Ok... back to normalcy again. From last Friday to Monday was a huge blur for me... it was all I could've imagined, and more!!! Chris and I have been talking about marathon stuff everyday, and we won't admit to each other, but we are both currently so psyched up about this whole marathon mania...
On Monday, I could barely get up... my leg muscles were toast! All the cramping and strong contractions apparently took a huge toll on my muscles and it was very hard for me to get in/out of the car. The best thing for me was to walk as much as possible, which I did. Instead of going to a Disney park, Chris's family and my family went to IKEA, which is a the amusement park for home furnishing... I got my exercise in walking through that place. My wallet got some exercise as well...
On Tuesday, same thing... muscles were still shot and I had to work all day. We spent the whole day explaining to every patient what exactly happened during the marathon... and everyone said the same thing.... "you finished? Wow!! good for you guys!" By the end of the day, we were tired of telling the story... but I told it one last time to a physician that I work with for fitness/weight loss. He told me that the same thing happened to him during the Chicago Marathon... he has run 8 maratons in the past.... finally I didn't feel so bad... I thought I was the stupidest physical therapist for making such a huge mistake like that (probably still am.. but whatever!!!). I do have a new nickname, which was given by one of my patients.... Aquaman!!!! That same patient also decided to call Chris Florence Nightengale..... I can dish out some jokes, so you gotta be able to take it when it comes your way, so it's all good!!!! Well, guess what? Aquaman and Florence are going to go for their second marathon, hoping to eclipse our personal best of 5:37:00by at least a minute or two in Ft. Lauderdale.... February 17th!!!! We have already put our plans into place, and are ready to roll!!! This one is going to be special in different ways, because this is my hometown, and I am going to have triple the amount of support out there as I did on Sunday (which was more than I could've ever imagine!!!) Below is the race (or carnage) of Sunday... if you click on the map, you can see exactly what was going on with my heart and when everything fell apart.
Pictures will be coming.....
BTW, I will start running again this Saturday (I'm itching to run today, but I'm trying to hold back, maybe just go on the bike for 30 minutes or so..)
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
The Amazing Race!!!!
Well Folks, I apologize for not blogging more frequently as I led up to the big week of my first marathon. It has been a crazy week, and I have meant to blog, but the circumstances of life just got to me, and unfortunately, I was unable to. What I have decided to do is recap you from Friday when I got to Orlando, and let you in on the whole weekend.
Friday
I left work at about 1:30, picked up my daughter at school and went home to pack up the car and head out for our marathon trip to Disney. By the time Adryana and I got home, Arjay was still sleeping, so we didn’t want to wake him up, just so we could go to Orlando earlier. I decided to get the car packed, take a little nap and start hydrating myself for the big race on Friday (more on that later).
We got to Orlando a little before 6, and we got checked into our hotel. By the time we got settled in, we were starving. We decided to go to the local Publix and pick up some treats and fruits for the kids, get me some water and PowerAde (as that would be the choice of drink that we would use on the course) and get some dinner to bring back to the hotel with us. We got pasta, in order for me to load up with carbohydrates in my muscles. Food was good, and after that we got ready for bed.
Saturday
I couldn’t sleep well Friday night, knowing that the race was so close. I woke up at around 3 am, and heard the buses outside that were transporting the half marathon runners for the early Saturday morning race. I was so excited and I couldn’t fall back asleep for over an hour. The realization that my big day was just one day away was overwhelming. Later on in the morning, we went for breakfast, and then headed over to the marathon expo, so I could get checked in to the race and get my chip timer, Disney shirt, and bib. The expo was unbelievable!!!! There were so many vendors, so many people, and it was just so much bigger than anything that I have ever been associated with. All the races I’ve ever done were on such a smaller scale than what this was all about. I just tried to soak it all in (while keeping myself hydrated in the process). Once we got back to the hotel, Chris called to let me know he just arrived with his family in Orlando, so I went and met up with him and his family. Later on that night, Chris and my family went out to dinner and we did our little pre-race marathon eating thing. As we finished eating, my parents arrived in Orlando, and met up with all of us. We all went over a game plan of where everyone would be during the race to watch Chris and myself. My parents decided to see me start the race at 6:00 am, and then watch me at mile 4, mile 9-10 at the Magic Kingdom, and at the Yacht Club in Disney World. Kerry, Katrina (Chris’s wife) and the kids would meet up with them at the Yacht Club, which was mile 24. We said our farewells to everyone around 9:00 pm, and I went back to the hotel and tried to get some zzzz’s. That didn’t work too well, as the excitement surrounding everything made me anxious. Didn’t actually sleep until after 11 pm and I woke up around 1 am. I just figured since I can’t sleep, I’ll just continue to keep hydrated and make good use of the time.
Sunday
I actually feel asleep again at about 2:15 am, and slept until the alarm woke me up at 3 am. I was ready to roll!!!! I got myself ready and Kerry woke up, gave me a goodbye kiss, wished me luck and I was off. I went out to the bus in front of my hotel, which took me to the starting area of the race. I met up with Chris and a friend of ours from Saddlebrook, and checked in my baggage. We had to be at the area around 4 am, so we had some time to spare. Our friend from Saddlebrook had not trained much for the marathon, and didn’t have any time goals, but to attempt to finish. As you know, I had time goals of under 4 hours and so did Chris. I drank some fluids as we were conversing, and used the potty. We finally got ready to go into our corrals (that’s the gate area where you start the race). The place was packed!!!!!! There were so many runners (18,000 entered the marathon), it was just insane!!!! About 5 minutes before the race, Disney did a fireworks display, which was incredible. We were so excited!!! I can’t believe it… the time is here… all that training is going to finally pay off!!!!!
When the starting gun went off, Chris and I were probably 6 minutes from the front of the pack, so we didn’t start until 6:06. We were ready to go and started off at a comfortable 10 minute pace. We really didn’t have a choice, since there were so many people in front of us…. We just had to wait until the hoards of runners cleared. I was ok with that as I wanted to go out slow and not get too excited and start out too fast. I saw my parents about ½ mile after the start and I was so excited to see them. Chris said that my dad had a look on his face, like he wanted to jump over the fence and start running (more on that later). Once we got past mile 2, Chris and I split off and I tried to get into my comfortable race pace. It was still pretty crowded, but I was able to get some of the miles under 9 minutes. The first part of the race went through Epcot, and they had everything lighted up…. It was awesome!!!!! At mile 4, I saw my parents and I waved to them and pumped my fist in the air… I was so happy to see them again, and I blew them a kiss and continued on. There wasn’t as much fanfare after mile 4, so I wanted to start focusing on getting into my running groove.
As I started to scroll around in my watch, I noticed that my heart rate was at very high levels!!! I was at 180 beats per minute at the 5th mile… which is extremely high for me. I just figured that maybe the excitement of everything was making my heart beat fast, so I decided to not look at the watch anymore. But at that time, in the back of my head, I knew something wasn’t right. I continued on and again saw my parents as we got closer to the magic kingdom at mile 9. I gave them a hi-five, and I was like nearly jumping for joy!!!!! I was just so pumped at that point!!!!! Right after I did that, my left calf muscle started to cramp up….. I was like, “what the heck is that? Ok, don’t pay attention to it, just keep going” Well, I wish I could say that it went away but it became more and more severe…. It happened again, about 2 minutes later, and then it happened in my other calf, then my quads and hamstrings. I have never experienced anything like this before in my whole lower body. I started to panic, and I didn’t know what to really do… should I stop for good? Should I just stretch and see if it goes away? I decided to do the latter, to no avail. I was in major trouble. I was hydrated, and taking my energy gels….what did I do wrong? Why was my body doing this to me? You have to remember that I have performed 18-22 mile runs, 4 times since training for this marathon, and never experienced anything like this. I decided that I should start to walk for a few minutes, hoping that it would go away, and that I could continue with the race. Unfortunately, it all got worse….pain that was almost unbearable every time I attempted to run, even at a shuffling pace.
It was my worst nightmare coming true. People started to pass me left and right and there was nothing that I could do. I started to walk and stretch, and about 10 minutes later, Chris caught up to me. He was extremely concerned, realizing that I had stopped running the race, and assessed the situation. Chris, or should I say, my guardian angel, tried everything in his power to help me continue the race. He tried to massage my legs, stretch me and even walk, but everything got worse. I ended up having to go to a medical tent and have them take a look at me. The nurse told me that I was suffering from hyponatremia (which basically is water poisoning, or too much water in my system). She asked me if I wanted to be removed from the course… and I said no. She advised me to only drink PowerAde, not to touch anymore water for the rest of my time on the course. I took her advice and proceeded on. I wanted Chris to continue on and run, but he would not do it… he wanted to stay with me, figuring that at some point I would be able to start running again. Unfortunately, it was not working. I was at mile 14, having already walked 3 miles and realizing that I could be in for a long day. I had to decide what to do at that time… the thought of calling it a day came into my mind… for like 2 seconds. And then I realized, I have to finish….. and the reasons I gave myself were…
1. Shane told me to have 3 goals… make one of them to finish, by any means.
2. Zack, click here
3. I’m just so darn stubborn, there is no other way I’d do it.
Chris decided to stay with me and not continue on running. Unbelievable!!!! I really didn’t want him to, but I realize that he felt as though my well being was more important than him finishing in any particular time… I so much appreciate his friendship, and he always shows how much he values me as his friend, but never more than today. Chris, what you did for me today…. I can never repay you for that!!! Thank you so much for sacrificing your big day for me. It really meant a lot. (I wonder if Disney will give Chris an honorary sub 4 hour marathon for his heroic efforts with me today?) He earned it!!!!
The tough part was watching everyone pass me…. From Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, 60 year olds, 70 year olds, dead people….. you name it…. I was done…. My body failed me… and my pride was broken, like it had never been broken before. I’m supposed to be the fitness guy… so many people say they are inspired by what I do with Therafit and my running, and the weight I lost… and I felt like I just bombed it. Actually, to cap off the nightmare, one of my Therafit patients saw me during my low point in the course, and cheered me on (but I’m wondering if she was like…. My trainer is so slow!!!” My wife, my mom and dad, and my kids were waiting for me to pass the finish under 4 hours, and I was lucky if I could reach mile 17 by that time. We tried to call them from one of the medical tents, but they didn’t pick up(because they didn’t know the number). Remember that friend of ours from Saddlebrook that had no goals for the race? She caught up to us and passed us, but before she left, she let us use her cell phone, so we could notify our family on what was happening to me. After that I walked and attempted to run, but every minute or so after running, my body would cramp up and I would have to stop.
Fast forward to mile 24, we finally reached the Yacht Club after 5 hours and 10 minutes and we finally saw my parents, including Kerry and the kids. Kerry dropped what she had in her hands and hugged me and told me how proud she was of me and to continue to press on. I have to admit that I got a little emotional, because she was still so proud of me, even though I stunk it up!! Adryana said the same thing too… But here was the thing that just did it in for me. Kerry and my mom saw that I was in pretty bad shape, but they both knew that I didn’t come this far not to finish… so they told my dad to do something!!! So my dad came over the fence, put his arm around me and told me, “Son, I am so proud of what you have done… let’s go finish this together… (I’m sorry but I’m actually tearing up as I write this). My dad put his arm around my shoulder and basically helped my shuffle the last 2 miles of the marathon…. So many people started to cheer me and my dad on that I was overcome with emotion again. After about a ¼ mile, I was severely cramped all over and I was literally jogging on my toes!!! Emotion carried me through and I was able to shuffle about a mile without stopping. Eventually I had to stop, but within 2-3 minutes I started again to run, and I ran with my dad’s hand around my shoulder to mile 26. As we attempted to cross the finish line, I held my dad’s hand up and we crossed over together…. Words cannot describe the feelings I had at that moment, and realizing that my father was so proud of me, and that he willed me to the finish. It was the best Father-Son moment we have ever had, and it was the most priceless thing that we have ever done together. And for that reason and all the reasons I talked about earlier, this was my most amazing day I have ever had with running, and that is why it will always be known as “The Amazing Race” to me.
So here are the things (in no particular order) that were reaffirmed for me today.
1. The marathon is like life…. You can prepare all you want for something, but you never know what may come your way. Your character is based on what you do when everything comes unglued. I learned that I am mentally tough when I want to be.
2. There is nothing like family. They love you when you are at your high, but they love you even more when you are at your lowest of lows. Don’t ever take them for granted… (I love you Kerry, Mom, Dad, Adryana and Arjay)
3. Chris is a gem… we have known each other for years… very rarely can business and friends work, but our relationship is the exception….
4. I’m doing another marathon….. Stay tuned!!!!
Friday
I left work at about 1:30, picked up my daughter at school and went home to pack up the car and head out for our marathon trip to Disney. By the time Adryana and I got home, Arjay was still sleeping, so we didn’t want to wake him up, just so we could go to Orlando earlier. I decided to get the car packed, take a little nap and start hydrating myself for the big race on Friday (more on that later).
We got to Orlando a little before 6, and we got checked into our hotel. By the time we got settled in, we were starving. We decided to go to the local Publix and pick up some treats and fruits for the kids, get me some water and PowerAde (as that would be the choice of drink that we would use on the course) and get some dinner to bring back to the hotel with us. We got pasta, in order for me to load up with carbohydrates in my muscles. Food was good, and after that we got ready for bed.
Saturday
I couldn’t sleep well Friday night, knowing that the race was so close. I woke up at around 3 am, and heard the buses outside that were transporting the half marathon runners for the early Saturday morning race. I was so excited and I couldn’t fall back asleep for over an hour. The realization that my big day was just one day away was overwhelming. Later on in the morning, we went for breakfast, and then headed over to the marathon expo, so I could get checked in to the race and get my chip timer, Disney shirt, and bib. The expo was unbelievable!!!! There were so many vendors, so many people, and it was just so much bigger than anything that I have ever been associated with. All the races I’ve ever done were on such a smaller scale than what this was all about. I just tried to soak it all in (while keeping myself hydrated in the process). Once we got back to the hotel, Chris called to let me know he just arrived with his family in Orlando, so I went and met up with him and his family. Later on that night, Chris and my family went out to dinner and we did our little pre-race marathon eating thing. As we finished eating, my parents arrived in Orlando, and met up with all of us. We all went over a game plan of where everyone would be during the race to watch Chris and myself. My parents decided to see me start the race at 6:00 am, and then watch me at mile 4, mile 9-10 at the Magic Kingdom, and at the Yacht Club in Disney World. Kerry, Katrina (Chris’s wife) and the kids would meet up with them at the Yacht Club, which was mile 24. We said our farewells to everyone around 9:00 pm, and I went back to the hotel and tried to get some zzzz’s. That didn’t work too well, as the excitement surrounding everything made me anxious. Didn’t actually sleep until after 11 pm and I woke up around 1 am. I just figured since I can’t sleep, I’ll just continue to keep hydrated and make good use of the time.
Sunday
I actually feel asleep again at about 2:15 am, and slept until the alarm woke me up at 3 am. I was ready to roll!!!! I got myself ready and Kerry woke up, gave me a goodbye kiss, wished me luck and I was off. I went out to the bus in front of my hotel, which took me to the starting area of the race. I met up with Chris and a friend of ours from Saddlebrook, and checked in my baggage. We had to be at the area around 4 am, so we had some time to spare. Our friend from Saddlebrook had not trained much for the marathon, and didn’t have any time goals, but to attempt to finish. As you know, I had time goals of under 4 hours and so did Chris. I drank some fluids as we were conversing, and used the potty. We finally got ready to go into our corrals (that’s the gate area where you start the race). The place was packed!!!!!! There were so many runners (18,000 entered the marathon), it was just insane!!!! About 5 minutes before the race, Disney did a fireworks display, which was incredible. We were so excited!!! I can’t believe it… the time is here… all that training is going to finally pay off!!!!!
When the starting gun went off, Chris and I were probably 6 minutes from the front of the pack, so we didn’t start until 6:06. We were ready to go and started off at a comfortable 10 minute pace. We really didn’t have a choice, since there were so many people in front of us…. We just had to wait until the hoards of runners cleared. I was ok with that as I wanted to go out slow and not get too excited and start out too fast. I saw my parents about ½ mile after the start and I was so excited to see them. Chris said that my dad had a look on his face, like he wanted to jump over the fence and start running (more on that later). Once we got past mile 2, Chris and I split off and I tried to get into my comfortable race pace. It was still pretty crowded, but I was able to get some of the miles under 9 minutes. The first part of the race went through Epcot, and they had everything lighted up…. It was awesome!!!!! At mile 4, I saw my parents and I waved to them and pumped my fist in the air… I was so happy to see them again, and I blew them a kiss and continued on. There wasn’t as much fanfare after mile 4, so I wanted to start focusing on getting into my running groove.
As I started to scroll around in my watch, I noticed that my heart rate was at very high levels!!! I was at 180 beats per minute at the 5th mile… which is extremely high for me. I just figured that maybe the excitement of everything was making my heart beat fast, so I decided to not look at the watch anymore. But at that time, in the back of my head, I knew something wasn’t right. I continued on and again saw my parents as we got closer to the magic kingdom at mile 9. I gave them a hi-five, and I was like nearly jumping for joy!!!!! I was just so pumped at that point!!!!! Right after I did that, my left calf muscle started to cramp up….. I was like, “what the heck is that? Ok, don’t pay attention to it, just keep going” Well, I wish I could say that it went away but it became more and more severe…. It happened again, about 2 minutes later, and then it happened in my other calf, then my quads and hamstrings. I have never experienced anything like this before in my whole lower body. I started to panic, and I didn’t know what to really do… should I stop for good? Should I just stretch and see if it goes away? I decided to do the latter, to no avail. I was in major trouble. I was hydrated, and taking my energy gels….what did I do wrong? Why was my body doing this to me? You have to remember that I have performed 18-22 mile runs, 4 times since training for this marathon, and never experienced anything like this. I decided that I should start to walk for a few minutes, hoping that it would go away, and that I could continue with the race. Unfortunately, it all got worse….pain that was almost unbearable every time I attempted to run, even at a shuffling pace.
It was my worst nightmare coming true. People started to pass me left and right and there was nothing that I could do. I started to walk and stretch, and about 10 minutes later, Chris caught up to me. He was extremely concerned, realizing that I had stopped running the race, and assessed the situation. Chris, or should I say, my guardian angel, tried everything in his power to help me continue the race. He tried to massage my legs, stretch me and even walk, but everything got worse. I ended up having to go to a medical tent and have them take a look at me. The nurse told me that I was suffering from hyponatremia (which basically is water poisoning, or too much water in my system). She asked me if I wanted to be removed from the course… and I said no. She advised me to only drink PowerAde, not to touch anymore water for the rest of my time on the course. I took her advice and proceeded on. I wanted Chris to continue on and run, but he would not do it… he wanted to stay with me, figuring that at some point I would be able to start running again. Unfortunately, it was not working. I was at mile 14, having already walked 3 miles and realizing that I could be in for a long day. I had to decide what to do at that time… the thought of calling it a day came into my mind… for like 2 seconds. And then I realized, I have to finish….. and the reasons I gave myself were…
1. Shane told me to have 3 goals… make one of them to finish, by any means.
2. Zack, click here
3. I’m just so darn stubborn, there is no other way I’d do it.
Chris decided to stay with me and not continue on running. Unbelievable!!!! I really didn’t want him to, but I realize that he felt as though my well being was more important than him finishing in any particular time… I so much appreciate his friendship, and he always shows how much he values me as his friend, but never more than today. Chris, what you did for me today…. I can never repay you for that!!! Thank you so much for sacrificing your big day for me. It really meant a lot. (I wonder if Disney will give Chris an honorary sub 4 hour marathon for his heroic efforts with me today?) He earned it!!!!
The tough part was watching everyone pass me…. From Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, 60 year olds, 70 year olds, dead people….. you name it…. I was done…. My body failed me… and my pride was broken, like it had never been broken before. I’m supposed to be the fitness guy… so many people say they are inspired by what I do with Therafit and my running, and the weight I lost… and I felt like I just bombed it. Actually, to cap off the nightmare, one of my Therafit patients saw me during my low point in the course, and cheered me on (but I’m wondering if she was like…. My trainer is so slow!!!” My wife, my mom and dad, and my kids were waiting for me to pass the finish under 4 hours, and I was lucky if I could reach mile 17 by that time. We tried to call them from one of the medical tents, but they didn’t pick up(because they didn’t know the number). Remember that friend of ours from Saddlebrook that had no goals for the race? She caught up to us and passed us, but before she left, she let us use her cell phone, so we could notify our family on what was happening to me. After that I walked and attempted to run, but every minute or so after running, my body would cramp up and I would have to stop.
Fast forward to mile 24, we finally reached the Yacht Club after 5 hours and 10 minutes and we finally saw my parents, including Kerry and the kids. Kerry dropped what she had in her hands and hugged me and told me how proud she was of me and to continue to press on. I have to admit that I got a little emotional, because she was still so proud of me, even though I stunk it up!! Adryana said the same thing too… But here was the thing that just did it in for me. Kerry and my mom saw that I was in pretty bad shape, but they both knew that I didn’t come this far not to finish… so they told my dad to do something!!! So my dad came over the fence, put his arm around me and told me, “Son, I am so proud of what you have done… let’s go finish this together… (I’m sorry but I’m actually tearing up as I write this). My dad put his arm around my shoulder and basically helped my shuffle the last 2 miles of the marathon…. So many people started to cheer me and my dad on that I was overcome with emotion again. After about a ¼ mile, I was severely cramped all over and I was literally jogging on my toes!!! Emotion carried me through and I was able to shuffle about a mile without stopping. Eventually I had to stop, but within 2-3 minutes I started again to run, and I ran with my dad’s hand around my shoulder to mile 26. As we attempted to cross the finish line, I held my dad’s hand up and we crossed over together…. Words cannot describe the feelings I had at that moment, and realizing that my father was so proud of me, and that he willed me to the finish. It was the best Father-Son moment we have ever had, and it was the most priceless thing that we have ever done together. And for that reason and all the reasons I talked about earlier, this was my most amazing day I have ever had with running, and that is why it will always be known as “The Amazing Race” to me.
So here are the things (in no particular order) that were reaffirmed for me today.
1. The marathon is like life…. You can prepare all you want for something, but you never know what may come your way. Your character is based on what you do when everything comes unglued. I learned that I am mentally tough when I want to be.
2. There is nothing like family. They love you when you are at your high, but they love you even more when you are at your lowest of lows. Don’t ever take them for granted… (I love you Kerry, Mom, Dad, Adryana and Arjay)
3. Chris is a gem… we have known each other for years… very rarely can business and friends work, but our relationship is the exception….
4. I’m doing another marathon….. Stay tuned!!!!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
My Family Fan Club
I just wanted to journal about the people that have made this marathon training so enjoyable for me. I can’t say that I’m one of those folks that have a marathon as one of those things that I have to do “once in my lifetime”… (Maybe I’ll feel that way after the race!!!!). I love to run, and it helps me with so many things in my life. But I think for some people who train for a marathon, it is just so much of a hassle to make the time to train for the race, with all the other responsibilities of work, family and friends who don’t support them in their goals, etc. For me, I don’t have that problem. I know some runners say that their spouses give them a hard time about running, and that they always feel discouraged because so many people are telling them it’s such a “stupid” thing to do. I am so lucky that my # 1 fan is my wife and best friend, Kerry. She gives me so much support and encouragement, and pushes me to always fulfill any dream that I have. Honestly, I personally think she would rather me not run the marathon, more for safety concerns….like when she heard that the marathoner in Chicago suddenly died on the course, and an elite marathoner died a few months ago in the Olympic Trials in New York…those things didn’t sit to well with her. She didn’t tell me not to run, she just expressed her concern that she didn’t want to lose me… But every single time that I come back from a run, she is usually waking up, and she always tells me how proud she is of my dedication to making myself so much fitter and healthier over the past 1 ½ years. Telling someone one or two times is enough of a compliment, but imagine… every single time!!!! You want to hear something else? After every long run on the weekend, she makes me an omelet to help in refueling me…by time I shower up and come out to the kitchen…. The plate is ready… Unbelievable!!! It’s not like she is a runner …. She just loves me so much, and realizes how much this means to me, that she is willing to do anything to help me become better and more successful at anything I strive to do…in other words, she is the perfect wife, my best friend, and my biggest supporter. Before my first 5k about 2 years ago, she said to me, “Babe, do you think you can win it?” I think I placed 2,000th or so…. but that is what she thinks of me… she always thinks I can be the best at everything, and she helps my confidence so much……aside from the Jesus Christ, she is the biggest reason for helping me achieve all of my goals…including attempting to complete the Disney Marathon. Kerry, I love you so much… you just don’t even know how much I love you, and I swear that when I see you on the course on Sunday, I don’t care how focused I am on running, I will stop and smack a big kiss on you!!! My sweet little girl, Adryana, is a fan just like her mommy…every morning, if I am at home, she says, “Daddy, you going to run today?” And if she is outside in the yard, she will say to me, “Daddy, watch me run like you!!”, and she will proceed to run, just to make her daddy proud. My son is too young to understand what is going on, but he has helped me get through a few of my runs… if any of you know Arjay, you know that he loves comfort ( he had colic as a baby, and I think he has residual effects of it) If I ever put him in our jogging stroller, he will not make a sound…seriously I have run up to 1 ½ hours with him, without a peep from him… he enjoys it as much as I do!!! I think this Thursday, which will be my last run before the race; I will jog with him in the stroller. 
If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you’ll see me make comments about my dad. My dad is in fantastic shape…but he decided to take his fitness to the next level, by increasing his time running (from 2-3 miles to 5 miles), and over the last 4 months, he has now lost close to 20 lbs, and his cholesterol levels have dropped significantly. Yesterday, he calls me up and says “Son, this week I am attributing my running to you. I am going to run 26.2 miles in 4 days (which is more than he has ever done), and he said that if my son can attempt to run 26.2 miles in 4 hours, I can run that over 4 days…. If he can do it, I can do it!! That was so awesome!!!!! Dad, I appreciate your support for me and I love you. My mom is the nutrition expert. I can’t tell you her weight, (because I know that is a no no with women, but if you ever see her, you would think she is 15-20 years younger than she actually is... (I’m not telling you her age either!) She always gives me encouragement over the last 4 months of my training, and has helped me so much with getting my nutrition on point. She also has set it up for her, my dad and my younger brother to be at the race this Sunday. They don’t live in Tampa…they are in Miami and they are driving up Saturday to watch me race. I just feel so blessed to have such a supportive family that wants to celebrate this very important day with me. I just wanted to let my peeps know how much they mean to me!!! BTW, I ran some easy intervals this morning, hopefully to help keep my speed up, but I was only out there for about 40 minutes…… 5 days left!!!!!
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Words of Wisdom
Sorry I have not been diligent in my blogging this week. Although there have been some runs that I have done, I have had a busier than usual week at work for a few reasons... 1. I have to catch up with everything after going out of town last week
2. One of our therapist took off some time, so I had to fill in some hours at our other clinic. I also must admit that my previous blog was pretty important, and I wanted that to be the center focus for the week, so I wasn't feeling to rushed to write about running, as I feel as though that situation is a lot more pressing. If you don't know what I'm talking about just click here.
So let's get caught up....
I ran very hard on Tuesday and did intervals. 6 1/2 mile intervals with only a 45 second rest break in between each one. It was tough, but I loved it... very challenging. At the end of my final interval, I was exhausted... but I ran an extra mile home, and I tried to run it at the pace that I plan on running the marathon at. It was challenging, but I was doing this to play a few mental games with myself. I wanted to challenge myself to run at that pace when I was tired. I'm trying to get my body to not want to stop, no matter how tired I am...maybe it will work, maybe not. Great way for me to get 2008 started!!!!
On Thursday, I worked at our South Tampa clinic, and one of the neat things about working down there is Bayshore!!!!! Well, for a runner that is... because it is about the best place to run in the Tampa Bay area, and I'm so blessed to get work down there every once in a while...I will never pass up an opportunity to run on Bayshore.... so many people running and the view is great!!! The other thing is when I run on Bayshore, I always call up my former patient/mentor/coach/friend, Shane Asbury. This guy is the best!!!! He is such a huge reason on why I am doing this race, and he has pretty much given me tons of tips, coaching, training, mentorship and encouragement throughout the past 4-5 months. If he is in town, and I am working in South Tampa, he meets me at the clinic when I'm finished, and we run Bayshore. I knew this would probably be the last time I saw him before the marathon, so I would pick his brain about things I should do to finalize everything and get ready for the big day. So once we got onto Bayshore, we started to run (at a conversational pace) and he was giving me a bunch of tips.... we were supposed to start running harder after 2 miles, but the info he was giving me was so good, that we ended up running easy for another mile before we got into the hard stuff. So this is basically what he told me.
1. Don't get too excited in the beginning... pace yourself properly
2. Write on your forearm 3 goals...make sure one of the goals is to finish, no matter what!!!
3. Don't force something if its not there... If its sweltering heat, don't try to push it... it could get ugly...real ugly
4. Count down the miles after mile 13...he said treat it like New Year's Eve... he said when you count down, you see the end in sight!!!
5. The halfway point is not at mile 13......it's at mile 20. Treat it as a 20 mile warm up and a 10km race... the physically fit people win the first 20, the mentally strong people win the last 10 km.
6. No matter how good or bad it goes, remember the real reasons why you are doing this... fitness, health, personal goals.
7. It's your first marathon...enjoy it!!!
He also brought my goals down a bit... he said I should be ecstatic if I finish in under 4 hours, but don't expect it to definitely happen. He told me about a time, when with 3 miles left he was at 3 hours, and things went so bad over the last 3 miles that he finished 2 hours later. I have to be honest with you... he scared the daylights out of me after I talked with him.... but it has put everything into perspective.... this is no joke!!! I need to respect the marathon distance!!!
But I'm ready to take this on.... Tomorrow morning I will run 8 miles, and then just a few 2-3 mile runs next week and that's it!! Let's do this!!!!!
2. One of our therapist took off some time, so I had to fill in some hours at our other clinic. I also must admit that my previous blog was pretty important, and I wanted that to be the center focus for the week, so I wasn't feeling to rushed to write about running, as I feel as though that situation is a lot more pressing. If you don't know what I'm talking about just click here.
So let's get caught up....
I ran very hard on Tuesday and did intervals. 6 1/2 mile intervals with only a 45 second rest break in between each one. It was tough, but I loved it... very challenging. At the end of my final interval, I was exhausted... but I ran an extra mile home, and I tried to run it at the pace that I plan on running the marathon at. It was challenging, but I was doing this to play a few mental games with myself. I wanted to challenge myself to run at that pace when I was tired. I'm trying to get my body to not want to stop, no matter how tired I am...maybe it will work, maybe not. Great way for me to get 2008 started!!!!
On Thursday, I worked at our South Tampa clinic, and one of the neat things about working down there is Bayshore!!!!! Well, for a runner that is... because it is about the best place to run in the Tampa Bay area, and I'm so blessed to get work down there every once in a while...I will never pass up an opportunity to run on Bayshore.... so many people running and the view is great!!! The other thing is when I run on Bayshore, I always call up my former patient/mentor/coach/friend, Shane Asbury. This guy is the best!!!! He is such a huge reason on why I am doing this race, and he has pretty much given me tons of tips, coaching, training, mentorship and encouragement throughout the past 4-5 months. If he is in town, and I am working in South Tampa, he meets me at the clinic when I'm finished, and we run Bayshore. I knew this would probably be the last time I saw him before the marathon, so I would pick his brain about things I should do to finalize everything and get ready for the big day. So once we got onto Bayshore, we started to run (at a conversational pace) and he was giving me a bunch of tips.... we were supposed to start running harder after 2 miles, but the info he was giving me was so good, that we ended up running easy for another mile before we got into the hard stuff. So this is basically what he told me.
1. Don't get too excited in the beginning... pace yourself properly
2. Write on your forearm 3 goals...make sure one of the goals is to finish, no matter what!!!
3. Don't force something if its not there... If its sweltering heat, don't try to push it... it could get ugly...real ugly
4. Count down the miles after mile 13...he said treat it like New Year's Eve... he said when you count down, you see the end in sight!!!
5. The halfway point is not at mile 13......it's at mile 20. Treat it as a 20 mile warm up and a 10km race... the physically fit people win the first 20, the mentally strong people win the last 10 km.
6. No matter how good or bad it goes, remember the real reasons why you are doing this... fitness, health, personal goals.
7. It's your first marathon...enjoy it!!!
He also brought my goals down a bit... he said I should be ecstatic if I finish in under 4 hours, but don't expect it to definitely happen. He told me about a time, when with 3 miles left he was at 3 hours, and things went so bad over the last 3 miles that he finished 2 hours later. I have to be honest with you... he scared the daylights out of me after I talked with him.... but it has put everything into perspective.... this is no joke!!! I need to respect the marathon distance!!!
But I'm ready to take this on.... Tomorrow morning I will run 8 miles, and then just a few 2-3 mile runs next week and that's it!! Let's do this!!!!!
Monday, December 31, 2007
This one's for Zack!!!
I hope everyone has had a fantastic Holiday season!!!! Besides training for this marathon, there are a lot of more important things that have happened over the past few months that I feel very grateful for. I thank God everyday for my family, friends and that I am able to be in a profession that I have passion for.
I would like to take a few moments and tell you about a little buddy of mine that is my next door neighbor. His name is Zack, and he is truly a special person to me and my family. Since we moved to our house in 2003, we have known Zack and his family, and he and my daughter Adryana, have become very good friends!!! They have literally grown up with each other. Every Christmas, it has become tradition that Adryana and Zack trade off gifts and open them in front of each other.
About 6 months ago, in the heat of late June, I remember seeing Tina (Zack's mom) in SuperTarget, and her saying to me, "Greg, you are nuts!!! I saw you running around 5 pm yesterday in the sweltering heat!!! You're nuts!" I laughed, and we chatted for a little longer, while Zack and Adryana played and talked with each other in the store, and we went on our way.
That was the last time I saw Zack, Tina and Rob before their lives changed forever. Apparently Zack came down with a chest cold over the next few days, but it wasn't getting any better. Tina took Zack to the MD, who intially said it was just a chest cold. It wouldn't go away and Tina took Zack back to the MD. They decided to do a chest X-ray, and suprisingly they found a mass in little Zack's chest. They did a CT scan to confirm that Zack had ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia).
About a week later, my family was notified of all the happenings with Zack. It was a shocker!!! My wife and I knew that the most important thing we could do for them is pray and ask God to put his hand on Zack and their family during this very trying time.
Thank God, Zack is actually coming off of steroids today, but he will be starting another round of chemotherapy (which will be 4 days/week) starting January 7th.
Many people run marathons in memory of a loved one, or for some important cause. Since Tina said back in June, I was nuts for running in the sweltering heat, I figured that I should use my insaneness (is that a word?) for good, and tell you all about his story. Please click here to learn more about Zack (in the area where it says "visit a caring bridge website" put in zackaryrozmeski [all in lower case letters]), and to follow his course of battling this condition. There is also a place on this website where you can make a donation in honor of Zack for families that are dealing with very ill children, and are having financial difficulties for continuing to get appropriate treatment for their loved ones. (Tina told me that their copays for medication were over $800 for one week!!!)
For those that are able to donate any amount to caringbridge, please put your name on Zack's website and notify me by e-mail (Use the comments section at the end of this journal entry or e-mail greg@therafit4you.com). I will extend out a complimentary video running analysis at Renewal Rehab (1 hour) for anyone that is able to donate to this wonderful cause. For the non-runners, I will give out a 30 minute consultation for Therafit Services to assist those who are trying to get fit for the New Year.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
2 weeks away...
Wow... I guess time flies when you're having fun.... Only 2 weeks away till the Disney Marathon. Feel good, but my body is a little achy from my run this morning. I ran 13 miles around my old neighborhood and I tried to run pretty hard, but I had a few obstacles along the way. First of all, I had to take a potty break at mile 5-6(luckily I knew that area very well, and I went into a fitness center I used to work at...could have been a problem if there was no bathroom around!!!) It was extremely hot also (at least it seemed to be) and after my bathroom break and the sun coming up, I just couldn't push it as much as I wanted to. But it's all good... at this point I'm just happy that my (R) ankle is feeling pretty good. Chris told me he ran this morning also, and did 10 miles at pretty strong pace (8:30/mile). It seems like he is peaking at the right time!!! Since I've been down here, it looks like I have recruited a few more people in my family to start runnning....let's see how that goes... I'm excited for them, and will try to help them in any way possible!!!
Okay we will chat later!!!!
Okay we will chat later!!!!
Friday, December 28, 2007
On the shelf....for now...
The day after Christmas, I decided to play tennis with my brother and dad....which as I said in my previous entry was probably something that I shouldn't do. Well, not using very sound judgement, I went ahead and played with them, and it aggravated my (R) ankle even more. So, now I decided to take off a day of running yesterday, and go to my brother's gym and do a spinning class. A good workout, but not the same as going out there and running. I have been training for the Disney Marathon for 4 months, and this is the first time that I have missed a workout throughout the whole program. But it's all good... because I don't want to jeopardize anything that would screw up my ability to run the race. I've put in good training, and I'm tapering now, so I'm not too concerned about it. My (R) ankle already feels much better, and I hardly feel anything there.
So guess what? As I told you earlier, I played tennis with my dad, brother, and a friend of my father. His name is John, and his wife is a marathoner. She runs them like crazy!!!! She is doing two of them in February....whoa!!!! She invited me to come run with her running group this Saturday morning on the 17th St. Causeway (which is by Ft. Lauderdale beach). I was like "Yeah!!!! Just tell me what time?" She said they start running at 3 am!!!! I just told her, "Let me think about it" Man, that's early!!! So, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do yet...but I'm definitely going to run at least 10 miles tomorrow morning...just not sure what time I will be doing it....
Since I've been down here in Ft. Lauderdale, I was able to set up my cousin (Edmund) and his wife (Sarah) on the Therafit program that I have been doing for the past year in Tampa. One of my other cousins (John) is a personal trainer, so he sat in on my instructional session with Edmund and Sarah. They love the program, and John wants to try to implement the program with some of his clients that he currently has. So this pleasure trip has now turned into a little business, as we might have Therafit start in the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area. Yeah!!!!
Ok, I'll keep you posted on my run tomorrow...
So guess what? As I told you earlier, I played tennis with my dad, brother, and a friend of my father. His name is John, and his wife is a marathoner. She runs them like crazy!!!! She is doing two of them in February....whoa!!!! She invited me to come run with her running group this Saturday morning on the 17th St. Causeway (which is by Ft. Lauderdale beach). I was like "Yeah!!!! Just tell me what time?" She said they start running at 3 am!!!! I just told her, "Let me think about it" Man, that's early!!! So, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do yet...but I'm definitely going to run at least 10 miles tomorrow morning...just not sure what time I will be doing it....
Since I've been down here in Ft. Lauderdale, I was able to set up my cousin (Edmund) and his wife (Sarah) on the Therafit program that I have been doing for the past year in Tampa. One of my other cousins (John) is a personal trainer, so he sat in on my instructional session with Edmund and Sarah. They love the program, and John wants to try to implement the program with some of his clients that he currently has. So this pleasure trip has now turned into a little business, as we might have Therafit start in the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area. Yeah!!!!
Ok, I'll keep you posted on my run tomorrow...
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