Marathons

 Almost 6 years ago I was having a discussion with some of my friends and colleagues as we went through training with the State Department. Our talk worked its way around to races and marathons, as one of our classmates was currently training for the Marine Corps Marathon.. I mentioned that I would someday like to run a marathon and the group laughed at me. A couple of them commented that I would "Never run a marathon". I asked them why they thought that and the reply was basically, "Well, look at yourself".

Because I don't do well with being told what I can and can not do, I decided that I would in fact run a marathon and then promptly forgot about it for a few years.

Fast forward to Baghdad, Iraq in 2009. I lost about 45 pounds and decided I was going to carry through with my threat of completing a Marathon. While home on leave, I sat down and started looking at different marathons that would be coming up on some of my future trips home and, with Melissa's help, I decided to run the Portland Maine Marathon in October of 2009 (One month before I finished my tour).  I started training while in Baghdad, running around the interior of the U.S. Embassy compound for my long runs and running up to 6 miles on a tread mill. The first time I ran 20 miles, I thought I was going to die. The muscles in my legs and back kept spasming after the run for a while and during the run, my right knee buckled once at around 19 miles. My second 20 mile run was not a lot of fun either as again, I was in a lot of pain and my knee once again buckled. To top it off, my left foot really hurt and I thought I might have earned myself a stress fracture in my foot. I flew home in October really nervous about the Marathon, especially since I had not run for two weeks since the last 20 miler, hoping my foot would feel better. I completed two short runs a few days before the marathon to make sure my foot and knee were fine and they seemed to be although I added a knee brace to each leg, just to make sure. As a family, we headed up to Portland, Maine the night before the Marathon and spent the night just a mile or so from the start line. It was fun going to pick up my race packet for the first time and seeing all of the other runners crowding around all of the displays and vendors.

We got up really early and head off to the start line. Melissa took a picture of me and the kids prior to the start of the race. I meandered my way to the start line and when the cannon fired (Yup, they used a cannon), I was off. My plan was to shoot for a 4 hour marathon and I was at 2 hours and 10 minutes at the half way point.  I then got slower and slower and slower and around the 18 mile mark, I tore the lateral meniscus in my right knee and my knee buckled. I tightened up my knee brace and limped/walked/ran to the finish line, finishing with an official time of 5 hours, 15 minutes and 25 seconds.

After the race, I hurt but not as bad as I had during my training runs in Baghdad. There was the issue with my knee and about a week after I finished my tour of Baghdad, I had a minor procedure done on my right knee to repair the torn meniscus. I was off crutches in just a couple of days and was ready to start running again in January of 2010. 

I decided that running another marathon would be a great way to rehabilitate myself so I signed up for the Potomac River Run Marathon in Virginia which would take place in May of 2010.  It was nice to get outside and run and not have to do it on a tread mill. I started running the W&OD trail in Falls Church. It was a great place to run and I felt like I was getting a lot better. I finished my first 20 miler and 3 hours and 10 minutes and thought things were going well. I had to run my second twenty miler in Arizona as I flew out for a short trip to a friends surprise 40th birthday party.  I arrived at the hotel in Tempe, AZ at about 10 pm on Friday evening (to tired to go find something to eat) and woke up at 5 am on Saturday morning to go run (Before breakfast was served). Needless to say, it was a really bad run and to top things off, my right knee did not feel well. 

Two weeks later and Melissa, the kids, and I were at the starting line for my next Marathon. As advertised, The Potomac River Run Marathon is completely flat with wonderful scenic views of the Potomac River. What they meant to say was the race is flat with views of an algae filled, smelly offshoot of the actual river. Every now and then we could see the actual Potomac but it was not a regular view. One of the other negatives about this course was it was an out and back, out and back course (Each out and back was 13.1 miles). That got really old really quick. 

                           

                                    The 5 kids at a lookout point waiting for me to finish

Now, I made a few errors in running this marathon (other than signing up for it). I started running with a friend of mine who was a much faster runner. I thought I was ready and able to keep up with him, which I did for the first 8 miles. We averaged between a 7 1/2 minute mile to an 8 1/2 minute mile. It was a much faster pace than I could handle. To top it off, there was a record high temperature with record high humidity. Overall, to put it mildly, it sucked.

My finish official finish time was 5 hours, 11 minutes and 13 seconds. I thought I was going to die at the finish line and witnessed a much older man almost pass out. I helped him get a seat, got him something to drink and made sure he was ok. During the short distraction, I forgot about how much I hurt for a little bit, which was really nice. My buddy who I initially started running with finished at 4 hours and 18 minutes which was pretty slow for him as well. I was glad I finished and did better than my previous time but I was still disappointed in my time.

The week after my marathon, I realized that there was something really wrong with my right knee and less than a month from departing for Jerusalem, I ended up having a lateral release done on the right knee, which is where the quadricep muscle is actually cut open to allow the knee to go back to where it belongs.

Taken two days after surgery

I was on crutches with a full leg brace for almost a month and switched to a cane for our flight to Jerusalem. I managed to start bending it to walk up and down stairs about the time we arrived in Jerusalem. I decided that I was done doing marathons and was not going to subject myself to any more pain and stupidity. I took up Scuba diving in December of 2011 and discovered accidentally that swimming greatly reduced the pain in my knee. Around that time, I found out the Municipality of Jerusalem was hosting their first ever marathon in March of 2011. Although I was done doing marathons I figured I would do one more in order to redeem my previous two. Being a little smarter than before, I took training really slow. For those of you who do not know, Jerusalem is very hilly so I knew the marathon was going to be really tough. I wanted to make sure I did not overdo the training this time so I kept my mileage fairly short, with no long run farther than 13.1 miles.

The day of the race came and the area was packed. Melissa drove the kids and I around trying to a parking spot. Eventually, we found a place to park and worked our way through the booths, people, and mud... It rained all day the day before and much of the morning so the area was covered in mud. In fact, the finish line area (which was supposed to be in the grass, was now just a mass of mud so the race organizer's placed plastic down and a carpet down on top of the plastic. (more on this later). I lined up and when the race started, I was off. Well, not really off like a rocket. More like an old Jalopy that needs to go slow to keep moving. I kept moving and moving and moving. At 18 miles, I was at 3 hours but I felt like I was finished. In fact, I zoned out and got off course a little and ended up finishing at the 1/2 marathon point with all of the half marathon runners. I had to work my way out of the half marathon point and back onto the full marathon course. I saw Melissa and the kids at this point and their cheers and encouragement kept me going. It took me almost two and a half hours to finish the last 8 miles or so and I completed the Jerusalem Marathon in 5 hours, 23 minutes, and 24 seconds. Oddly enough, my official time for the Marathon is 3 hours and 8 minutes. Apparently, when I crossed the finish line for the half marathon, they recorded that time as my Marathon time..... Oops. Do you remember me mentioning the finish line. Well, with thousands of runners running over the carpet (which was on top of plastic, over mud) the 100 meters before the finish line was like a waterbed. Have you ever tried running on a waterbed? If not, it is not something that needs to be done. It was almost impossible and a rather unpleasant finish to an already difficult race.

 
The nice thing was, at the end of this Marathon, no surgery was required and other than being tired and sore, I did not have any pain or follow on issues from running this marathon. About the half way point, as I was running the Jerusalem Marathon, I decided I was done with marathons. They hurt too much and they involve a lot of running. More running that I am actually a fan of. I swore off running any more of them and figured I should probably stick to half marathons, 10K's, 5 K's and Scuba diving. In the process of deciding not to run anymore, I discovered something about myself. I do a pretty good job of working out when I am "training" for something versus just working out to "exercise". I know there is not much of a difference but in my head, the difference is huge so, once again, I decided to do another marathon.

Running on outer loop road in Chino Valley Arizona

I signed up for the Tiberias Marathon, which takes place around the Sea of Galilee. To make things even more interesting (Some say difficult), I started running with Vibram 5 fingers. For those of you not familiar with these shoes, they simulate running barefoot and kind of look like gloves, for your feet. A good friend of mine, Sam Murr, recommended I try running in them so I found a pair I like and ordered them. Sam's recommendation was to take it slow and build up mileage even slower. The day the shoes came in, I started running. I did about a mile at a time for while. It was a strange feeling running with these "almost not there" shoes and feeling every crack and crevice (and occasional pointed rock) on the ground. I noticed almost immediately; no knee pain or discomfort. I also noticed that people pointed, stared, and laughed a lot. I have another pair I use just for walking and or working out and it is amazing how many people comment on the shoes and ask questions like, " are those comfortable"? and "You can't wear those in the gym"... My shoes have seemed to inspire people though as 3 or 4 Consulate employees have started wearing them as well.... Anyway, I digress. Eventually I got to a point where I was up to a 6 miles a day and was feeling really good. Melissa, the kids, and I headed back to the U.S. for a much needed vacation and while I was there, I continued my running in Arizona, completing a 13 mile run and then on the 24th of December, I ran a 20 miler. I experienced no knee pain but boy, did the bottom of my feet hurt.

Outer loop Road with Granite Mountain in the distance

We headed back to Jerusalem and I did a few short runs prior to the Marathon. I had to work the day before the Marathon so Melissa got the kids all packed up and picked me up after work. We then drove the 2 1/2 hours to Tiberias and picked up my race packet before heading to our cabin at Ein Gev. I asked when the race began, expecting it to be 6 am (the time of my other three races) and was rather surprised and pleased when they told me the race started at 9 am. We headed off to Ein Gev, which oddly enough, was the half way point of the hotel and I eventually got to sleep, although, for some reason, I was really nervous about running the marathon.




We woke up in the morning and in rather heavy rain, headed to the starting line. Melissa did a great job finding a parking spot about two blocks from the finish line. It was raining pretty heavy and the road was really wet. Let me mention the big negative with my Vibram 5 fingers. When it comes to puddles on the ground or water, I might as well be bare foot because they do not keep out any water and the rain was cold.... Prior to the race, The kids wished me good luck and words of encouragement, such as, "Dad, I sure hope you do not die" (From Jorden) and, " Dad, I sure hope you don't have to have any more surgeries after this" (From Taylor). I found my way to the starting line and worked my way into a massive crowd of people, trying to avoid the running torrents of water and waited for the start of the race. I knew where Melissa was going to be so I made sure I was on the same side of the road as her and the kids to make sure I was available for a picture (Not counting on her moving to the other side of the road).

And we are off. Some of the guys in front finished in 2 hours, 7 minutes

I am on the far side of this picture. You can make out my shoe between the legs of the bright white guy with orange shorts

Almost at the end

The race started and I worked my way past the starting point and started running. Because of the low elevation (about 600 feet below sea level), breathing was easy and running seemed to just happen naturally. I felt good and pretty much zoned out. Other than several people coming along side me and asking, "Are those shoes comfortable" in the middle of the race, things were good. (Yes, they really did that and it was not just one or two. I noticed several people point and say something to their friends but they were kind enough to let me run without trying to have a conversation with me). I passed the half way point (and our resort) at 1 hours and 59 minutes and felt really, really good. I realized at the 15 mile mark, I was running with the 4 hour pace guy and I was feeling really good and excited to think I might beat 4 hours for the first time ever. Of course, at the 15 and a half mile mark, my body laughed at me and almost shut down completely. I had been going at a 8 1/2 minute mile pace but that started dropping off quickly. At three hours, I was just over 19 miles and realized that I could still get a decent time. I sucked it up and got my pace to about 9 1/2 minutes per mile. At the 23 mile point, I really wanted to stop and then realized I could walk the rest of the way in and still break the 4 hour and 30 minute mark which for whatever reason, caused me to speed up. It was funny because I could not keep the smile off of my face. I have not had that experience before. I passed Melissa with about 1/10 of a kilometer to go and the look of surprise on her face was fantastic. She did not expect me to finish yet. She got a great shot of me giving thumbs up and then I took off, trying to catch the people in front of me. I passed them and ended up with a time of 4 hours, 18 minutes and 23 seconds, although I think my official time will be a little faster as that was the "gun" time and not my actual time between the start and the finish.

                                                                       

At the end of the race, I turned in my race chip and was given a medal for completing. Melissa and the kids walked with me to a bench so I could sit down. As happy as I was, I was a little sore (The 9 Aleve i took during the race had started to wear off). I sat for a moment and just felt good that I had improved as much as I did.

My Vibram 5 fingers

Having the shoes was a big help as now, 4 days later, I have absolutely no knee pain and the only soreness I have is in my lower back, which I had before I ran and I attribute it to flying we did jus a few days before the Marathon. Melissa and the kids have been amazing in their support of me. Melissa told me that with my improvement, I should be pleased and not need to run any more Marathons. I have no plans at the moment but who knows.... I hear they do a marathon in Kabul, Afghanistan.......

Until next time


Chris

New Years NON-Resolution

res·o·lu·tion 

[rez-uh-loo-shuhn] noun

1.

a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usuallyafter voting, by a formal organization, a legislature, a club,or other group. Compare concurrent resolution, joint resolution.

2.

a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

3.

the act of resolving or determining upon an action or courseof action, method, procedure, etc.

4.

the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute;firmness of purpose.

5.

the act or process of resolving or separating into constituentor elementary parts. 

re·solve 

[ri-zolv] verb, -solved, -solv·ing,nounverb (used with object)

1.

to come to a definite or earnest decision about; determine(to do something): I have resolved that I shall live to the full.

Every year, since I was probably 16 years old, I have made approximately 3 New Year's Resolutions. The SAME 3 resolutions;

1. Lose weight

2. Get in shape

3. Put more money in the bank/pay off debt.

You should, at this point, see a flaw with this method. If in fact, I was successful, I would chose new and more empowering "resolutions" but the simple fact is, I just turned 37 years old and weigh more than I did when I was 16, am now slower than I was when I was 16, and have a lot more debt than I did when I was 16. (age difference not withstanding).

I have decided that instead of making yet another pointless resolution, I am just going to make these things a normal part of my life and follow the advice of people much smarter than I. The Medical profession has stated in numerous cases and studies that we should exercise and watch what we eat. I think it is common sense and think I will just follow that advice. The church councils that we should be debt free and most financial experts recommend having 3 months to 6 months of savings. Again, I should follow the advice of those much smarter than me.... Finally, I want to write more and be regular with a blog of sorts (hence this thing). I am not resolving to do this or making a New Year's resolution. I am simply following the example set by my amazing wife, who does an amazing job with our blog, "Just Us".

So, here is to not making Resolutions and just living life the way it should be lived.

Happy New Year