Race Day!

Finally race day has arrived - here is a running diary of what went on before, during, and after the 1/2 marathon:

4:45 AM - My alarm goes off. Race day is here. I wake up and look out the window. It is dark and there is water on the windows, I think "its going to be rain on the course."

5:00 AM - Change into my running gear, eat a light breakfast, and head to the starting line. The rain has stopped and it feels pretty warm already. Cool, I can dig this.

6:00 AM - Taking pictures in front of the starting line, we see Melissa and Lance from the Biggest Loser. I am reminded of all the contestants on the show that were able to run a full marathon. I got this!

6:30 AM - Team McGraw Picture, gear bag to the UPS truck, then a 45 minute wait to use the bathroom

Lesson # 1 - Allow plenty of time to go to the bathroom before you need to get to the starting line.

7:15 AM - Finally get to the starting line. Carmen and I realize our corral is long gone. I tell her its no big deal because of the computer chip tracking our time. Crossing the start line we start to run - what a feeling! 16 weeks of training all comes down to this. I quickly realize that the people in our new corral are all walkers. So much for avoiding using extra energy to run around people who are not going the same place.

Lesson # 2 - Get to the starting line on time!

7:40 AM - Carmen and I hit the 1 mile marker. I make sure to take advantage of the first aid station and get some water. There are rolling hills on this course and there are people running in the street as far as the eye can see. Truly an amazing site!

8:00 AM - We pass the Country Music Hall of Fame and the 2 mile marker. Carmen finds my aunt and cousin. They don't see us at first then we all realize we have found one another. We slap five and talk for a second as we run by... that was fun!

8:30 AM - The race turns down Belmont Ave and the other lanes in the road are used for runners coming back towards downtown. Damn, they are fast! I am trying not to get to frustrated but the road is now only one lane instead of two. There are so many walkers that its hard to keep running. I am trying to concentrate and not get upset.

8:40 AM - We are in a residential area and many people have great signs about the possibility of severe thunder storms and tornados. My top favorites : 1 - "Keep running or you might end up in Oz" and 2. "The pain from running is no where as painful as getting struck by lightning: RUN!" Wow, thanks for the motivation!

8:50 AM - Right around 7.5 miles I feel someone grab my left arm. When I turn my head, there is about an 80 year old guy next to me who asks me if I knew Tug McGraw. "No Sir". "Well I did", he says, "used to live over the hill over there, are you running for him?" "Well sir we are running to support brain tumor patients." Now, I am starting to get nervous. Am I going to have to slow down and talk to this man? Before I can get to worried, he gives me a wave, cuts to the left, and takes off down the street. Hmm, now I better be able to finish!

9:00 AM - Another water stop. The water is starting to get to me. I'm not used to the Nashville water and it seems more chlorinated than in the northeast. This is starting to make my stomach feel weird.... besides that, I have no complaints with how my body feels and we are almost at 9 miles.

Lesson # 3 - Maybe the belt is best and I can have bottled water at my convenience when I need it?

9:30 AM - Right around 10.4 miles I begin to feel sick. In all of our training we only ran up to 10 miles. My mind starts to play tricks on me as the clouds start to roll in and the wind kicks up. My stomach hurts and I need to slow down... this is the dark place that I knew was possible.

9:40 AM - 11 mile marker. Carmen is going strong and we are heading up hill. I am barely running and am contemplating being sick ... I am crawling up the hill trying to get her attention. I feel like I can not run anymore but I do not want to lose her... I catch up to her and tell her I am going to be sick. Author's Note: The next day Carmen tells me at this point my face and lips are all white! - Yikes! She tells me we have less than 2 miles left and I can do this. She is doing great, she has a smile on her face , and she is heading up the hills with authority!

9:50 AM - Don't remember much of this time period except that I don't remember passing the 12 mile marker. I am trying to think about anything but being sick - ugh, why is this race ending UP HILL?! A list of things you might be doing as you finish a long distance race: crying, drinking anything, laughing, lying down to take a nap, throwing up. Check, check, check check, and check. At this point, I am at my breaking point!

10:00 AM - We are finally traveling downhill and the rain starts to come down. It seems like virtually everyone is walking at this point and I keep having to go around and stop running as I glide down the hill. Dear God, I can see the stadium to the right but it seems so far away! We turn the corner, and I can see the mile 13 marker. I have never felt as mentally and physically exhausted as I did at that point. We pass the marker, turn the last corner, and there it is, the finish line. I grab Carmen's hand as we run past hundreds of cheering people.....

10:05 AM - Here's all I remember about the finish: I have nothing left in the tank, I can't hold her hand anymore, I have to keep my head down and not look... I close my eyes and I hear "And here comes Team McGraw!" I lift my hands up (see my profile pic), keep my head down, and cross the finish line!

Everyone seems to stop - I don't feel good - move people! Oh dear, luckily I have saved my signature move to after the finish, before I know it I am bending over, getting sick near the medics. After five minutes of sitting on the bed, I was able to walk throughout the finish.

10:10 AM - Wow, I have never felt pain like this. A man has a megaphone and he is saying "Get your medals and go home, the lightning is coming!" OK sir, I can handle getting my medal. What a beautiful thing, I think I'll wear it forever!

10:15 AM - We finally find Coach Kevin, Genvieve, and Jennifer Brusstar. Just another reminder of why we both did this. I feel much better as it starts to pour rain and thunder all around us.

10:30 AM - We walk a mile back to the hotel in the pouring rain and I take the most amazing shower of my life!

10:45 AM - I already forgot about the pain.... that was awesome! Lets do the Philadelphia 1/2 Marathon!

Bowling for Brains

Friday night we took a cab to Tusculum Lanes for the "Bowling for Brains" event. "Bowling for Brains" is a pasta dinner/bowling event the night before the race for anyone who is interested in supporting Team McGraw. I was looking forward to the event because it would be an opportunity to meet a lot of the individuals I had communicated with via the phone and computer over the last several years.

When we got to the event, we were greeted by Genvieve Goldstein, the Events Director for the Tug McGraw Foundation. Next, we introduced ourselves to one of the National coaches for Team McGraw, Kevin Leathers. We also met the President, Jennifer Brusstar and fellow teammate Jen McDevitt. I was so excited to meet everyone and finally be able to put a face and voice to everyone.

We ate some food and bowled for a bit before a private "runners only" meeting took place in a separate room. We all had an opportunity to introduce ourselves and say what led us to Team McGraw. The next 15 minutes of introductions was very emotional. We heard from Doug and Tom, who both recently lost their wives to brain cancer, and were running in memory of them.

We also heard from Jen McDevitt, who was getting ready to run her eighth marathon event (7 of which she was on

chemo). Jen was the reason why I signed up for both the Nashville 1/2 marathon as well as the Chicago marathon so it was awesome to finally meet her.

After the meeting was over, I wanted to go out and run the race right there and then. I felt inspired, motivated, and ready to go! Overall, the entire evening was a great experience and I felt fortunate to have met some amazing people all running to improve the lives of brain tumor patients and their families!

Nashville - Thursday and Friday

We arrived in Nashville on Thursday afternoon. Carmen and I decided the first thing we would do is head down to the Convention Center to check in, get our registration information, and check out the Expo. The Expo was a quick walk from the hotel and it was really easy to go through the registration process. We did some shopping after we got our numbers and then headed to Panera across the street for some lunch.

On Friday, we took a walk over to the Country Music Hall of Fame. The building was right on the race route so we could see the terrain of the first few miles of the race. The "rolling hills" we had heard about were a bit bigger than anticipated but "what goes up most go down" so we weren't to worried about it. Even though I am not a big country music fan, I enjoyed the Hall of Fame and would recommend it to anyone visiting the Nashville area in the future.

Word started to spread about the weather for Saturday. The percentage chance of rain started to increase every hour. A tornado watch was in affect for Saturday. When we got back to our hotel Friday afternoon, I found the following email in my in box:

"After consultation with all the involved city authorities, due to the weather forecast in the Nashville area which is projecting severe afternoon storms, the MARATHON will most likely be subject to an abbreviated timeline"

Ok - so a potential day of severe thunder storms and a tornado watch. All the while, I started to worry that sixteen weeks of training would be washed away by severe thunderstorms or worse, a tornado. I decided to not worry about it Friday afternoon and enjoy the beautiful day in Nashville. We went back to the hotel later in the afternoon to get ready for the "Bowling for Brains". We were looking forward to meeting everyone that was running with Team McGraw!

Heading to Nashville...

OK this is it! I've been running since the first week of January and the time to run has finally come! I have been bored during my long runs over the last two weeks - I've had to many dress rehearsals - I'm ready for the spotlight! I got a huge boost of inspiration on Monday watching and reading some of the stories of the runners in the Boston Marathon... I know I can do Chicago now... and I am looking forward to it!

Thanks to everyone who supported us over the last couple of months - we grossed over $5,000 in contributions since January - truly amazing! I'll post pictures after the race! :)

The Video

You may be wondering why I would sign up to run in the Chicago marathon before I even complete a 1/2 marathon in Nashville 10 days from now. I always had the idea of running a marathon in the back of my head but it was never going to happen, I would never "will myself" to run any longer than a 5k. Exercising on the elliptical machine was a lot easier than going out and running a long distance.

At the end of the summer of 2009, we celebrated the five year anniversary of the Ray Lang Memorial Golf Tournament. Several weeks later, I received a phone call from the President of the Tug McGraw Foundation, Jennifer Brusstar. During our conversation, she asked me if I ran and then explained what Team McGraw was and how the team was running in the upcoming New York City marathon. After our conversation, I started to think about running in a marathon but once again I convinced myself that it would be impossible.

I did start running short distances though and while I ran I thought about if I would be able to run as a member for Team McGraw. As much as I wanted to, I would always convinced myself the 26.2 miles would be impossible! I sill researched the Team McGraw porgram and the different races individuals were involved in throughout the country.

During my research, I found a story of a woman named Jen McDevitt. Jen was diagnosed with brain cancer several years ago. Since her diagnoses, she has ran in several marathons in Chicago and New York City. While I searched on the internet to learn more about this remarkable story, I found a video that changed my thought process on running a marathon forever. After I saw this video, I went from saying "I could never run in a marathon" to officially signing up to run a marathon this October - a month after my 30th birthday!

I do not do justice in trying to explain this video - I will tell you that it changed my life - and just a warning before you press the play button: you may just find yourself running your neighborhood streets before you even realize what hit you! :) Ya Gotta Believe!

Video Link Here

How did I get here?!??!

Running was forced upon me. My guidance counselor in high school came to my homeroom one day in 9^th grade and insisted that I show up for track practice after school. He walked away before I could even open my mouth and say a word. I only lasted for one season of outdoor track during the spring and then one season of cross-country in the summer and fall. I did not enjoy running, and I made it obvious with my pathetic overall times after each race.

Even though I only lasted one season on an organized “running team”, I occasionally would get back on the road and finish a run. I began to run on my terms, at my pace, and it was ok to stop when I didn’t feel like running anymore. I even ran the neighborhood 5K races every year. The problem with running was every time I would “give it my all” in a race, I would end up getting sick! There is nothing more embarrassing than getting sick during a road race. I look back and can remember all of the times this problem affected my races. For example, Columbus Day, 1996, I am gaining speed and the leader is in my sight. One of the race officials tells me I am in second place. “Who, me?” I ask in amazement. One mile left, I can see the leader, all I have to do is get over this last hill and I am going to win this race and show everyone that I can compete as a runner. Wait, stop, hold the victory celebration, that is me off the path, hunched over and losing my breakfast!

Years later, with a half mile to go in a 5K race, a co-worker tells me we need to push it to the finish. We turn the last corner and hundreds of people are cheering us up the last hill. I’m almost there, ten feet till the finish, then, ugh, there is me again, hunched over, my co-worker pushing me over the finish, and I can hear hundreds of people screaming a collective… “EWWW!!” I can’t open my eyes, all I can hear is “If he doesn’t stop soon, we will need to get the paramedics over here!” I did stop, but I was extremely embarrassed. After that race, I vowed never to run again. I was convinced that running was not worth it, I could not control my stomach and I would find a different way to exercise.

Six months past and it came time to decide whether or not I wanted to run in the neighborhood Gaspee Days 5K that I had signed up for the previous three years before. This was the one race I ran every year but once again I never took seriously. I would go out the night before and attempt to run in the race hung over on four hours of sleep. The one year I did go to bed early the night before and “give it my all” I felt that “sick” feeling with about a half mile left and pulled on the brakes, saving myself from humiliation but throwing away my chance at a personal best.

Which begs the question, why, after all of these negative running experiences, am I two weeks away from running in my first half marathon in Nashville, TN? I will explain exactly “how I got here” in my next post.