goes, I may have to adjust my training plan or do that ride in the afternoon. So, as usual, it will be "playing it by ear" as the training cycle plays itself out.

Again, please keep those directly effected by today's bombings in Boston in your thoughts. And as always, below are some pictures from this previous week.

Be fast, be strong, and carry on!