tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47835425923922450982024-02-20T15:47:18.018-08:00LP (Dwarf) TriathleteI am a 54 year old male who is a LP (little person) who started competing in sprint triathlons in 2009. I have completed more than 50 triathlons, 10 half-iron distance races and 18 marathons, which included both Boston and the NYC Marathons. I have earned a BQ time 4 times. I completed my 1st Ironman in 2016 at Ironman Maryland #BeTheHammercanuckleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577464433349282281noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-82763861028414776552020-11-12T06:47:00.003-08:002020-11-12T06:51:10.549-08:00I'm Not Your Inspiration<div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I'm Not Your Inspiration. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I watched this past weekend as Chris Nikic raced in and completed Ironman Florida down in Panama City. In doing so, Chris became the first person with Down Syndrome to complete this grueling 140.6 mile race. As was the case when I raced in Ironman Maryland a number of posts about his story have been shared that include the same old tired ableist tropes like,</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“What’s your excuse?”</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“If this isn’t motivation to get off my ass, I don’t know what is.”</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">And of course the tried and true “favorite” of mine, “The only real disability is a bad attitude.”</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I know that my opinion within the non-disabled world isn’t popular, but I’m going to say it again. Please STOP using disabled people in this manner. It is so demeaning to all of the work that Chris and other athletes, or musicians, or lawyers, or doctors, or ….. have done. Believe it or not, we are just people, living our lives.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, Chris has helped change attitudes and we need to recognize that, but it wasn’t for YOU! And if it was, keep it to yourself. Because, the more you talk about how much it motivates YOU, the more it helps perpetuate the belief that disabled people doing the same things others do is extra-exceptional. Yes, what Chris did is exceptional, but it’s not because he has Down Syndrome. It’s because of society’s VIEW of people with disabilities. And it’s exceptional because most people don’t race in Ironman triathlons.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">As I have shared before many times, I’ve spent a lot of my life dealing with people saying things to me like,</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“You’re too small”</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“You’re not fast enough”</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“You’re not big enough”</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“You’ll get hurt”</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I heard these things a lot when I was younger, and for a long time, I listened. Those things were often said by people who really cared for me. They were worried for my well-being. I even heard that from a number of people at my university when I applied to the program to become a high school math teacher. My advisors worried that teenagers would try and take advantage of my height and that I might have problems dealing with unruly students. To their knowledge, there had never been a high school teacher with dwarfism. Well I said, “What’s wrong with me being the first?” And here I am in my 31st year of teaching high school.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I am not saying that Chris’s story should not be shared or celebrated. On the contrary, share it and celebrate what he has done. But here is where the respect and attention should be concentrated. Chris has done so much for others with Down Syndrome and for the disability community on the whole. He has shown that he can have a dream, train and prepare and then complete an Ironman triathlon. Something no one like him has ever done before. This is just the start for Chris as I am confident that he’ll do amazing things.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Since I raced in Ironman Maryland and continue to swim, bike and run, I still get messages from families with young children with dwarfism who tell me they’ve shared my story with their own child’s teachers or coaches. They’ve done so, so that others can see that we can do the same things as everyone else, we just might have to do them, a little differently. Those letters and notes mean the world to me. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Or when I get a note from another athlete who struggled in a race and was really thinking about giving up and said to themselves “Be the Hammer” and tells me how they pushed through and finished the race. We all have struggles and challenges and we are here to help each other. It’s the total strangers that see me out there and don’t know who I am or how I got there in life and say, “WOW! If he can do it, I sure can too”. Well no, maybe you can’t.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">What we need to do is change the attitudes of people that the disabled community is not here to motivate the general public. We are here to motivate ourselves and change the attitudes of those around us, so that when we go shopping, or out to dinner, or play soccer, or go for a run, or race in a triathlon, people are not AMAZED. They are just happy to see us out there living life and if they want to join us or cheer us on, then great! I truly believe that if we all spend more time racing ourselves, rather than racing others, we’d be in a lot better place. Come and run WITH ME, there’s lots of room!</div></div>John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-4416838952792320682018-01-22T12:21:00.000-08:002018-01-22T12:21:14.957-08:0012 in 12<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtD3QiibKYxc1BVQBgP869NtTajAmcDUok3xeBDpbyM59uoUoGWBzwiIbROfX-f5TGWr0zcL5DLOZEW6T6gOGkyyh308ZRtaieB7uzN3W4avKycaFM5FBvF9FOJvLvxuWFJZdvPUDfnXA/s1600/23270385_10100772732240749_6929023420555157063_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtD3QiibKYxc1BVQBgP869NtTajAmcDUok3xeBDpbyM59uoUoGWBzwiIbROfX-f5TGWr0zcL5DLOZEW6T6gOGkyyh308ZRtaieB7uzN3W4avKycaFM5FBvF9FOJvLvxuWFJZdvPUDfnXA/s320/23270385_10100772732240749_6929023420555157063_o.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running with Achilles Guide Nacho Valle in the 2017 NYC Marathon. <br />
I earned my 3rd BQ at that race.</td></tr>
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So after racing IM Maryland and stopping my quest at mile 16 of the run, I had two choices. Rest, recover and reload for another go at an Ironman race in 2018, or come up with a new goal. I decided for the later. Deep in my heart, I am confident I will return to Ironman racing. I am also pretty sure it will be in Maryland. As I have stated numerous times, the Cambridge, MD community opens their collective arms to their Ironman visitors. And as I have also stated, Gerry Boyle is an unparalleled race director. Ask any multiple Ironman finisher, who has raced Maryland, I am sure they will all agree.<br />
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So my next task was to come up with a new goal. I thought of one of my good friends, Becca Pizzi, the first American woman to complete the World Marathon Challenge. She currently holds the women's record for this race. This challenge is 7 marathons, in 7 days on 7 different continents. There is NO WAY I could complete this task, nor would I try. But my idea is something similar, though not on the same scale.<br />
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I have decided that starting with the 2018 Boston Marathon, I am going to complete 12 marathons in 12 months. If I am successful, I will be the first person with dwarfism to complete this goal. I have to date completed 10 stand-alone marathons, and think I have completed the most by anyone with dwarfism. All of this since 2009, when I completed my first, multi-sport race, a sprint triathlon, at the age of 43. I will be turning 52 at the end of January.<br />
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I hope to race Boston and finish in less than 6 hours, giving me another BQ time, so I can then race Boston 2019, as the last of my 12 marathons. Luckily this year's Boston is on April 16th, and in 2019, the race will be on April 15th. If all goes according to plan, I will be finishing my 12th marathon on the 6th anniversary of the tragic events that happened in 2013, when the finish line of the marathon was attacked. On that day, I was racing and was stopped less than a mile from the finish line. My wife Sue and son Owen were waiting at the finish line, but were not physically harmed by the blasts.<br />
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The trick now is to plan all of those races. I have to try and juggle training, recovery, travel, work, and family life all around this year long task. At this point I have the following races planned, And race in <b>BOLD </b>is either confirmed, or very close to being confirmed.<br />
<br />
2018<br />
<b>April 16th - Boston Marathon</b><br />
<b>May 9th - Toronto Marathon (Lifetime Fitness)*</b><br />
<b>May 27th - Vermont City Marathon*</b><br />
June 24th - Sanford Marathon, Sandford, ME<br />
<b>August 11th - Sweltering Summer Marathon* - Pittsfield, MA</b><br />
<b>September 1st - Nightglow Marathon - Hamilton, OH</b><br />
<b>October 8th - Newport Marathon* - Newport, RI</b><br />
November 4th - New York City Marathon<br />
January 13th - Carlsbad Marathon or RnR Arizona or MLK Marathon in Atlanta, GA<br />
February 24th - Hyannis Marathon<br />
Mar11th - RnR Washington DC<br />
April 15th - Boston Marathon<br />
<br />
I am grateful that a number of these races (*) have offered me either partial or fully complimentary entries into their races.<br />
<br />
I also want to thank Achilles International for their continued support of me as an athlete. My work with the athletes and guides from both the NYC and Boston chapters has been invaluable. My coaches, Brian Hammond, and Travis Hawkins from WORKLIVETRI have been amazing resources and mentors, helping me become a stronger and smarter athlete.<br />
<br />
Thank you also to Champion Systems, Seven Cycles, HED Wheels, Blue Seventy, Surf Butta, and Salem Cycle.<br />
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I hope to still race two triathlons this summer. I will return to race the NYC Triathlon (8th year in a row for me!) and also the Pumpkinman Triathlon.<br />
<br />John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-84702653920078436742017-10-11T19:54:00.000-07:002017-10-11T19:54:58.913-07:00IRONMAN MARYLAND 2017<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="314lf" data-offset-key="c1ivj-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Mindy Randall</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Starting with the swim.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Worrying about jellyfish stings I prepped with “Safe swim” before getting my wetsuit on. Sue and Owen were with me by swim start as we watched the sunrise. I had been told that the PC athletes were getting a 10 or 15 minute head start and only found out right then, that we would only be given a 2 minute head start. As we approached the start area and were told to enter the water I then realized we were only to be given a 100m lead and would have the best swimmers in the race right behind us when the cannon went off. Here I was about to swim my longest distance ever with 1000+ athletes on my tail. I should have asked at that moment to go back with other swimmers of my own speed. But I didn't. And then I saw the jellies all around me. I immediately took my hands out of the water and dug my feet into the sand. I'm not blaming this on anyone. I should have been more assertive in finding out exactly how things were going to go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then BOOM! It was on. I started swimming and the bodies were on me in less than 30 seconds. For 20 minutes until the first turn buoy, I was being hammered. Over and behind me, I was getting hit and kicked. No one grabbed me, but for about 10 secs I honestly thought I was going to have to stop. I managed to settle my breathing down and remembered what worked in the past. Each time someone touched me, I relaxed and glided with my arms by my ears, while still kicking. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">At the first turn things settled down for a bit, but for the remainder of the swim bodies would often seem to just swim into and over my path. Maybe it was my own misguided swimming?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first lap was good in terms of time, along with the first leg of the second lap but then I realized the current had picked up. I went down the outside lap very quickly and then turned to the finish. Then I really found out how fast the current was. I aimed for the finish chute, would take a few strokes and then look up only to be aiming far down river. During the second lap I also passed over a jellie and then got stung on my foot. Nothing bad, it just pinched for a few minutes. Dealing with the other swimmers was much more of a worry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was aiming for a 1:53 swim and instead ended up out of the water in 2:07:58. What should have been a 4224 yd swim came up as 4900 yds on my watch. I think the course may have been a bit long, but obviously, my sighting was way off. When I exited the water, I used the wetsuit strippers and then ran off to change for the bike. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Mindy Randall</td></tr>
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I was actually able to run to T1 to grab my bike bag and get changed. I took a lot longer than planned, taking 10:36 to get changed and onto my SEVEN. It was a pretty long run through to get my bike and get out. I was happy at the number of bikes still left in transition as I was thinking I was one of the last out of the water.</div>
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The bike course is extremely flat but at spots, is subject to some fierce winds. The first 10+ miles takes you through Cambridge and then out to the high school where the first water stop is. Once I left the high school and headed out, the wind from the south kicked in. It was pretty strong. I was only able to maintain about 13mph for the next 20 miles or so. Once I reached the bottom of the loop and started heading back north, I was able to maintain some faster speed (15.5-16 mph). Unfortunately, both the cadence and power were not being picked up by my Garmin, so I had to do my best to work by “feel”. The fuel stops were all well run and I was able to get both water and Gatorade each time without having to stop. I can’t put a bottle anywhere, so I have to pour what I can into my aero bottle and then drink what I can before ditching the bottles. Every 45 min or so I consumed either a honey stinger GINSTENG or an un-crustable sandwich. When I got back to the high school I hit bike special needs. Just before that, Sue and Owen were there and what a happy sight it was to see them.</div>
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I refueled with my bottle of prepared Carbo-Pro, more sandwiches, and another bottle of Honey Stingers. I also grabbed my spare tube, just so it didn’t go to waste. After a stop in the porta-potty, I was on my way for lap 2. The winds seemed stronger now, but for some reason, I felt stronger as well. My average speed was down a bit but I tried to stay a bit more aero. This is when I started to get some added confidence as I was starting to pass other cyclists, some of whom had passed me earlier in the race. Using 20 inch wheels I have to turn my wheels 35% more to go the same distance as a cyclist with 27 inch wheels. Not taking anything away from them, but each pass gave me more and more confidence. All in all, I was able to pass 8 cyclists. Once I started heading back north again, I was able to pick up some good speed. At one point though when I seemed to be all alone, a large hawk swooped down near me and circled around. I seriously wondered if it was going to dive at me. It then flew away, but for a little while I was wondering if I was being followed.</div>
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When I reached the 100 mile marker, I just had to go a little bit until the hairpin turn back into town and past the last water stop. I rode by and got my last bottles and realized I was about to complete my longest bike ride to date. Kind of cool, since I had just completed my longest swim ever.</div>
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All of a sudden I felt something crawling inside the bake of my bike jersey. I kept trying to lift it up and get whatever it was to leave, but no luck. I had already been stung by a jellyfish, so what the heck, why not a wasp. I cycled hard to get back to transition and was “happy:” to see the bike course was coming up a bit short. This was “ok” to me since I had felt I had swum further than 2.4 miles. Just outside of transition I could see both Sue and Owen again, which was a real boost to my morale. My bike time was a 7:48:33, which was only about 5 minutes off my goal time. The time of day was about 4:45pm, so I had made the bike cut-off (5:30pm) by plenty of time.</div>
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When I racked my bike, I lifted off my bike jersey to see a nice big wasp fly out. Lucky no sting. I had grabbed a bag of chips from my special needs bag and proceeded to eat them walking “fast” to get changed for the run. I actually felt pretty good, but knew I was going to need a 6:40 marathon in order to finish under 17 hours. I knew that was a tall order with a stand-alone marathon PR of 5:50, but I was going to give it my best shot.</div>
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And now, for the run. I got my run gear bag and went into the changing tent. I was surprised how good I felt being upright after being on my bike for almost 8 hours. Again, the change was a lot slower than I had hoped. I did a full change, getting into running shorts and a singlet. I got some sunscreen on, a visor, sunglasses and proceeded to put my headlamp into my run belt as I headed out of the tent. I had 3 fuel-belt bottles of CARBO-PRO along with enough Honey Stingers to keep me going for the run. Just as I left transition, I saw my friend Arlene who was helping with sunscreen. I had her smear my face and shoulders and off I went. The time of day was 5:04pm, which meant I needed to complete the marathon in 6 hours 41 minutes to make the cut-off, since I was in the water at 6:45am. This was going to be a TALL order, but I was willing to “go for it”.</div>
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They had a water stop outside of transition, but at this point, I was good to go. There would be sunlight for about the next hour and a half and then some dark times ahead. OK, my first mile was a 15:06. If I could maintain that, or even a bit slower, things would be OK. Not long outside of transition, I met up with my dear friend Woody Freese. He is from MA and we have raced together a number of times and even done a couple of training rides. Not soon after meeting him, Eric Randall showed up. Both Woody and I were on lap one, but Eric was already on lap two. The course winds up into a residential area and even and then to turn around that is sort of surrounded by corn fields. Along with the amazing volunteers who run the aid stations, Rebecca Redmer and her son Luke were there again this year at Longboat Estates. He is one special kid who really helped to boost my spirits. More so on the next lap, which I’ll mention in a minute.</div>
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I headed back to loop around transition, but my pace was starting to suffer. Most of my mile paces were in the 16:30 or slower range, which weren’t going to get me there in time. I managed to meet up with Woody again and we stayed together until we returned to transition. We have to run around there and then down into the downtown area of Cambridge. The hardest part is that you pass by the FINISH LINE 5 times before actually getting to go into the chute. As I went downtown things were still hopping and the cheering fans were a real boost. At this point, I was at about 10 miles into the run, but really slowing down. I went back through transition and then back onto the darker streets to start lap 2. It was time to get my head-lamp on and see what I could do with fewer people on the course to talk with, to, or even at. By this time, my mile paces were up into the low 17:00 which was a bad sign. Again the aid stations were awesome, some with music and all with food and now also chicken broth. With the sun going down it was getting a little “cooler” but nowhere near cold.</div>
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By now I had to start making some decisions. It was obvious I wasn’t going to make the 17:00 hour deadline. My friend Adama Guesso, working for WTC. was on the course along with another friend Eric Knight volunteering down by the finish line, both basically said, if I wanted to make the cut-off, I needed to GET moving. As I passed Rebecca and her son again and then to the turnaround, it was DARK. They had huge spotlights out, but there were still really dark sections. It was at this point, I was thinking I was the last one out there. After the turnaround I realized I wasn’t and I passed other runners, including “NUT”, Heather, but my fate was determined. Luke came up to me and was on rollerblades and asked if I wanted some company. The bummed part of me wanted to be alone, but the rest of me said, “SURE”. Dare I tell him, I’m thinking of stopping? I decided I’d try a bit more. I got back down to the next water-stop, asked who was in charge, and told her I wanted to withdraw. At this point I had done 16.2 miles in about 4:35:59 and been racing for about 14 hrs and 45 min.</div>
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I think I need to explain why I QUIT.</div>
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It was dark and I was a little dizzy, but nothing where I thought I would fall. I had promised Sue through all of this, that I would never do something risky (like race an Ironman? LOL) where I might be feeling unsafe.</div>
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Now, I am 100% sure, I could have kept going and finished the 140.6 miles. It would have been well after midnight, but I know I could get there, but here is the thing. I want to again complete an Ironman under the RULES for the day. The rules were simple, cross the finish line in under 17 hours. I didn’t want to cross and say I finished the distance. I didn’t want a medal, hat, or t-shirt I didn’t earn.</div>
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There were MANY successes that day. I completed my longest swim ever and longest bike ever and then proceeded to run 16 miles. I think what I was most happy about was that I was racing for almost 15 hours and I did not hear a single person make any reference to my short-stature. I certainly heard a few people yell, “Be the Hammer!” One athlete passed me and mentioned that she had seen the video about me Ironman produced for the “Welcome Night” and said it was great, but wondered why it also didn’t mention that I was 51 years old!! If you don’t know, we have our ages written on our calf so other athletes know if they are coming up on an athlete from the same age-group.</div>
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I do feel I did FAIL in that I did not reach my primary goal of finishing a 140.6 Ironman distance race. I DO NOT consider the day a failure. Ten years ago, I had no desire, goal or dream of being where I am today. I hope that both children with dwarfism and able-bodied children as well, see me out there and think, “WOW! I can do anything if I want to bad enough.”</div>
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Will I race an Ironman again someday. I sure hope so!!</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
A long list of thank-yous. Sue, Owen, Kat Bateman, Achilles International, Tri-Achilles NYC, Achilles Boston, Brian Hammond, Travis Hawkins, Dick Traum, Pingree School, Seven Cycles, Champion Systems, Blue Seventy, Hed Wheels, Surf Butta, Gerry Boyle and Claire Cloutier, the race-director of the first multi-sport race I even did back in 2009. She never thought twice about me entering her race.</div>
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<a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/bethehammer?source=feed_text&story_id=10100759208267899" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #4267b2; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">BetheHammer</span></span></a></div>
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John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-26383779605426986132016-10-13T18:16:00.001-07:002016-10-16T16:33:17.453-07:00IRONMAN MARYLAND 2016<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><br /></b></i></h3>
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<i><b>126.2 miles of tears, smiles laughs, adaptation, but mostly JOY!!!</b></i></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXWKL1AXrrwNUqxU0l_t6q6KCYT8dycWV50kiIqHjT7obmPu0N6ME34uuZoqFiMTwDqz2MH3RTFSHJLEmzSEnYYOGxydWgBpRyaiR7BWMdyBUAIbHNSCwUYkAIABIBPnDmjBZw5Pd8w8/s1600/immaryland-thumb-325x157-4748.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXWKL1AXrrwNUqxU0l_t6q6KCYT8dycWV50kiIqHjT7obmPu0N6ME34uuZoqFiMTwDqz2MH3RTFSHJLEmzSEnYYOGxydWgBpRyaiR7BWMdyBUAIbHNSCwUYkAIABIBPnDmjBZw5Pd8w8/s320/immaryland-thumb-325x157-4748.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><i>2 Timothy 4:7 <span style="background: #fdfeff; color: #001320;">I have
fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.<br />
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You read all the time that an Ironman really isn’t earned on
race day, but it’s really earned through all the training for the months leading up to the
race. I don’t think that could have been
more true for me on my journey to that finish line on October 1st, a little
after 10pm.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, how many times did things not go perfectly well during my
training? Quite a few times, that’s for
sure. Most people will remember the
NUMEROUS flat tires I experienced during my rides up coastal MA and NH. You’d think I was riding over glass, tacks,
and nails all of the time. Well, it sure
got me prepared to fix flats. Of course, with all the racing I did this season, I didn’t flat during a single race,
especially not during IMMD!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I went through the entire season without a single injury. I
certainly increased the mileage covering 3168 miles in 2015 and a total of 3564
from Jan 1st up to and including race day on October 1st. Regular visits to my
chiropractor and my two fav massage therapists helped keep everything in
line. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Wednesday</u><br />
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We headed down to Maryland on the Wednesday prior to race
day. Most Ironman races are on Sundays,
but IMMD has there race on a Saturday.
The drive down was uneventful and we arrived in Salisbury, MD just after
dinner time. We decided to spend the
first two nights in Salisbury and then would move into Cambridge to stay at the
host hotel from Friday until we left for home on Monday morning.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Thursday</u><br />
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We headed into Cambridge for package pick-up on Thursday
morning. I went in with the intention of
swimming in the Choptank and then having a ride on the course for a bit. Now it had rained most of the night on the
eastern shore there and there was lots of flooding in the area and many schools
had a delayed start. When I looked at
the river, to say I was nervous was an understatement. It was real windy with a
lot of chop (remember, Choptank river?).
I decided I didn’t need the swim, so I got my bike out and did about
12-15 miles. Very flat as I had expected
and the wind was pretty strong at times.
Nothing I hadn’t seen riding up 1A in NH! When I was done with the ride, I dropped my
bike with Sue and Owen. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfBEvEIdXAP2ToZWP5a8J7ChFQPIY_AaR7EQqz_UwgPlyK_JAihlvcK3W0adZmsVKVFRBzDS1gqj4J3rt_mG7wUC_9B0n_0pJCQ6SPkw9uxS1yiW2qaxC8KrDj69Qpu-d-LAPfL8H3x4/s1600/maryland+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfBEvEIdXAP2ToZWP5a8J7ChFQPIY_AaR7EQqz_UwgPlyK_JAihlvcK3W0adZmsVKVFRBzDS1gqj4J3rt_mG7wUC_9B0n_0pJCQ6SPkw9uxS1yiW2qaxC8KrDj69Qpu-d-LAPfL8H3x4/s320/maryland+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking at the Choptank River</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqPItlKIMu1rKz6lNGp3cEONy3lNIB6laZgnrLntuityjLufidpaDq5_pa0BYY-y7g-V8BJyeQhYSmY25i1djA7Px1Y9Sw8Kdm-fy2gT1ehCKWzf3DD25V82FvpezwIpDLf6Bu632004/s1600/maryland+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqPItlKIMu1rKz6lNGp3cEONy3lNIB6laZgnrLntuityjLufidpaDq5_pa0BYY-y7g-V8BJyeQhYSmY25i1djA7Px1Y9Sw8Kdm-fy2gT1ehCKWzf3DD25V82FvpezwIpDLf6Bu632004/s320/maryland+11.jpg" width="320" /></a>My friend Ken Sirani had come to race MD as well and we
decided to tour the entire bike course to get a good look at where we would be
riding. I took the role of navigator and
off we went. The roads of the course
were in excellent shape. Only a few
spots to be be aware of. Things were
going great and then we hit mile 24 on the course. FLOODED ROADS. We had heard of this and people said it
happens often. But seriously, about ½ a
mile of water, sometimes, more that 6 inches deep at least. That was the only concern, but it was
certainly a big one.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ken dropped me off back in Salisbury and then Sue, Owen, and
I headed back to Cambridge for the Opening Ceremony and Parade of Nations. It was a great event where they even gave me
a shout-out for being the first person with dwarfism who would be racing in an
Ironman. We were able to sit with my friends
Mindy and Eric Randall. I have done a
few triathlons with Eric and I have always respected his hard work and drive.
He is always positive and up-beat. Mindy
is also a terrific athlete who was there to support Eric’s race. She's an amazing photographer as well. I would see her numerous times during the day
on Saturday and her pictures and cheers really helped keep me positive that I would
complete the race. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We got some dinner (Subway) and then headed back to the
hotel. The rain just kept coming and it would rain most of the night. I did have
a GREAT night of sleep. An important
thing to try and do two nights before a big race.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Friday</u><br />
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We got up Friday morning and then headed into Cambridge to
the Hyatt Hotel. They already had our
room ready and so we dropped off all of our stuff. It was then that I got a text from my friend
Trevor who was racing along with his buddy Vinnie. They also live up on the North Shore here in MA and we had all raced Timberman 70.3 last year. They had been downtown in Cambridge and had
taken a pic of a sign at the Chamber of Commerce. It simply said, “Go John! Be the Hammer” All I could say was, “WOW!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GXr9K9hKGKkUm9zvwPfAOoPZ4gdcXjuOirN8oYBsLnCEPRTOAOVcZlRvlVphlL0R4EI-cyzL_khqocFZ6ukVD4wjCl0gqDC09rXs18BeV4TtixOk-YNzfRNoHbpMlsiVwLd7pEpwJMo/s1600/14485053_10100521460401529_2715331574095673612_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GXr9K9hKGKkUm9zvwPfAOoPZ4gdcXjuOirN8oYBsLnCEPRTOAOVcZlRvlVphlL0R4EI-cyzL_khqocFZ6ukVD4wjCl0gqDC09rXs18BeV4TtixOk-YNzfRNoHbpMlsiVwLd7pEpwJMo/s320/14485053_10100521460401529_2715331574095673612_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dorchester Chamber of Commerce</td></tr>
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We headed in the Cambridge for lunch. I had been doing my best to hydrate most of
the day remembering to drink whenever I had the chance. We
went to a lovely little restaurant in the downtown area called Katie Mae’s
Country Shoppe. Not a lot of tables, but
filled with a few locals, other athletes and GREAT FOOD. I had spaghetti and meatballs along with a
salad (HUGE). We didn’t have room for
dessert. I then needed to check in my
bike. We returned to the hotel to get my
bike, bike bag and run bag. We dropped off Owen to spend some time in the hotel unattended. Heck, they had an arcade, so he was happy
with that. When we got to transition,
parking around there was a s***-show.
The RD had made it quite clear that parking was not allowed on the
streets, but a lot of people were simply ignoring that rule. I didn’t blame the RD for getting upset and
when he started to ask people their bib numbers warning they would be penalized
or possibly DQed if they ignored the no parking order, people started to
listen. I was happy Sue was able to
simply drop me off with my bike and bags.
The wind was still pretty strong and when I racked my bike I noticed
since the front wheel did not touch the ground, the bike was rocking back and
forth. All it would take was a strong
gust and #TheAnvil might fall off of the rack.
Wouldn’t you know it when a volunteer saw my dilemma and without me
asking he hopped on his bike, rode home and brought back two bungee cords for me
to use. A photographer also offered me a
reusable twist tie. The bike was secure
and I called Sue to come back and get me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We returned to the hotel and Sue and Owen decided to head
out to the mall for a bit (or maybe they went to the mall earlier, I can’t
really remember) as Deb and Mimi from CNN wanted to spend some time having
me answer a few last minute questions prior to the big day. “How do you feel?”, “What if you don’t
finish?”, etc. I can’t remember if it
was before this interview or after, but we received news from Ironman Maryland
that the bike course would be shortened by 8 miles due to all the
flooding. What Ken and I had seen on
Thursday was now a lot worse. I kept
saying to myself, “Worry about what you can control.” The weather and course
changes were out of my hand. All I could
do was prepare and do my best to adapt to any changes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I went back to my room to make sure all of my bags were
packed. Clothes set out for the morning with a morning bag and both special
needs bag. I also had to get all my
nutrition bottles ready. Rather than
fumbling with individual gels I bought these small bottles from CVS (intended
for shampoo) and I filled 3 of them with Honey Stinger Gels (3 in each). I prepared 5 bottles with CARBO-PRO. Two for the bike, two for bike special needs
and one for the morning to drink. In my
bike special needs, I put the bottles, one gel bottle, packets of chamois
butter, packets of Biofreeze and a zip lock bag of potato chips. My coach Brian had messaged me that he had
heard about the course change. He
reminded me to check my nutrition plan, because along with the shortening of
the course, a bike aid station would be removed. I needed to make sure I had enough fuel to
make it from Aid#1 now to Aid#3, about 20 miles instead of 15 or so.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was time for dinner and without batting an eye I wanted
to go back to Katie Mae’s for dinner. I
had an awesome meal of “stick to your ribs” chicken and dumplings. The local paper had a story about me racing
IMMD and the staff at the restaurant said they’d be out cheering in the morning
since the run course went right by their shoppe. Off we went back to the hotel. All that was left for the evening was to
check and re-check my gear and try to get some sleep.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Saturday</u><br />
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I awoke around 1:30AM to hit the bathroom. I knew I’d need some added energy and so at
that time I drank a PowerBar Vanilla shake.
Luckily I managed to get back to sleep.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I set my alarm for 3:45AM and was up right away. Breakfast
was two small cinnamon raisin bagels with PB along with an orange and banana
and a small cup of coffee. I also
started drinking my bottle with carbo-pro.
Got changed, gave Owen a big hug (he was up for some reason) and I
headed out the door. The hotel was
supplying a shuttle to the swim start and I just missed it when I got down to
the lobby. I quickly texted Deb and Mimi
and they swung by to get me. Can you
tell I was feeling anxious?<o:p></o:p></div>
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The ride down to the start took no time at all and Deb and
Mimi dropped me off two blocks from the entrance to transition. They needed to go and park and then bring the
cameras down to start documenting the day. I walked down the block and the
first shock of the day appeared. The
road to transition was flooded. The
volunteers were saying it was due to the tide and would be gone by the time we
were on the bike. All I was worried about was our bike and run bags hoping they
had been kept dry. I went to find my
bike bag to get out two of the bottles for my bike (I should not have put them
in the bike bag and simply brought them with me in the AM). My bag was fine and all was dry inside. I had double-bagged it just in case, but you
never know. The bib sticker on the bag
left me a bit worried and in the future I will remember to bring a sharpie so I
can number EVERYTHING just in case. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I returned to my bike, loaded up the bottles and this is
when I first saw Brian, my coach. He had
traveled down from NYC to support me and witness this amazing day. Knowing he would be there encouraging me and
“kicking my ass” all day was a true relief.
Race start time was fast approaching.
I got out my SURF BUTTA and asked Brian to help apply it to my shoulders
etc, where my Blue Seventy Helix was most likely to give me some chaffing if
not attended to. I took a couple of
puffs of my inhaler, ate my apple-sauce grabbed my wetsuit, goggles and
caps. I put all my clothes in the
morning bag and went to drop it off. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then the short walk to swim start. I didn’t want to get my suit on until I was
on some grass. Another trip to the
porta-potty for a ”pee”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
**Bodily function post coming up** I consider myself VERY
LUCKY in the fact that on most race days, except for one when I was battling a
little bug, I only ever need two trips to the “loo” for #2. I have always been
able to do those prior to leaving home or the hotel. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I got to swim start, found a nice patch of grass and got my
wetsuit on and then went looking for some of the officials. They told me the PC athletes would be leaving
before the AG athletes started. The AG athletes were told to self-seed based
on speed and would enter the water one or two at a time. Not the conventional mass-start that many
triathletes feel is the ONLY way to start a triathlon. It is used in a lot of races now to try and
reduce the anxiety that some athletes experience.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I got to the start, Brian was there and I found Sue and
Owen as well. I went to the water’s edge to so some pre-race sighting. The water was pretty rough but I was prepared
to do this! One of the volunteers gave
me some great sighting advice on what to aim for on the first long leg. With about 10 minutes to start I put on my
caps. I always wear two caps and had
brought one of my Pingree Swim Team caps to wear under my purple Ironman
Maryland cap. It was then that they
announced that the swim start was going to be delayed by 30 minutes.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn152sBxoWMNVCtyLt9s8SrcMSOO89AaznjLhvjEGeupGID3ycNdxLnD9PkLUbnlHvFwhyB8OaiFTeRKWywiXxKmNN1xEvjOIBD7K_e7Qc8783_dqcn3d8zyuNcGuLoy4eaRsWKt_RvEo/s1600/image3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn152sBxoWMNVCtyLt9s8SrcMSOO89AaznjLhvjEGeupGID3ycNdxLnD9PkLUbnlHvFwhyB8OaiFTeRKWywiXxKmNN1xEvjOIBD7K_e7Qc8783_dqcn3d8zyuNcGuLoy4eaRsWKt_RvEo/s320/image3.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by M.Schiffman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It was still a little dark, but they said
they hoped that once the sun was up fully, the water and wind might settle down
a bit. I have no idea where that comes
from, but the announcer mentioned that is what happened at last year’s
race. I wasn’t around a lot of other
athletes at this time and I truly feel that was best, FOR ME. I wasn’t having to listen to complaints or
worries by others. I have really worked
on concentrating on what I can control and the weather is not something I can
control. Nor can I control the decisions
made by the RD and his committee. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now Gerry Boyle, the RD is an amazing man. This was my first Ironman race, and all I
have been hearing from other seasoned Ironman athletes is that Gerry is in a
class all his own. He is active on the
IM Maryland facebook page quickly answering athlete’s questions. When I first posted I wanted to race IM
Maryland almost a year ago, Gerry reached out to me right away. Letting me know he was more than happy I had
chosen this race and he would answer any questions I had along the way. He did, every-time I asked.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With about 10 minutes to go before the adjusted start the
kayaks and SUP started to go out to take their positions and there was a cheer
from the crowd. This race was going to
START!! I gave Sue and Owen another hug, knelt down and said a special
prayer. I don’t pray to be fast and I
don’t pray to win. I pray to keep safe,
keep the other athletes safe, race the best race I can and if I don’t finish,
understand there is a reason for that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I didn’t want to see what saw next. The water safety people started coming back
in. And then the dreaded announcement
came that the swim portion of the race had to be canceled. I would later hear that the USCG had issued a
small craft warning and instructed the RD they could not have the swim. I am confident the vast majority of the
swimmers were prepared to start. But
2000 athletes in rough water and wind along with kayakers who are struggling to
control their own craft is a recipe for some real trouble.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They announced we were all to get back to the changing
tents, change into our cycling gear. We
would have a TT start commencing at 7:50AM (35 minutes later). I think they should have done something to
organize who got changed when, because basically all of us tried to find our
own small spot to get changed. I was bib
11 (the lowest one in this race) and then heard they were going to start in bib
order. Heck, I was going to be LEADING
the Ironman for a while. Athletes were told if they were with their bikes, they
needed to keep them racked until their numbers were called. I would later find out that it took about 2
hours to get all the riders started. It
makes sense as they can’t have all of us start at the same time. That would be a recipe for disaster leading
to overcrowded roads, with possible crashes and a real mess at the aid
stations for sure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So let’s take a second to go over all the ups and
downs. Crazy wind and rain Thursday and
Friday. Flooded roads leading to the bike being shortened. Flooded roads
walking to transition, swim delay by 30 minutes and then swim cancellation. Talk about having to adjust to race day
conditions. We did notice numerous
athletes leaving transition, choosing not to race. I can totally understand if there are more
Ironman races in their season. Why expend
the energy on a non 140.6 race? But they
had already come to race on a shortened bike course, so I’m not sure why DNS now?
Totally their choice and I would never criticize another athlete’s
decision. Once I started, what other
unexpected things would occur?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCUd_QKrsBKQpAnnaCfzMedw46jCqPthKxw0yGpNvigcFdUTyF4Hf4N-S7kcBo6OcguH3rOrWABO7kOR48eBRdOvLyCdM4O-iWeMoOJeIp5mwm76f3GzXvGQHJxqugTRH2B18pdOPffs/s1600/ironman8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCUd_QKrsBKQpAnnaCfzMedw46jCqPthKxw0yGpNvigcFdUTyF4Hf4N-S7kcBo6OcguH3rOrWABO7kOR48eBRdOvLyCdM4O-iWeMoOJeIp5mwm76f3GzXvGQHJxqugTRH2B18pdOPffs/s320/ironman8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by M. Schiffman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I neared the starting line, the officials reminded me to
run my bike out of transition and mount at the indicated line. Gerry came over and whispered a little
encouragement in my ear. And then I was
off. I ran up, mounted #TheAnvil and off
I went. The streets were lined with fans
cheering, yelling, with lots of cowbell too.
I heard a number of people yell, “Be The Hammer” and it was amazing. I quickly got into aero position and hunkered
down for a 6+ hour ride.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4MSAutxsEOo/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4MSAutxsEOo?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Video by Owen Young</div>
<br />
Every 45 minutes or so I had a gel or an uncrustable
sandwich. I reached the first aid
station around mile 14 (at the high school) before my bottle emptied, so I
simply grabbed a Gatorade and filled up my aero bottle, took sips of what was
left and then chucked the bottle. It was after this aid station that we entered
the first loop of the two loop course.
Bike special needs would be when I returned to the high school. This is where the wind really picked up. There would be parts of the course sheltered
by trees, but a lot of it was wide open marshland. I think I face less of a wind being smaller,
but it still seemed to be a factor. I
never felt like I was getting blown around though, and that was good. Every 30 minutes or so, I would stand up out
of my saddle and pump my legs really hard.
I was conscious of the fact that I didn’t want to stay in the same
position all day long. That would be
recipe for disaster. One thing I could
not do at all, was coast. With such a
flat course and with no hills to climb, there are also no downhills. I chose to use a bike computer instead of my
watch as I worried about the battery on the 920xt lasting for 16+ hours. For some reason, I didn’t check everything
and the cadence sensor wasn’t working so I didn’t have that to monitor. It had been previously, so not sure why that
happened. I saw Brian a few times on the
bike course and it always gave me a great boost. There weren’t a lot of spectators, but the
ones that were out there were great. All
of the aid stations were terrific with lots of people cheering and making a ton
of noise.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
I reached the adjusted course turn where I would now be on
roads I had not seen when we drove the course on Thursday. It seemed somewhat sheltered and there were
actually some gentle downhills, or so they seemed. It wasn’t a chance to rest, but I did seem to
get some good speed going. It was now that I realized it might be a good chance to use my bottle of Carbo-Pro on my
rear cage. With my shorter arms, I can’t
reach it while riding, so I had to stop, get off the bike and dump it in. I probably lost about a minute or so between
when I started to brake until I was back up to speed. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The weather at this point was total cloud cover. The forecast said rain was to start around
10AM and they were bang on. It started
coming down pretty steady for a while and then even poured quite a bit. Nothing like the monsoon I had rode in at
Pumpkinman. I was making sure not to
ride on any painted lines, so as to not slip.
In terms of how I felt, there were really no problems. When muscles seemed to stiffen, I shifted my
position. Hands, arms, and shoulders
were all good. I’m sure that might had been different had I done the swim.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All the aid station stops were the same, in that I would
take a Gatorade bottle, dump it in and then continue. A few times I would grab a banana, eat it
right away and chuck the peel along with the empty bottle. I had all the gels and sandwiches I needed in
my Champion System bike jersey. I also
managed to put in an additional tube and CO2 cartridge, that thankfully I would
never need. I had enough practice with
flats during training and it would be an added relief not to have to worry about them
at all on this day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TS-HtiL5H9fNRv_emIbG7gdSY339W0gQI5pHKn4NvHRGNcZEiBGDffWyq0Lk8UVWhD1qA_kgNf17Ne4JMSEdfC0rHcXG3_a2zqvZwB1HTCCGs24cXAXgmxzyz45Nmi3GrFCbIrpEbHY/s1600/bike+special+needs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TS-HtiL5H9fNRv_emIbG7gdSY339W0gQI5pHKn4NvHRGNcZEiBGDffWyq0Lk8UVWhD1qA_kgNf17Ne4JMSEdfC0rHcXG3_a2zqvZwB1HTCCGs24cXAXgmxzyz45Nmi3GrFCbIrpEbHY/s320/bike+special+needs.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by J. Model</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I got to bike special needs. I wanted to make sure I
took my time and didn’t miss anything. I
called out my bib number and a volunteer had my bag for me the moment I
stopped. I asked someone to hold my bike
and they were happy to help. I got off
the bike, ripped the bag open and quickly changed out my bike cage bottle,
filled my aero bottle. I also changed
out my gel bottle. I also put two more
sandwiches into my jersey along with a small bag of chips. I then took some
chamois butter and applied it to the inside of my shorts. I also used the Bio freeze on both of my
knees as they had started to feel a bit sore. It looks like the stop took me no
more than 2 minutes. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was off for the 2nd loop.
I tried my best to recall landmarks in the hopes that it would then help
me mentally. It was very reassuring now,
as I was halfway into my ride. The rain
lingered a bit but the real downpours did not return. I managed to complete the 2nd loop without
needing to stop and refill from my own bottle.
The course was well staffed with course marshals and police. I did notice a few riders pass real close to
my left without saying anything and at least one pass on my right. Most announced their presence, with many
calling out, “Go Hammer” or something like that. Whenever someone yelled “Be the Hammer” I
often had the same response, “All day long baby, all day long.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whenever an athlete says something like, “You inspire me”, I always yell back, “And you inspire me too!!!”
One athlete said something to me that kind of pissed me off. He said something to the effect of how crappy
I must feel choosing this race as my first Ironman. Obviously implying I should be disappointed
because the course was shortened. My
reply was, “Whatever”. I think he was
pissed off with my reply, but I really didn’t care.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I reached the end of the second loop, the distance I
thought I had left was quite a bit shorter than it should have been had we had
the 104 mile course as they had indicated.
The way back was still flat but with more turns as we rode into
Cambridge. As I rode down the last street
into transition, I passed runners heading out and there were plenty of fans
cheering. I looked at the bike computer and it wasn’t even at 100 miles. The course was actually even shorter than
they had said. Either they miscalculated
or they had to shorten it even more.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Either way, I got to the dismount line, got off my bike and
went to rack it. Well, they had actually
moved my rack. Once I placed the bike, I
was able to give both Sue and Owen a hug and had the worse run of my life
heading back into transition to change for the run. 6+ hours on a bike and lots of muscles were
stiff. Running in cycling shoes isn’t easy either. I was got my bike back and went to change. I remembered what Brian had said and took my
time. The most important thing is to try
and be more comfortable for the run. I
had decided a full change. I completely
stripped down, vaselined and lubed what I could and dressed. I put on running shorts, my Achilles running
(not tri jersey) shirt, Work Live Tri visor, socks and shoes.
I put on my Fuel Belt and made sure to put gloves and arm warmers in the
empty bottle sleeve (I would never need them).
I also put on a headlamp which I was really glad to have later. One guy asked to borrow my vaseline and I
said one thing to him, “No double dipping.”
That got a laugh from others around us.
I put all my bike gear into the run bag, tied it up, gave it to a
volunteer and proceeded out to the run.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before we got out on the road we had to run around the
outside of transition. It was somewhat muddy and I did what I could to avoid most
of it. Once out onto the road, things
were actually a lot better than I had hoped.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvE7K0LN6znfrw8f1jz2Lom_gtaw0Q7l7n4whVOE9p-TJD59t8pC5y_nL_CgdG8D8Q2QDbaLd6JhtugTT9PJbbr3LFvhgHGAvtRB2dSr9wp1Krr9Dlay8f7j_OI1dbbuyLAyQqkofwQo/s1600/14495518_10155319790199418_3539177174905762666_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvE7K0LN6znfrw8f1jz2Lom_gtaw0Q7l7n4whVOE9p-TJD59t8pC5y_nL_CgdG8D8Q2QDbaLd6JhtugTT9PJbbr3LFvhgHGAvtRB2dSr9wp1Krr9Dlay8f7j_OI1dbbuyLAyQqkofwQo/s320/14495518_10155319790199418_3539177174905762666_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by M. Randall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisobJautbqC39_ZatF1XYiazx4tqg1IH2Vrdgo1yrZBV1hKMCrvdzNIOpft2nZJ1hAaGCyLmT6HPFx6MZQwfXVybHjYtuFShndu-Kk0WpwASRcJHswiTHY7p3xq8f4-6Gy7oYwy7TYkfI/s1600/Ironman+run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisobJautbqC39_ZatF1XYiazx4tqg1IH2Vrdgo1yrZBV1hKMCrvdzNIOpft2nZJ1hAaGCyLmT6HPFx6MZQwfXVybHjYtuFShndu-Kk0WpwASRcJHswiTHY7p3xq8f4-6Gy7oYwy7TYkfI/s320/Ironman+run.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Brian Hammond</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I wanted to try and keep my initial pace under 16:00 minute miles and I
was able to do that for most of the first 8 miles or so. The course is a left-right out and back three
times where we pass most areas a total of six times. It is just as flat as the
bike course with only a couple of very slight gradual hills. When I did the first out and back and was heading
back towards transition, another athlete heading back out said, there were some
puddles in town. HMMM, more
flooding. And that’s when I saw it, first at transition, water and mud
everywhere. This marathon had now turned
into something of a mud run, or Spartan race.
I would experience more water downtown.
It was at this time that I kind of threw my hands in the air and thought
any kind of paced run was going to be pretty hard. I had soaking feet and then it didn’t take
long for the blisters to come. I had
thought about taking my shoes and socks off for the water, but then thought
what if step on something under the water?
Now for the other athletes the water was maybe calf or close to knee
deep at the deepest point. For me that
meant thigh deep and even higher. So
high that at one point, my “bits” were getting wet. Certainly time for another
laugh. We were actually doing the SWIM
at last.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The downtown area on the first pass was amazing. Lots of spectators cheering and yelling. This course is a bit of tease because you
actually have to pass the finish chute 5 times before you get to enter it. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Back through transition again, with the mud, and out to
Jenkins Creek Road. I would have to go
all the way out twice. On my first lap
there were some kids holding signs saying GO HAMMER. It truly made my day to see them. Well, on my 2nd time out there, it was
getting dark now, but there were more kids with signs. They truly saved my spirits at that time as I
was doing a lot of walking. Well, I
managed to get back to running again.
Brian popped up a number of times, but I had not seen Sue and Owen since
I left on the run and was getting worried.
Brian had tried to text Sue, but no luck. When I saw Deb and Mimi they could tell I was
bummed. Runners could too as they were
yelling at me to pick up my head!!! Good advice for sure. I asked Deb to text Sue and she got her and
was able to tell me they were getting my bike and bags from transition.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What a relief that was knowing that both Sue and Owen were ok and
were somewhere around the course. I continued on, feeling good all over in
terms of nutrition, hydration and all of my body, except the blisters on my
feet. I continued to drink my Carbo-pro
on my fuel belt. When that got low, I
re-filled the bottles with Gatorade at the aid stations. When I felt I needed it, I had a banana, or
orange slice and even some chips when they were available. A lot of the stops had cookies too and even
warm soup. The only thing I wasn’t happy
with was the water they had. I noticed
them filling the cups with water from a hose, and it tasted like it. When I got to the turn around on my 2<sup>nd</sup>
loop out by the bypass a friendly face appeared. Not someone I’d met before but someone I knew
through fb and our mutual friend, Caroline Gaynor. It was Tina Ament. She is a VI para-triathlete who had raced IM
Maryland last year along with Caroline as her guide. She said she had been tracking me all day and
she was helping out at the aid station. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I left the turn-around knowing I would not need to go back
that far on my third loop. I was more
than ½ way done now. I find reaching the
½ way point of any race gives me a boost and the best part of a triathlon is
that I experience that during each leg, so three different times. I saw those kids with the “Hammer” signs one
last time and was sure to HIGH-5 as many of them as I could. It was starting to get real dark now and I’m
glad I had my light on. It felt really good knowing
when I came back out this way I wouldn’t need to go out this far. As I got back down near transition an athlete
going back out said, that she had seen Sue and Owen with my bike. As I neared the entrance to transition, I
started yelling, “Sue, Sue,….. Sue”. And
then she yelled back. They were
with Brian and my bike. A big hug and
kiss for both of them. At this point I
had about 6 miles left, so that meant about 90 more minutes of running. They would have time to get my bike to the
car and then get back to the finish line to see me complete my race.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What a boost this was.
It was a relief to see a lot less water on the roads now, but transition
was still really muddy. Add to that all
the other athletes getting their bikes and gear along with shuttles along the
roads and things were a bit crazy. I
needed to really watch where I was going.
I passed Vinnie and Trevor who had both finished. I hit the turnaround right downtown and told
people I would be back one more time if they wanted to wait. A number of people said they would, and you
know what? They were there my last time
through about an hour or so later.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Again through the muddy transition and back up for my third
loop. This would be a shorter loop as I
only had to go up to Bayview and then turn back for the finish. It was totally dark now and they had some
spot lights up, but my headlamp was invaluable.
I could see the road and what’s better, is that other runners could see
me. My pace had slowed considerably, but
I was still managing some running along with walking. I wasn’t really paying attention to my watch
and I know my discipline all broke down with having to walk through the water
and mud. Just excuses I know, but at
least I was still moving forward and feeling good about what I was about to
accomplish. “HEAD UP JOHN”!!! There it was again from another runner. I went through transition for the last
time. I did pass run special needs 5
times and in the end I didn’t use it. I
had a long sleeved shirt, some chips, fresh socks and some CARBO-PRO
powder. In the end I don’t think I
really needed it. People who saw me
either knew it was my last time through or asked. I proudly said, “This is it. On my way home!”
The cheers helped me now to do a bit more running than walking. <o:p></o:p></div>
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With about a mile left I saw Brian and he walked with me a
bit and told me something I’ll never forget.
He said a person only has one First-time Ironman finish. All the training you’ve done, all the effort
and work and time you’ve sacrificed, this is where it all comes out. This last stretch is for you, he said. Soak
it all in and remember every moment running down the chute. I thanked him for being here and for all he’s
done and I started to run and cry of course.
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I wanted to get all the angry reasons I did this out of me now. I wanted the chute to be pure joy. And so for the next half mile or so, I
thought of all the name calling, all the doubters and all the people who think
it’s OK to snap our picture when we are out in public. And I yelled out loud, “LOOK AT ME NOW. TAKE PICTURES NOW!!” And then I thought how
lucky I am. How lucky to be 50 years old
and doing this. I have not had a single
surgery related to my dwarfism and for that, I am so thankful. Thankful our son Owen has experienced the
same so far in his life. I thought of a
number of LP people who have had a much more challenging life than me so
far. People like; Katie, Vivian, Jaden and
Quaden. They are so much stronger than I am.
They faced countless challenges and surgeries early on in their lives
and dealt with the pain. The pain I was
facing I chose and so I needed to be strong. I had to be strong.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I passed by the chute one last time and could hear the
announcer, “YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!” I only had maybe a ¼ of a mile to go. Up the brick road to the center of the town
and then it was a quick turnaround to the finish. I passed by the brew pub one last time and
people were screaming, “GO JOHN!! GO
HAMMER!!!” And then I heard it, the song they were playing at the finish
line. It was “I Will Wait” by Mumford
and Sons. One of my favorites. And
that’s what Sue and Owen were doing.
Waiting for me. And so I ran!!
All the way down. I saw Thomas, a major player in the MD triathlon community. He got in his
golf cart and headed down to the finish.
I kept running. The music got
louder and I got faster. No pain, head
up, arms pumping. This was it. Over 14 hours of racing. I entered the chute and the lights hit
me. All I saw were the lights. I clenched my first and screamed!!!! And then the lights faded and all I saw were
Sue and Owen with the medal. I ran into
his arms, hugged him and he put the medal around my neck. All 3 of us hugged. And I also heard the
words, “You did it John, you did it. YOU
ARE AN IRONMAN!” <o:p></o:p><br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6483eXSfSJ8/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6483eXSfSJ8?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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Video by Sue Casey</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcAKkDTyKOqRPWNvlgZCV3ti7RKsU7-DeBVmpJz1rUimbE_nT96l_PucB9lCFnn9V-puCAOp_GLzCZ5KtC7f5o-KDvZuuu8VdathaMPOCd3m6_rvCPuGYzooncXTECmB1EBnC7SSLjMg/s1600/image1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcAKkDTyKOqRPWNvlgZCV3ti7RKsU7-DeBVmpJz1rUimbE_nT96l_PucB9lCFnn9V-puCAOp_GLzCZ5KtC7f5o-KDvZuuu8VdathaMPOCd3m6_rvCPuGYzooncXTECmB1EBnC7SSLjMg/s200/image1.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Brunswick/Schiffman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxMXtMVpmmRdGoj1Hp_Td7y2fjEwXCYvjt5V5orGzUs8JTK2WOxn3-v8fGT5zdmLiiiJc0Q-vxwQp6Y0ZJVpzaJmK8zUqmlWi5TrDQ6g4oAEAPaBbHGTj17BjtRoP2V8sV-iz73mBM2c/s1600/WP_20161002_11_20_02_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxMXtMVpmmRdGoj1Hp_Td7y2fjEwXCYvjt5V5orGzUs8JTK2WOxn3-v8fGT5zdmLiiiJc0Q-vxwQp6Y0ZJVpzaJmK8zUqmlWi5TrDQ6g4oAEAPaBbHGTj17BjtRoP2V8sV-iz73mBM2c/s320/WP_20161002_11_20_02_Pro.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the GREAT Gerry Boyle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzVvvUV8l67D-vQliQApqDi_hdP_nfGAeYMI3FWo57KPI6JwpyT-gq3HfNCHa61wnS9oHjGpDttgMaqp4FfHAm1w1-6amQbwVADB_13uYYSbM27QR3tBWt9n1Q8tGy1k3PHPI2q6pWNg/s1600/14502698_10157562643640296_5309364800523264193_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzVvvUV8l67D-vQliQApqDi_hdP_nfGAeYMI3FWo57KPI6JwpyT-gq3HfNCHa61wnS9oHjGpDttgMaqp4FfHAm1w1-6amQbwVADB_13uYYSbM27QR3tBWt9n1Q8tGy1k3PHPI2q6pWNg/s320/14502698_10157562643640296_5309364800523264193_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by T. Hutchinson</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVdjh9IEuI12Tian4RJnhIMnlgfZoxngRWlxmopibiw1N8AFyHWKUlLmOi073HJkyIgUJ9CSilBPULvWiovrwHMxq4LbsuekfvcHHD1rlL-CG8ah8Q2uDerawXkH3gLRfoWtDSiN5ACk/s1600/image2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVdjh9IEuI12Tian4RJnhIMnlgfZoxngRWlxmopibiw1N8AFyHWKUlLmOi073HJkyIgUJ9CSilBPULvWiovrwHMxq4LbsuekfvcHHD1rlL-CG8ah8Q2uDerawXkH3gLRfoWtDSiN5ACk/s320/image2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Brunswick/Schiffman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I trained for it and I was prepared and ready to complete
140.6 miles. In the end the race was
126.2 miles because that’s all we were allowed to race that day. I have fought
labels my whole life. Some people like
to call me names and that rarely has bothered me. I deal with it head on and don’t ignore it,
making sure people realize it’s not appropriate. But then I experienced something different
after completing Ironman Maryland. WTC,
who owns the rights to all Ironman races called my name at the finish line,
like they did for every finisher. Heck, I
received a finisher medal and an award for earning 2<sup>nd</sup> place in the
PC division. They awarded Kona slots to
athletes who finished top in the age-groups.
And yet there are triathletes saying we aren’t allowed to call ourselves
Ironmen because we didn’t complete 140.6 miles.
Just like I don’t allow people to label me, I also don’t allow them to
tell me I can’t call myself something.
Along with every FINISHER in Maryland on October 1<sup>st</sup>, I
earned the title of Ironman. Will I get a
140.6 tattoo or sticker, NOPE. Will I proudly wear my FINISHER hat and
shirt? You bet I will!!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGpLwWGId7YtTxpWg2OUzjH6rv3tVh2W_TkVLpHdH32G0Fq8EZQOKLbngpGVtoqjuLo3Xy-Xq5GTUCVn1xC9tddi4kLvs_FXaaJTRIAx7jBzlET0phiQXeE0BOhTYrKeH2-j1tTdlwEk/s1600/14572370_10155322613439418_533045455700033526_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGpLwWGId7YtTxpWg2OUzjH6rv3tVh2W_TkVLpHdH32G0Fq8EZQOKLbngpGVtoqjuLo3Xy-Xq5GTUCVn1xC9tddi4kLvs_FXaaJTRIAx7jBzlET0phiQXeE0BOhTYrKeH2-j1tTdlwEk/s320/14572370_10155322613439418_533045455700033526_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by M. Randall</td></tr>
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John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-43449352848670731462016-05-05T19:27:00.000-07:002016-05-05T19:43:25.140-07:002016 is a BIG YEAR for me!!!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I turned 50 and completed my 3rd Boston Marathon. It's been a great winter and spring. As many people know, I've signed up to do my first full 140.6 Ironman next October in Cambridge, MD. One of the things that needed to happen prior to my attempt, was a change in bike. The one I had been using since 2009 was simply too heavy and inefficient. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During the summer I reached out to a number of bike manufacturers about helping me with a frame design in order to help achieve this lofty goal. <a href="http://www.sevencycles.com/">SEVEN CYCLES</a> located here in MA, contacted me in less than an hour after my tweet went out. After lots of measurements, phone calls, and emails, they have designed and built me an amazing machine. It's my version of the AXIOM SL. The ANVIL was then finished off by Dan and his crew at <a href="http://www.salemcycle.com/">SALEM CYCLE</a> here in town. I have put quite a few miles on it, mostly on the trainer, hoping for better weather in the very near future. What I do want to share with you now, is some information about the special person who reached out to me in the fall, to help with the purchase of this bike.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Debby and I had been facebook friends since April of 2015. It was either just before or after the Boston Marathon that year. She messaged me in late September to explain that her niece Cassie also has the same type of dwarfism we have. In fact, Cassie and Sue were friends through LPA back when they were teens. Debby started to ask questions about the bike I was having designed. Her step-son Jason is an avid triathlete and in fact was heading to race in Kona in early October and Debby and her husband were traveling there to watch him race. Debby had mentioned to Jason about the bike and he had expressed to her his belief that SEVEN was a great choice in terms of a company that is known world-wide for making some amazing and unique bikes. In fact their motto is, "We make one bike, YOURS."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now I have to admit that Debby was very forward when we first spoke and asked if both her and her husband could help with the purchase of the bike. I was immediately FLOORED with the offer from this "stranger" and let know I was looking into getting some fund-raising done. I was excited to get the ball rolling so quickly from someone I didn't know. Debby was again very direct (WHICH I LOVE!) and asked how much the bike would cost. When I told her the cost of the frame and then estimates for the components, Debby simply said, "We will cover it."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This totally floored me and my initial response was thanks, but I truly felt I could not accept this self-less offer of assistance. And then Debby wrote:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.94px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Because we love to help people achieve their goals. We love people who defy the odds and the naysayers. I know you aren't comfortable when people say you are inspiring... But you are. I follow a young woman on Instagram who lives in Australia who had a little boy with achondroplasia 2 years ago who was so afraid for his future and I keep telling her about Cassie and her beautiful family and tell her about you and what a warrior you are and that her son will be fine and have a great life. Your story and my nieces story are powerful and hopeful. Lots of people need those right now. We want to see you reach your goal. And you are friends with my favorite and incredible niece and her fabulous family!!!!! We want you to continue to "Be the hammer!!" With a good bike!"</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.94px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 17.94px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I took some time and even called a good friend, Manny to talk about this. Through that conversation and again after chatting with Debby on the phone I think they both helped me realize that the bike is not really a gift FOR ME. The bike will be a tool to help me achieve this goal I have. But I truly feel the message is not that John Young is an Ironman (hopefully I will be), but that anyone can do what they want, dream as big as they want, and prove all the naysayers wrong. That's what this bike will help do and thanks to Debby and her husband and so many others who have helped as well in other ways, I am one step closer to that goal.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 17.94px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 17.94px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've told Debby this numerous times, but again, thank you from the BOTTOM OF MY HEART.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 17.94px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#BeTheHammer</span></span><br />
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<br />John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-23208862195909441182015-12-31T13:56:00.002-08:002015-12-31T13:57:23.423-08:00New Year's 1991 - A 25 Year FlashbackIt was the Christmas break of my first full year of teaching in Canada. I was a 24 year old single guy who had just finished celebrating Christmas with my family in Toronto. I was living in the small and friendly town of Norwood, ON. At that time Toronto did not have an NBA team and my favorite team was the Celtics. This was back in the glory years of Bird, McHale, Parish, DJ, etc. Long before the internet, I got a travel book and found a place on Comm Ave. called the College Club, booked a room, a flight, and off I went from Dec. 28th until Jan 3rd to explore Boston on my own.<br />
<br />
The main goal of my trip was to try and see a Celtics game at the Garden (the old one!). So the day after I arrived I took the T up to the Garden and tried to buy my first scalped ticket. I still don't know why the scalper wouldn't take the traveler's check. I had to head into a pizzeria, get a slice with a $50 check, and pay him with the change. I can't remember how much the ticket cost, but I found out what "obstructed view" meant. It wasn't what the scalper had said!<br />
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Well there was neat group of fans standing in an area behind some seats and they invited me to stand with them. We had a great view right at center court. I explained I had come from Canada to watch them play and we had a really great time. This was my first exposure to the AMAZING SPORTS fans of Boston. Just as the game ended (the Celtics CRUSHED the Knicks - with Patrick Ewing) one of the guys (I just remember he was from Providence) said he had a ticket to a game a few days later against the Suns (with Barkley) and he couldn't use it. He also asked me if I would be interested in heading to Hellenic College to watch a Celtics practice. I said sure. So I told this total stranger where I was staying and the next day he drove to Comm Ave. and I got in and off we went to Hellenic College.<br />
<br />
What a great experience! I got into the practice and got to meet Parish, McHale, Ed Pinkney, and Brian Shaw. I took pics from a distance of Bird and Reggie Lewis but didn't dare approach them. I even said "Hello" to Red Auerbach,<br />
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When the practice ended we headed back to Boston and I bought my new friend some lunch at the Boston waterfront. I just remember we ate at huge fish market type place and the fish I had was amazing.<br />
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Now comes New Year's Eve (25 years ago TONIGHT). I had asked one of the employees where I was staying where a great place for a New Year's Eve party would be. She mentioned the Four Seasons had a big bash. I had brought my nice suit and so off I went to get a ticket. I can't remember the cost, but it was pretty expensive.<br />
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The party itself was a lot of fun. Some drinking and dancing (with total strangers of course) but the highlight of the night came when I felt someone tap my shoulder and when I turned around, I had to look up, WAY UP, to see both Robert Parish and Ed Pinkney standing there. They had remembered me from the practice. Robert asked me if I would like a drink. Of course I said "YES, please." I sat with them for a bit, but soon realized I was the third wheel as both of them had 3 or 4 lady friends draped off of them. I said thanks again and quietly moved away.<br />
<br />
I waited until midnight, sang Auld Lang Syne, had a sip of champagne and called it a night.<br />
<br />
I think it was the next day when the Celtics played the Suns and crushed them as well. It was always fun to watch Charles Barkley lose.<br />
<br />
I headed back to Canada after having a great trip to the area of the world I would move to 12 years later with Sue and Owen.<br />
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Happy New Year!!!<br />
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<br />John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-5661915974648409382015-12-30T12:36:00.000-08:002015-12-30T12:47:59.094-08:00On the Verge Of 2016.I would like to ask a favor. PLEASE STOP POSTING the "What's your excuse?" memes with the picture of someone with a visible disability doing some athletic feat. It sends SO MANY mixed messages, the main one being, if you are able-bodied and not working out, you should be, because this "amazing" person is. Another one I can't stand is, "The only disability is a bad attitude". As if I can will myself to slam dunk a basketball simply by trying harder. There are 100's of people out there with non-visible challenges as well, who simply get disregarded because we can't see how hard their life can be. Instead of asking yourself, "Why aren't I doing anything?" ask the athlete "Why do you do what you do?" You will more than likely find out, it is for the same reason any other person competes, and that's for the personal satisfaction of being better than he or she was yesterday.<br />
<br />
I'm the first one to admit I probably post way too many pics and details about my work-outs and races. I'm not doing that so people say "Look at that dwarf-athlete"' I'm hoping that over time, people will forget that I have dwarfism and simply see me as some soon-to-be 50 year old guy who decided almost 7 years ago, to take control of his life. Do I want to be the first person with dwarfism to complete an Ironman triathlon? Heck ya! But if someone else does that first, that's not going to take away from what I will eventually do and I'll be the first one to congratulate them. I simply want others with dwarfism, especially young children who have been told countless times, sometimes by people who love them dearly, "You can't do that because you're too small" to realize there are no limits to what the human heart desires.John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-54219409993638528882015-11-11T06:55:00.000-08:002015-11-11T06:55:13.506-08:00The End of my 7th Season of Racing......and on the Verge of Turning 50 Years Young.<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
As I prepare to start my official training for <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=63559965550" href="https://www.facebook.com/Ironmantri/" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">IRONMAN</a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/immd16?source=feed_text&story_id=10100381586190569" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #627aad;">#</span><span class="_58cm">IMMD16</span></a> I think it's important to reflect upon what got me to this point. There are far too many people to thank at this point and I will certainly leave someone out if I try and made an exaustive list. Suffice it to say that <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=733273456" href="https://www.facebook.com/sue.casey.1485" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Sue</a> and Owen are certainly the two most important people in my life and if it wasn't for the two of them I am certain I would not have taken this path. My mother Bernice taught me that you never <span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">give up and always finish what you start.</span></div>
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It's funny though, that one single act from our friend <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=554027308" href="https://www.facebook.com/tina.erp" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Tina</a> is what got this idea of triathlon to germinate in my mind. She sent me the link to the following video. I watched it intently at my desk at work, and as happens to many who watch this, tears started to stream down my face. I remember it well because as the video ended a student came up behind me to ask for some help with their math. As I turned around, I must have totally freaked them out with the tears streaming down my face. They asked if I was OK and I had to explain I had just watched something that was somewhat emotional.</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRHxHapwirw">I CAN</a></div>
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After watching, I thought that if <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100000693058095" href="https://www.facebook.com/dick.hoyt.1" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Dick</a> can do that with his son <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100003054800235" href="https://www.facebook.com/rick.hoyt.353" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Rick</a>, maybe I could complete a triathlon. I think that what got me with this video wasn't so much the physical feat by the two of them, but more so, the love and devotion each of them have for each other. I have raced with them both numerous times now and consider both of them, <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100004703583343" href="https://www.facebook.com/kathy.boyer.9279" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Kathy</a>, <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1025324077" href="https://www.facebook.com/bryan.lyons.52" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Bryan</a> and the rest of <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/teamhoyt?source=feed_text&story_id=10100381586190569" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #627aad;">#</span><span class="_58cm">TEAMHOYT</span></a> my dear friends. I hope as I continue to race, I demonstrate to Owen that it isn't so much how fast you finish, or who you beat, but simply that you try your best each and every time.</div>
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At that point I was not at all thinking of an Ironman distance race. So I started to search out in 2009 and found out about a sprint distance race in Lowell, MA called the Mill City Triathlon. I contacted the race director, Claire Cloutier (<a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1082266274" href="https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.cloutier.982" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Jeffrey</a>), to explain, that I had dwarfism and wanted to compete in her race. I was SO HAPPY as she said she had no problem with that. Well, that's how it all started. I finished that race, and wanted more. I joined up with <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=181939121236" href="https://www.facebook.com/Comprehensive-Racing-181939121236/" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Comprehensive Racing</a> that year and raced with them until I joined up with <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=515635421787562" href="https://www.facebook.com/Achilles-NYC-515635421787562/" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Achilles NYC</a> in late 2012.</div>
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I never dreamed it would bring me to where I am today. 35+ triathlons, including 7 half-Iron distance races, 10+ half-marathons, and 6 marathons and a proud member of <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=96462047701" href="https://www.facebook.com/AchillesTrackClub/" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Achilles International</a> and the <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=232589463562541" href="https://www.facebook.com/mvsruns/" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Merrimack Valley Striders</a>.</div>
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Every time the training or race gets difficult I think back to all the people who told me, "You can't do that because you're too short." and that helps to push through whatever pain I am experiencing.</div>
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Prove the doubters wrong. And always remember, that YOUR WILL NEEDS TO BE STRONGER THAN YOUR WON'T.</div>
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John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-76533326919609270882015-05-04T11:35:00.000-07:002015-05-04T11:35:43.512-07:00735 Days...................<br />
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<a href="http://www.teamintraining.org/chapter/ma/image/3366407/2015bostonmarathon" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.teamintraining.org/chapter/ma/image/3366407/2015bostonmarathon" height="200" width="200" /></a>It's been two weeks since the 2015 Boston Marathon and I am finally finished with my thoughts about the entire experience. Those of you who know me are aware of the emotional challenge these last 2 years have been. They of course pale in comparison to the pain and heartache countless families have had to deal with in the wake of the tragedy that occurred in our city back on April 15th, 2013. I do not for a second pretend that the depression I have gone through is anything like what others have had to deal with. But this has been my battle, and I will attempt to write down some of my feelings as I talk about what April 20th, 2015 has meant to me personally.</div>
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<a href="http://achillesinternational.org/sites/all/themes/achilles/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://achillesinternational.org/sites/all/themes/achilles/logo.png" /></a>There are SO MANY people I have to thank before I start. I know many wait until the end of a piece to list those who have helped, but I think it's important to start first with my thank-yous. Of course, none of this could have happened without the love and support of Sue and Owen. It goes without saying, you were at the finish line on Boylston in 2013 when everything started to happen and you had the courage to come back in 2014, when I wasn't able to make it, and then again, this year. </div>
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I need to thank the Achilles-NYC Paratriathlon Team and Work-Live-Tri. My team and coaches have been amazing. Achilles invited me to join back in 2012 and they have supported and encouraged me to strive to do my best. They have helped me get to races and I never feel happier racing, then when I am in the BIG APPLE. Thank you to Kat, Ellie, Dick and all of the countless staff and guides. Thanks to Brian, my coach, for preparing me so well. I was able to qualify for Boston this past November at the NYC Marathon, thanks to his expert coaching.</div>
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I don't know if I would be racing triathlons and marathons today if it weren't for Dick and Rick Hoyt. When I first saw the ideo of them completing the Kona Ironman back in 2009, the seed was planted. Today I consider many members of Team Hoyt to be some of my closest friends. Dick, Rick, Kathy, Bryan, Dana, Meghan, Tammy, and countless others. And then my MVS family. You invited me to race the Feaster Five in 2011 and I haven't left yet. Tom, Lyn, Denise, and SO MANY others, there are too many to name. Nothing like starting the Boston Marathon and getting hugged by the entire Human Chain!!! </div>
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After getting sick prior to the race last year I was trying to be really cautious this year about staying away from germs. A lot of good that does for a high school teacher and father of a 12 year old boy. About a week prior to race day this year, I got a pretty nasty cold. I tried everything short of going to the doctor. All sorts of cold medicine, EMERGEN-C, AIRBORNE, and though things were starting to feel a bit better, I was worried I was going to head into the race with a nasty cold and a lack of sleep.</div>
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<u>Friday April 17th</u><br />
<br />
I finished teaching and headed down to Boston for a talk put on by the Harvard Book Store at the Old South Church. Meb was going to be talking about his 2014 first place finish at Boston and also a bit about his new book. It was a chance to listen to him and at the same time get a copy of his book.<br />
It was a nice evening and I got a chance to have a quick "catch-up" with David Willey, editor of Runner's World magazine. Meb is a terrifice speaker who did an amazing job speaking from the heart. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTq9uMmkxa9TSJ5qhw3h6RlGBLmpflCXimtDzeEFDbRBLQ4_4EJcgLkw5eCmJleOSMtyzHcSfugQMqq7in1XR9MAlGcfAXlHPuyfUrrV5fAPjkUL0I_us6ziSDVipktX7Tw8_AB1QPQQ0/s1600/WP_20150417_19_21_26_Pro+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTq9uMmkxa9TSJ5qhw3h6RlGBLmpflCXimtDzeEFDbRBLQ4_4EJcgLkw5eCmJleOSMtyzHcSfugQMqq7in1XR9MAlGcfAXlHPuyfUrrV5fAPjkUL0I_us6ziSDVipktX7Tw8_AB1QPQQ0/s320/WP_20150417_19_21_26_Pro+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Willey, Mary Wittenberg, Meb, Amby, and Scott Douglas</td></tr>
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I was also able to catch up and meet one of my local online friends in person. Christine runs in the area and is married to "BIG BIRD". Runners in the area know exactly who I'm talking about. After the chat I took a quick run over to the hotel in Charlestown where the Achilles Freedom Team were staying. The Achilles team decided to pick up my packet and number at the expo. I was a little bummed as this is one of the FAV things to do prior to a race. I'll make sure if I run again next year, I'll ask that they leave my bib for me to get. This night would end up being my only good night sleep all week.<br />
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<u>Saturday April 18th</u><br />
<br />
I had planned to head into Boston early in the AM to watch the B.A.A. 5K and Invitational Mile races to support a lot of my friends. After chatting with my friend Ric from MVS, I knew being rested for the race on Monday was much more important. I can go in another year to watch (as I did last year), so I decided to rest at home in the morning. I was planning on heading down to the expo to pick up the finish line passes I managed to arrange for Sue and Owen, and to my pleasure, both Sue and Owen wanted to tag along. It was a beautiful afternoon for a trip into the city. Prior to heading into the expo we met up with a long-time online friend, Rachel Weeks. She is a visually-impaired Ironman-finisher and marathoner. She was there along with her guide, Brian Lane. It was a super quick visit, but I'm glad we got to finally meet in person. We walked around the expo and made sure to head to the Team Hoyt booth. Sue and Owen have met Dick, Rick and Kathy before, but got a treat today as my dear friend and runner, Dana was there with her boyfriend Giancarlo along with another friend Jennifer. Dana and I have known each other for a few years and try to connect every time I race in New York. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrRii0cf1oMdb1q-0qqcy3PFhFCPfhdp9ExY0LYjcjGAnaq3G-boOpHmQiub558RPd2ZpQmQ9m4dZqViHHv9Nnyym9VCpLRNkEBLrlMppz3JA57rA0QyLSnCGt2DQnHKXz4FssMxXiN0/s1600/with+dana+2014+nyc+marathon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrRii0cf1oMdb1q-0qqcy3PFhFCPfhdp9ExY0LYjcjGAnaq3G-boOpHmQiub558RPd2ZpQmQ9m4dZqViHHv9Nnyym9VCpLRNkEBLrlMppz3JA57rA0QyLSnCGt2DQnHKXz4FssMxXiN0/s200/with+dana+2014+nyc+marathon.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dana and I together for a moment <br />in the 2014 NYC Marathon</td></tr>
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Usually it's on the race course for either the 1/2 or full marathons. After looking around we headed back to the car, but managed a stop at the new Marathon Sports "Concept Store" on Boylston. We met up with the store manager Rusty, who is also a guide for a visually impaired runner, doing the marathon. Owen picked up a really cool 2015 Boston marathon t-shirt. We headed home and made a stop at one of our favorite restaurants along route 1, the Border Cafe. At this point my head/chest cold seem to be on the way out, but I was nowhere near 100%. I had a 60 minute ride on the trainer in the hope that it might help and relax me. I tried to make it an early night, but things did not go well, and I did not have a good night's sleep.<br />
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<u>Sunday April 19th</u><br />
<br />
Prior to heading off to church I decided to do my last 20 minute run. It was a beautiful morning and all went well. It was a quick out and back from home making it almost all the way to downtown Salem. Church went well, and has been customary prior to my marathon races, Manny, our parish priest called me up to the front for a blessing. Again, it was a very humbling experience, but it helps me relax to know that I will be cared for while running. Knowing that others will be keeping me in their prayers during the long day goes a long way to helping me relax. After heading home I needed to make one last trip down to the expo. I was to be checked over by the USTF in order to be considered classified to run for the US Paralympic Track Team. Well, I now have provisional standing and can compete at events if I like. The problem is, they don't have any long distance events in my classification and I would never consider myself a sprinter. Before heading home I had the pleasure of meeting up with Wes Harding and his family from Canada. He is an amazing athlete who runs for Team Hoyt. His daughters are the most amazing cheering section ever. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJamnf965Xg3KlZ6IjkLzCaWo5KVnexw3tV9BhyphenhyphenpuW8brTcwUYEqMitaEG-_17q67IAOD2aIJ07RqgB7mRb94FL83ZWM3s8kzqMFk0JUUCwOE7-CeDuctn9zo07yG0-syWlAqteDD1SE/s1600/FB_20150425_11_59_07_Saved_Picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJamnf965Xg3KlZ6IjkLzCaWo5KVnexw3tV9BhyphenhyphenpuW8brTcwUYEqMitaEG-_17q67IAOD2aIJ07RqgB7mRb94FL83ZWM3s8kzqMFk0JUUCwOE7-CeDuctn9zo07yG0-syWlAqteDD1SE/s320/FB_20150425_11_59_07_Saved_Picture.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rebekah Harding and I had to do a "Bandana Selfie"</td></tr>
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Once done, I headed back home to pick up Sue and come back for the Achilles Marathon Team dinner at the Constitution Inn in Charlestown. Owen was going to come along, but he had been involved in a play and chose to attend a cast party instead. Good choice for him, since no other children attended the dinner. We got to sit with my dear friend Ariel from NYC who was going to be a guide for "Backwards" Bill. He is an Achilles athlete from NYC who races in marathons pushing himself with his feet going backwards in a wheelchair.<br />
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We headed home soon after the meal and I started to finish getting everything ready for the EARLY morning trip down to the city. The weather forecast was calling for cool temps in the low 50's with rain coming later in the afternoon. My hope would be to finish before the rain if all went well. Once Owen came home from his party he had one very important job to do for me. It's Owen's tradition to put on my shoes to put "SPEED" in them. For bigger races he also puts on my singlet to put "HEART" in my jersey. I find it hard to race without Owen doing this. I had all my clothes ready, including my drop bag and the clothes I would dump at the start line prior to the race start. With the alarm set for 3:30AM, I went to bed, but it would be quite a while until I finally fell asleep. <br />
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<u>Marathon Monday</u><br />
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The alarm went off before I knew it and I was up. I headed downstairs to get dressed and try to get out the door by 4AM. I had decided not to eat my breakfast, but instead take it with me and eat on the bus ride to Hopkinton. A quick look outside and the sky was actually partly cloudly and then I looked at the weather forecast. They were calling for the rain to start much earlier then originally planned along with some strong winds from the NE. My immediate thoughts went to the winter of training I had just completed. Lots of snow and cold temps from the middle of January all the way until mid-March. I was ready for this! Once I was all ready to go, I went upstairs to wake up Sue and give her a gentle kiss and hug good-bye. We each said, "See you at the finish line", and I headed out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GKmBTHu2u8AdjMqIHoBbi2P2EFi08hhwla4VAw0OFjAPOQ4m1CzosbETEOGqRrRTN53Hidd6-bf6hI35fX6jdTDiatDKAUCVco6yXb-rR9xwcTQrggCCYnpZ9kNvQ_cFFxLm9uipi6s/s1600/11156229_10205420913069498_1414920791558562616_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GKmBTHu2u8AdjMqIHoBbi2P2EFi08hhwla4VAw0OFjAPOQ4m1CzosbETEOGqRrRTN53Hidd6-bf6hI35fX6jdTDiatDKAUCVco6yXb-rR9xwcTQrggCCYnpZ9kNvQ_cFFxLm9uipi6s/s200/11156229_10205420913069498_1414920791558562616_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meghan Cole from Team Hoyt</td></tr>
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Of course, the drive to Boston was the quickest ever with no traffic on the roads. My plan was to drive down and park very close to the finish line and then head over to the Sheraton Hotel for the ride with the other mobility impaired (MI) athletes. If I got there quick enough I would be able to see all my friends on Team Hoyt before they headed to Hopkinton. Once I parked the car on Clarendon, I started to make my way to the Sheraton. Things were not looking good on a taxi as I started to walk to the hotel. According to GPS it would be about a 15 minute walk and I might miss Team Hoyt. All of a sudden a car pulls over and the driver leans over and says, "HI John. Where are you heading?" It was another athlete from Baystate Triathlon driving to his bus and he offered to give me a lift. I got to the Sheraton and headed upstairs to find Team Hoyt assembling. I made it!!! I managed to see all my friends and wish them well. These were all the charity runners for Team Hoyt who had all raised money for the foundation in exchange for their bib to run in the marathon. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ngFFRDcbac7RmR6QAkMhJd1E6DDy6BW77vYdQ2c_lFQ-WDxdAp1WrAsGtlbnrbJA1wlxi2BHt14luMOxCh44vKdczX3aMEgHcNybIyJgCkrBo_Sh8C4AWOOTe-adUY6WVEf8tM4W2V8/s1600/10668832_10100291323857009_8511329714606067633_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ngFFRDcbac7RmR6QAkMhJd1E6DDy6BW77vYdQ2c_lFQ-WDxdAp1WrAsGtlbnrbJA1wlxi2BHt14luMOxCh44vKdczX3aMEgHcNybIyJgCkrBo_Sh8C4AWOOTe-adUY6WVEf8tM4W2V8/s200/10668832_10100291323857009_8511329714606067633_o.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend and hero, Rick Hoyt</td></tr>
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I headed downstairs to wait for my bus. I had decided to see if I could ride with Dick and Rick Hoyt along with Bryan Lyons who would be pushing Rick in the marathon for the first time, and Kathy Boyer. Along with all the MI athletes we loaded up on the buses and then headed out to Hopkinton at about 6:15AM. The ride is really amazing as we have a police escort all the way to the starting line. I took the time on the ride to try and focus on the race and at the same time eat my breakfast. I had my usual pre-race breakfast of an english muffin with PB, a banana, Gatorade and something special for today, one of Sue's homemade chocolate chip cookies. I also had an apple sauce that I would eat about an hour before the race start, which would go off at exactly 8:50AM.<br />
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We arrived at the school near the starting line and there was some confusion as to where the MI athletes were to assemble with some people were telling us to go the tent with the hand-cyclists while others said we were to be in the gym of the school with the wheelchair athletes. Given the choice with the weather the way it was, I opted to go into the school. I found a spot on the floor to chill for a while and was able to spend some time chatting with some of my fellow MI athletes like Scott Rigsby, Richard Blalock, Kelly Luckett, Dahn Trang, and Cedric King to name a few. I made my <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RDAC9RJvKKJJpIlf6S4YPFTJEXvc5aUuHXgS9BCKgOrF_fDTp0U5B9tCGgAXkjUAAUaB6Ldk2YQtqkjh4yPEjh0dK7KuvzNxOMdE6gK3y2fudgedj6mt2RZvlWC4aPGKmLzaGlLzmEQ/s1600/635655933771190391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RDAC9RJvKKJJpIlf6S4YPFTJEXvc5aUuHXgS9BCKgOrF_fDTp0U5B9tCGgAXkjUAAUaB6Ldk2YQtqkjh4yPEjh0dK7KuvzNxOMdE6gK3y2fudgedj6mt2RZvlWC4aPGKmLzaGlLzmEQ/s200/635655933771190391.jpg" width="117" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready with <br />Scott Rigsby</td></tr>
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obligatory trip to the bathroom upon arrival at about 7:15 AM and later would realize I never went again until we were home after the race at about 5:30 PM. I am SO LUCKY when it comes to the bathroom and racing!!!!<br />
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I took my usual ALEVE prior to race start and was itching to get outside to start stretching. And of course, the rain started, far earlier than expected. I went back inside for a bit, but then decided there was no time like the present to get used to the rain. Prior to heading outside I lubed up my feet in preparation for the all the rain and rubbed some Arnica creme on my legs and hips. The final step was to roll-on some BIO-FREEZE on my lower back. I quickly ditched my rain pants, tied up my drop bag and headed outside. I was left with only one remaining piece of clothing to ditch, a hoodie I picked up from Savers. The other athletes headed outside a few minutes later and then as a group we were lead to the starting line. For the 3rd year in a row, I was to be in the starting wave of the most amazing race in the world, the BOSTON MARATHON. One of the MANY amazing parts to the marathon for me, is the Human Chain that holds the runners at the start. I have been blessed to be a part of the Merrimack Valley Striders (MVS) for the last few years. The majority of the volunteers in the chain are from MVS. My dear friend Lyn, organizers this group of amazing people, so rather than list some of the names (you know who you are) and miss out on someone, I will simply say, that seeing Lyn and all the others reassured me that I was going to have an amazing day. I got a hug from my dear friend Dave (the race director) and even Tom Grilk, the CEO of the B.A.A. came over to wish me luck and remind me that I had a job to do. This was HAMMER-TIME!!!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIZAOGbn013cVzKuIQbyiWMAElxD6D4dAEL6EKtTke4QJC4EsQN00uUlbtsM7pO3yocJwuNUAH4Z-ke8E22RJbQr4XomLa6BJVxy9IY0XS9EHB8OUkloe53h-rOrfGF68VcdqtXcBCJI/s1600/11143200_10204043696234581_2459445507154661679_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIZAOGbn013cVzKuIQbyiWMAElxD6D4dAEL6EKtTke4QJC4EsQN00uUlbtsM7pO3yocJwuNUAH4Z-ke8E22RJbQr4XomLa6BJVxy9IY0XS9EHB8OUkloe53h-rOrfGF68VcdqtXcBCJI/s320/11143200_10204043696234581_2459445507154661679_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 3rd time at the starting line of the Boston Marathon</td></tr>
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The rain had stopped for the time being and I was well-dressed. I had shorts, three layers on the top (a short-sleeved compression shirt, long-sleeved shirt from a Feaster-five race and my Achilles singlet), gloves, my MVS red headband to keep my ears warm, and my CAF visor. I had sun-glasses to help with the wind if needed, but I don't think I ever used them. <br />
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At precisely 8:50AM, the race was started and off we went. We were warned to keep to the right, but I knew we had a long while until the wheel-chairs would start, so I ran the tangents as long as I could. I was doing my best to keep to my planned splits and like my coach Brian had suggested, I was focusing on my 5K splits instead of each mile. The race is downhill at the beginning and I did my best to pull back and not go too fast. I was to hit the 5K at 39:12 and in fact, did so at 39:11, so all <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Kwadol8nkg8d5Ykq9rih68vT6ckojf6tVd9-GMRG68-95UtTXv6PTLUTLJd5MvjH698rZfazABtMei_ujXZ18bv0zbzgYgU68PCXoOzgxI-E3Vu9hTIFTGU5cHGRnQtyihy48hjf-YQ/s1600/V__1F61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Kwadol8nkg8d5Ykq9rih68vT6ckojf6tVd9-GMRG68-95UtTXv6PTLUTLJd5MvjH698rZfazABtMei_ujXZ18bv0zbzgYgU68PCXoOzgxI-E3Vu9hTIFTGU5cHGRnQtyihy48hjf-YQ/s200/V__1F61.jpg" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early on in the race by Eric Conti</td></tr>
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was well. The first few miles are sparsely populated, with a large crowd though at a restaurant in Ashland, They had a live band again and the crowd was amazing. Once I got into Framingham there is a bend to the left in the road at Waverly Place I think. There was a huge crowd of college students (guessing from Framingham State) on the right side, being help back by police. I was alone at this time and so I tried to get them to react and so I ran over by them and stuck out my hand. They went crazy to try and slap my hand, so much so that the police were asking me to move back towards the center of the road. It was awesome!!! By this time the wheelies and hand-cycles had passed me and then I was passed by the pro-women. I consider myself extremely lucky as very few marathon runners ever get the chance to be racing and then be passed by the fastest people in the world. Of course, when the women passed I yelled out encouragement to both Shalene and Desi. Before the men caught me, Bryan and Rick caught me. I got a hug from Bryan and a big smile from Rick. That really boosted my spirits. As the men soon passed I of course yelled out to MEB to stay strong.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEino9EEVdybjLO1A2O6D8gRk-jmVN9JtJzEAyVBuvYkNLjLIlXntelM7xOLPD_DmIIrTpIHbpkQMhavaTJSWIHMwmgZ27YuzRcrMMIFmaVrIQNuKqEnSM3UZp0_ol01sMPbkPDHIK6ioXA/s1600/10930086_10100287449416419_1048602448560314850_n+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEino9EEVdybjLO1A2O6D8gRk-jmVN9JtJzEAyVBuvYkNLjLIlXntelM7xOLPD_DmIIrTpIHbpkQMhavaTJSWIHMwmgZ27YuzRcrMMIFmaVrIQNuKqEnSM3UZp0_ol01sMPbkPDHIK6ioXA/s320/10930086_10100287449416419_1048602448560314850_n+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Bradley Rhoton</td></tr>
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Keeping track of my time, I was to hit the 10K at 1:21:39. According to the tracker, I hit it at 1:21:33. So far all was working to plan. Of course, then one of the downpours we were to experience happened and for a few minutes we were in a huge soaker. It was at this point last year that my stomach started to bother me. As many of you know I only made it as far as Natick Center before being violently ill, only to have to withdraw. So wouldn't you know it, for a moment my stomach started to feel a little weird. Was I getting sick again? I literally had to yell out loud, "You are NOT getting sick again. Suck it UP!!" Well, I started to slow down but made it through Natick and on towards Wellesley, My times were starting to slip though and it was at this point I think I realized I might not make my BQ time of a sub 6 hour marathon. I got through Natick, noticing the same group of firefighters who helped me and I even waved at the med tent where I withdrew last year. But I was really starting to slow down now. Don't know if it was the wind, rain, or something else, but at least I wasn't feeling cold or getting the chills. At about mile 12, I came upon some friendly people, First, I saw Deb Jackson and she came over to give me a big hug. I told here things were not looking good for a fast race and she said not to worry about it. It was her late husband Jim Logan who first convinced me to do my first triathlon. I remember telling him I had never ran 5K before and he said so, "Walk if you have to." Now here I am running the Boston Marathon 6 years later. Thanks Jim. I would also see Neil Bernstein wearing his Pesky Pole. And then off I went to Wellesley.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9cU1p1xjTKUxeE0VbxWFwINp57lQzyJCWHYmUeT_sxFof4oq2buPf1vIMwVr03Yprh9QOgaPc9VtPZpE1GqdI3xVRGcDzYFVBm3sxwqVe_K09Qi4k9bpn8HoJ6xYU2g8D9PcXbqGym0/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9cU1p1xjTKUxeE0VbxWFwINp57lQzyJCWHYmUeT_sxFof4oq2buPf1vIMwVr03Yprh9QOgaPc9VtPZpE1GqdI3xVRGcDzYFVBm3sxwqVe_K09Qi4k9bpn8HoJ6xYU2g8D9PcXbqGym0/s200/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. David Driscoll</td></tr>
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The Scream tunnel came next and I managed to pick up my pace somewhat as I ran through and gave a few of the girls a "high-five". I stopped and kissed one, totally picked by random, and then proceeded into Wellesley. I came upon the medical tent past the 13.1 marker. At this point my 1/2 time was a 3:08:56, a sure sign that my race now was a quest to finish. One of Sue's co-workers from Harvard Vanguard is a doctor who volunteers at the marathon. As I pulled up to the tent, I asked for Dr. Driscoll and David came running out. We had a quick chat, he snapped a picture and off I went. It was then that I saw Jason Carraro, a good friend from Wicked Running in Salem and we had a couple of quick words. Down through Newton Lower Falls, up over HWY 128 and onto the Newton Firehall, the first of only 5 turns in the race.<br />
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The next few miles were the Newton hills, culminating in Heartbreak Hill, just prior to Boston College. I saw lots of friendly faces along this part of the course including but not limited to; Bill Pennington, all the Wicked Runners (Mike Fitzgerald for sure!!!) at the gel stop, Team Hoyt Support (thanks for the fig newtons Corey!!!), my friends at Breakthrough Performance (Marty!!!), and Bill Burnett of Streamline events at the water stop. If I'm leaving anyone else out, I'm <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqY3PVKXNqfELuIE2xD9iRS4M1Xr-nfOM0TYyOxtubhA6wlgsGDvreTy8_nKoIl7_yco9QZ7R6TSCFYB-WWAjqVsYp_K30fTBHPhKwOqAbDE5q0_QcZNVM5ANuTUGZLz6hDa8V8rrs0BM/s1600/11007730_10206614410420625_8629881908670547017_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqY3PVKXNqfELuIE2xD9iRS4M1Xr-nfOM0TYyOxtubhA6wlgsGDvreTy8_nKoIl7_yco9QZ7R6TSCFYB-WWAjqVsYp_K30fTBHPhKwOqAbDE5q0_QcZNVM5ANuTUGZLz6hDa8V8rrs0BM/s200/11007730_10206614410420625_8629881908670547017_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Around mile 17. Photo by Mike Fitzgerald</td></tr>
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sorry, as you all really helped get me up those hills!!!! It was at this point where a mother approaced me that I realized WHY I continue to do this. She was a runner and as she passed me she turned around to tell me, that she has a son who is 16 who has achondroplasia, the same type of dwarfism I have. We hugged and I said to her, "He can do anything." She nodded and I think we both started to cry, at least I know I did.<br />
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The Scream Tunnel at Wellesley is great, but I truly think the students at BC are more enthusiastic. Maybe it has something to do with the kegs of beer!!! As I reached the summit and started to head into Brookline, I knew I would finally be achieving our goal. I say our goal, because I consided Sue and Owen just as much a part of this journey. As I cruised down past the church at BC and down past the green line turn-around, the crowds were starting to really fill in. I think it was at this point that my friend, Scott Rigsby caught up to me and asked if we could run together, In my mind, that would be the same as Wayne Gretzky asking if I wouldn't mind having him skate with me for a bit. Scott was the first double amputee to finish the Kona Ironman and he has done it twice. He is truly a hero of mine. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAARN_NeWho_WnqQbz7DftsBwV-mhJhqok8jjkxwpPZUyHtFSwWSn0bCxI3jdZ8N7wQDMqSq6KhW88BmxNG_vFDktadVKNb_heeYPyXwv_p3GZdAyaz5xeeT2JzaqWApTixzSbpOdGpQg/s1600/IMG_2984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAARN_NeWho_WnqQbz7DftsBwV-mhJhqok8jjkxwpPZUyHtFSwWSn0bCxI3jdZ8N7wQDMqSq6KhW88BmxNG_vFDktadVKNb_heeYPyXwv_p3GZdAyaz5xeeT2JzaqWApTixzSbpOdGpQg/s200/IMG_2984.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running with my friend, Scott Rigsby. <br />Photo by D. Fitzpatrick</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHyxp4yvoyHAQLvmUI3Hi0NfAhoZ8LI7r_SI605PxWhGX_Wn9w96q4rPNKmYV4r1VlLWpsKvGErCPwQvtaP_8HxCc5gdE8k1w0Wy5ruWHWZRA3I_XoF8jJD-DFm8WwVXUL6fiWUnRhap0/s1600/11048780_973801529297323_7193551404233276147_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHyxp4yvoyHAQLvmUI3Hi0NfAhoZ8LI7r_SI605PxWhGX_Wn9w96q4rPNKmYV4r1VlLWpsKvGErCPwQvtaP_8HxCc5gdE8k1w0Wy5ruWHWZRA3I_XoF8jJD-DFm8WwVXUL6fiWUnRhap0/s1600/11048780_973801529297323_7193551404233276147_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading up Hereford</td></tr>
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I would now start to see a few familiar faces, I might be listing these out of order, but here goes. Melissa Gleaton from MVS, Dominic Fitzpatrick, a colleague from Pingree, two former students Jamie Berman and Caitlin Doherty, and Taylor Hartz. These friendly faces got me all the way to Charlesgate Road, where I was stopped back in 2013. I was hoping to finish the race with Scott but he had to make a pit-stop to use the bathroom and so I continued on my own. Maybe it was fitting I finished this last 3/4 of a mile alone, since unlike so many others, I was not able to finish my race back in 2014. The tears certainly started to flow on and off. Once I reached the Mass Ave bridge and truly realized I was now in uncharted waters on the course, I got an idea to raise 4 fingers in the air. This was not premeditated, but simply something I felt I should do to honor the lives of Martin, Krystle, Lingzi and Sean. I didn't keep my hand up the whole way, but on and off as I ran that last mile I would hold those fingers up in the air. I made the right onto Hereford St and the crowds were still pretty big. I passed Newbury and up the slight incline and took the left onto Bolyston. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_-borMVIq8YMyzZoN9G3ZXY42HgwdiB861NdTJad0waZYyZfJnATftm0vlI3vmLdUBgfZTM3JtpJPXPSIbF3_YD0Bc-cVigb3bsWccIm202vPot9Hrf7emoMVIS4JVsHh5jKqvN1Nho/s1600/11150227_10152823273133461_6580266289428064038_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_-borMVIq8YMyzZoN9G3ZXY42HgwdiB861NdTJad0waZYyZfJnATftm0vlI3vmLdUBgfZTM3JtpJPXPSIbF3_YD0Bc-cVigb3bsWccIm202vPot9Hrf7emoMVIS4JVsHh5jKqvN1Nho/s200/11150227_10152823273133461_6580266289428064038_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost there.</td></tr>
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And then I saw it, the finish line. About 2/5 of a mile away. I ran and cried holding up the hand at times, at other times outstretching both hands, not looking for cheers, but merely a release and an acceptance of what was waiting to complete. This was a 735 day quest, from April 15, 2013 to April 20, 2015. As I reached the grandstand, I looked and could not see Sue and Owen, but they were there. The final few steps were finally done. I walked along in a daze and then I saw Bill and Henry Richard cross the line and as I turned around a dear friend, Jackie also from Salem, was also finishing. I then saw my dear friend Tom from MVS.<br />
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I was lead away to the VIP tent where they kept all the MI bags. I called Sue to have her answer the phone cheering that they had seen me finish. We were done. My finish time, 6:39:52. The most important word being, FINISHED!!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeG5upz2XukscNRp44PFRWSeItEk_Vhvz-UT7RwajFOrvSt6t5wH5LhmCnn-3-vRP695aZnm_9K1w6aU4BGd0v9LrWh95n7b3RF1kjPkzhuUJAN5o_TmHiDsFNEpjsC6UFrA12NMgFyiE/s1600/11157410_1130782373614362_8197936597011582896_o+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeG5upz2XukscNRp44PFRWSeItEk_Vhvz-UT7RwajFOrvSt6t5wH5LhmCnn-3-vRP695aZnm_9K1w6aU4BGd0v9LrWh95n7b3RF1kjPkzhuUJAN5o_TmHiDsFNEpjsC6UFrA12NMgFyiE/s640/11157410_1130782373614362_8197936597011582896_o+(1).jpg" width="609" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Joe Kelley</td></tr>
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<br />John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-60074549457015123982015-01-05T08:36:00.004-08:002015-01-05T08:36:47.615-08:00My take on "UNBROKEN"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is by no means a professional movie review. As I've told many people, I am not a book reader, but when I picked up "UNBROKEN" last summer, I could not put it down. It is by far, the best book I have ever read.<br />
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I also understand that most people believe that a book is always better than the movie. Now don't get me wrong, I loved the movie. It was well done, and stayed true to the story as told by Hillenbrand.<br />
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There are two important areas I truly feel are lacking in the movie and I thought I would take the time to write them down for anyone else who cares.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKdy_r7FTvkY8mgSzq1R-GZ84vSvTCeeBmAwuP4PKKgozPLKtI5xwSGT5Ad0w3EReqZSemEyXmW9B4xs6LoSm-nHrp-22nqwmIb9gjl8H-dbxB_Chs0F0_2yCuE2vktWgMPjfSm54mPc/s1600/the+bird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKdy_r7FTvkY8mgSzq1R-GZ84vSvTCeeBmAwuP4PKKgozPLKtI5xwSGT5Ad0w3EReqZSemEyXmW9B4xs6LoSm-nHrp-22nqwmIb9gjl8H-dbxB_Chs0F0_2yCuE2vktWgMPjfSm54mPc/s1600/the+bird.jpg" height="320" width="167" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The real "BIRD"</td></tr>
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<u>Casting of Watanabe (The Bird)</u><br />
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Besides Louie Zamperini, this was the next most important person to cast. When reading the book, I pictured a person very different from whom Jolie cast. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2032193/?ref_=tt_cl_t5">Takamasa Ishihara</a> seemed much more slender and weaker than the person I imagined. Even the one picture of the real BIRD included in the book looked like a tougher and more stocky person.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR30ry-qrobAGkk0kph1ynVKGiKgz9h-4KGmx7s8eASx4RidKjuWO2vsVDuoNGwShVSid7EvXNloKlNZrqtH7Z-9NSAAOyRT8ek4KRpwhXR67idTacqs6wafYfzpKhCjlNB3SeOO0nGoI/s1600/actor+bird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR30ry-qrobAGkk0kph1ynVKGiKgz9h-4KGmx7s8eASx4RidKjuWO2vsVDuoNGwShVSid7EvXNloKlNZrqtH7Z-9NSAAOyRT8ek4KRpwhXR67idTacqs6wafYfzpKhCjlNB3SeOO0nGoI/s1600/actor+bird.jpg" height="206" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "BIRD" in "UNBROKEN"</td></tr>
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It probably didn't help that I knew before seeing him that the actor portraying him was also an accomplished rock singer and music producer.<br />
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I also remember a scene in the movie where it showed a close-up of his hands. They were slender and well-manicured. They didn't look like the hands of someone who relished dishing out savage beatings.<br />
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<u>Louie's Family</u><br />
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Now the movie was a little over 2 hours, but I feel the end of it arrived so suddenly. Louie got off the plane, hugged his family and then the movie was over. Of course, there was the epilogue type updates with some pics, and then a video of the real Louie running with the torch for the Nagano Olympics. <br />
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The movie left out all of what his family was going through while he was missing and presumed dead. Why was Louie such a strong person? I would imagine a lot of that came from his family, but we saw so little of it. I remember reading about them and two very important parts of the story were not brought to life in the film. <br />
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When the War Department officially declared Louie dead the author goes on to say how his family would never admit that he was gone. His parents refused to believe he was dead. Of course, when they heard him on the radio broadcast, they knew they were right. I feel this was really important to show. It would have gone a long way to help show us part of what made Louie so strong.<br />
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Of course the movie mentions nothing about the struggles Louie went through when he came home. They glossed over it in the epilogue, but so many soldiers return home after war and feel so alone in their struggles. I feel it would have gone a long way to honor all of our vets who have dealt with so many of these struggles, i.e. addiction, abuse, suicide etc.<br />
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One of the most poignant parts of the book I recall was when Louie's family replayed his taped interview from Japan to him after he had come home. He immediately lost control and ripped up the tape never wanting to ever hear it. Of course, I can totally understand why. Again, this would really have added a lot to an amazing movie. I know, it's easy for me to sit here and make a few suggestions. Thanks for reading.<br />
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<u><br /></u>John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-59934454358424857812014-12-29T05:52:00.002-08:002014-12-29T05:52:42.538-08:00Letter to the Editor<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.7272720336914px;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">I sent this letter to the two local papers in Orangeville, ON. It pertains to some running I did while in town during our Christmas holiday trip back to Canada.</span></div>
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Unwanted Cell-phone Picture Subject</div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">My sister and her family have lived in Orangeville for more than 35 years. My mother lived there for more than 15 years until she passed away last spring. I even lived there in the fall of 1987 when I was a student at the University of Waterloo. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I visit at least once a year and since moving to the U.S., I consider it my home whenever I visit my family in Canada.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Back in 2009 I decided to change my life and become more physically active.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I started at first competing in sprint triathlons and slowly moved my way up to longer distance races including half-Ironman distance triathlons and marathons.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I have competed in more than 30 triathlons, the Boston marathon, and have twice completed the NYC marathon.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I will again be running in the Boston Marathon in 2015.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I have done all of this in my 40’s, but what’s even more rare, is that I have achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism and I stand 4’4” tall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Whenever I visit Orangeville, I usually have to spend some time training. I have been able to get up early in the morning to swim at the Tony Rose pool and have also done a lot of running around the town. I was home along with my wife and son for Christmas this past week and was able to go out for a morning run on both Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. Both days I was startled to find people taking unwanted cell-phone pics of me running. Until you have had this done to you, you have no idea how uncomfortable it makes you feel. The first time it happened on Christmas Eve it was at about 11AM at the corner of First and Broadway. A young girl, about 14 or so, pulled out her phone and as I passed her, I could see her turn around with her phone aimed right at me. I stopped and stared at her, and she quickly put her phone down and started to walk in the opposite direction. I could accept that maybe she was an immature teen, thinking it would be “funny” to show her friends a pic of someone who looks “different” running down the street. I continued on my way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">What happened on Boxing Day morning was far more upsetting and concerning to me. At about 10AM I was running down on First near the Tim Horton’s across from the Canadian Tire Store. I approached a couple with a girl who seemed to be about 7 or 8 years old. </span><span style="color: #141823; font-size: 10pt;">As I approached, I heard the dad clearly say as he was holding his phone, "I haven't started it yet." As I ran past, out of the corner of my eye I saw him lift the phone and turn to get his shot. I immediately stopped and turned around to stare at them and said, "GET A LIFE!!" They quickly turned around and walked away taking their daughter's hand. I stood still staring until they turned around again to see what I was doing and I yelled, "SERIOUSLY?" </span><span style="color: #141823; font-size: 10pt;">What kind of example are these parents setting for their child?</span><span style="color: #141823; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="color: #141823; font-size: 10pt;">What kind of a parent feels it’s acceptable to take the pic of a person, simply because they look different?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-size: 10pt;">I passed many others both mornings greeting them by saying “Good morning” and virtually all of them replied in a friendly manner. What upsets me most is that these inconsiderate people are what I remember most. And of course my sister and her family are mortified that this happened in their town. I do not want to attribute it to a “small town thing”, because believe it or not, it’s happened to me in larger cities too. I am writing this letter simply because my nephew who grew up in Orangeville and now lives in a nearby town is embarrassed and asked me to write the letter in the hopes that just maybe, the people who took the pics will think twice about doing this in the future. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Just take a moment and try to think what you would feel like if someone took pics of you simply because they thought you looked “funny” and possibly wanted to share them with others. As a Canadian who has </span><span style="font-size: 13.63636302948px;">been</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> living out of the country since 1999, with twelve of those year in the U.S., my American friends constantly talk about how caring, friendly, and welcoming Canadians are. I would be honest to say, that is not how I felt when unwelcome photos were being taken of me on the streets of Orangeville, especially during the season of peace and goodwill towards all.</span></span></div>
John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-27497775576375713772014-08-27T12:50:00.001-07:002014-08-27T17:41:50.501-07:00Timberman 70.3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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WARNING: This blog post contains some graphic descriptions of some bodily functions that some people might find a little gross. Be forewarned.<br />
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I have been up to Timberman 4 out of the 6 years I have been racing triathlon. This would be the first year I would race the 70.3 distance race. Having raced 3 other 70.3 races, I knew I could do the distance, but from all who have completed this race, all I heard about were the HILLS, especially on the bike.<br />
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I've had a great season racing a total of 5 other triathlons (3 sprint and 2 Olympic distance), which included a PR in both distances. My body felt the best it has in the last couple of years. Through all of my races I've dealt with little pain in my back and legs. All would be perfect, right?<br />
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I had connected with 3 friends through Baystate Triathlon/QT2 and was able to stay with them up in Gilford. So happy that Susan, Shannon, and Tina and a place for me to stay. We also had some great food while there as well. More about that later.<br />
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Training went well leading up to the race thanks to Brian Hammond from <a href="http://theeverydaytriathlete.com/">WORKLIVETRI</a>, our coaches for <a href="http://www.achillesinternational.org/chapters/national/nyc">Achilles NYC</a>. Taper was going well and I was excited and then it happened, Owen got sick during the night on Tuesday before the race. Of course, all I thought about as I was cleaning up the mess he made in his room, was, "PLEASE!! Not the Boston Marathon again!". When I awoke in the morning I started to feel under the weather as well, so both Owen and I decided to stay home and rest. We both SLEPT a ton during the day and I was hoping that was all I needed. I got up Thursday morning and Owen was still not well. I was feeling better so I went to do my SAT tutoring job and Sue stayed home to be with Owen. All went well during the day, but then in the evening, I took a turn for the worse. It started with the worst head-ache I have ever had and then the diarrhea came (remember, there was a WARNING at the start). All the hydration I had built up was quickly leaving my body. How would I be ready to race for 8+ hours in 3 short days?<br />
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On Friday Owen mentioned that his ears were hurting and so we went to the clinic and he was diagnosed with a double ear infection. I was hoping that his vomiting earlier was possibly due to extreme post-nasal drip, which has happened to him before. Maybe my upset gut was just nerves? Oh ya, I forgot, I also had a temp of about 101 on Thursday night, so no such luck there.<br />
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It was at this point that I seriously considered not racing on Sunday. There was certainly no sense making myself REALLY ill. As Friday progressed I was feeling better so I packed up with the intention of getting up at 4AM on Saturday in order to head to Gilford, NH to watch a few good friends race in the Sprint triathlon. Well, I was up 10 minutes prior to the alarm and all seemed well (I am sure the IMODIUM helped).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dXLpOJoTKNBJRy_NDpP6B0SSRdQsLWLhvLpAUdqSGIV1Wu9H4mYe4b3INnNDTzO1BP-xPHlbHdEOXi8sq16L6rsx3PKLRObEmgvPjD19-xUPwqY7VpYyRa9VWAX1qSz-kIVUmDo4Km4/s1600/timberman+with+rob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dXLpOJoTKNBJRy_NDpP6B0SSRdQsLWLhvLpAUdqSGIV1Wu9H4mYe4b3INnNDTzO1BP-xPHlbHdEOXi8sq16L6rsx3PKLRObEmgvPjD19-xUPwqY7VpYyRa9VWAX1qSz-kIVUmDo4Km4/s1600/timberman+with+rob.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With AMAZING friend Robert Head</td></tr>
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The drive up there was fine and I headed right to the house where I would be staying. I arrived a little after 6AM and Shannon was up to great me. Susan was up soon as well. I unloaded my gear and made my way to Ellacoya State Park to watch the sprint race. I got there in time to meet up with one of my REALLY great friends Robert Head. He has been working as a massage therapist at Timberman since my first year racing there back in 2009. I got a HUGE HUG from him and started to watch the race. I kept my eyes out for Colleen Alexander, Tammy Stapleton, and Serenity Coyne and was able to cheer all 3 of them on at different points of the race. Both Colleen and Tammy would be racing on Sunday in relays as well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colleen, Amber, and Sean.</td></tr>
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When I had seen my friends a couple of times on the course, I decided to head back to the house where I would be staying. When I arrived everyone was up along with some other visitors. Rob Cannata was another Bay State triathlete staying at the house as well. They had a nice breakfast waiting for me. The pancakes with fresh homemade blueberry syrup were amazing.<br />
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I unpacked some of my gear and then decided to head over to Gunstock to pick up my race packet. As a para-triathlete I had my stuff with all the Pros. Check-in went smooth and I got to see Erin again. She is the contact person with WTC that I've dealt with and she has been amazing all spring, answering all my silly questions.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Kona Ironman, Minda Dentler</td></tr>
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I hung around the Expo for a while and decided not to get any gear in order to make sure I didn't jinx myself. I headed back to the house in order to go for a 35 minute ride. I simply went out and completed the run course and also the big hill out of transition. I got back and loaded up my bike and got some swim gear together in order to go for a little swim at the race venue. Check in with my bike was no problem at all and it was at the time that I realized I wasn't going to the only paratriathlete. I ran into my dear friend, and KONA Ironman finisher, Minda Dentler. It was real neat realizing we would be heading out in the swim wave with the pro women at 7:05AM. <br />
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As I headed down into the water, I ran into my friend Travis Hawkins. He is also one of our coaches with Worklivetri and a pro as well. He would be racing tomorrow and we decided to go over and swim a bit at the swim start in order to see what the area would be like race morning. We swan a bit and talked a lot. A lot of info I certainly needed. Travis was aware I was under the weather and gave me some tips should my insides start to rebel tomorrow. I learned two good piece of info. First, if I was sick, resist the urge to replace the calories right away. More than likely, they'll come right back as well. He said it was important to give your body a chance to settle down. Secondly he said, if sick, drink COKE. We swam some more then I decided to head back to the house and Travis headed back to his place. As I walked out to get changed, this would be the first time since arriving in NH, that I would start to feel a little ill again. I don't know if it was the breeze and the lack of sun, but I started to shiver quite a bit. I ran into Colleen and we had a quick chat about the big day tomorrow. She was concerned I did not look well. Of course, I lied and said I was fine.<br />
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When I got back to the house, I arrived just in time for some dinner. Maybe that's what I needed. There was a nice pasta dish made with chicken and broccoli. Well, it seemed to work. With a full meal in my belly, all seemed OK. We talked about logistics for the morning and I headed downstairs to repack my gear and head to bed. <br />
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Once I was ready, sleep came pretty easily. I set my alarm for 4AM and then, as is the usual case, I awoke at 3:58AM, right before the alarm. When I got up and headed upstairs, most others were already awake, ready for what was going to be an AMAZING day. I felt good, no chills, and for the most part, my belly felt OK. I had my usual breakfast with some toast (cinnamon, raisin toast in fact, that Susan had brought, MY FAV) with some PB, a banana, some coffee and some apple sauce. Dan and Donna showed up, so we loaded up my car and the 3 of us headed down to transition. The first person I saw as I went in was my friend Scott Graham, who is charge of the transition area, and has been for years. He is a local guy who has been involved in the Timberman race long before WTC took over.<br />
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I managed to get into the main parking lot again with a spot, not too far from the entrance to transition. Donna took some gear and would be setting up the "Baystate Triathlon Team" tent. Dan and I headed in to be body marked and set up our transition area.<br />
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One benefit of racing as a PC athlete at a WTC race, is we are racked with the pros. So as I was getting ready it was neat to chat with Andy Potts, Amanda Stevens, Kate Anelauskas (think we did at least 3 of the same races this year), and Dede Griesbauer. We even had our own porta-pottie to share with them. Of course being able to connect with Coach Travis again was the biggest bonus of all. I also had a pep-talk from good friend and Wattie Ink athlete Jon Miles. The weather was not looking great at this point with some menacing clouds in the area. Again, worry about what you can control. So I left my shoes in plastic bags and hoped for the best. I headed down to swim start with Travis and got in the water to get ready. As we walked down, it started to rain, but alas, those would be the only few drops we would see.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken by Robert Head</td></tr>
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The race started promptly with the pro men leaving at 7AM, followed by Minda and me with the pro women at 7:02AM. One really nice thing about WTC races is that they don't skimp on the swim buoys. There was no question where we had to go. It is a rectangular course involving right turns. The turn buoys are gigantic compared to the smaller guide buoys, so it is pretty much impossible to get lost. Of course, all I had to do was follow the other swimmers as they caught up to me wave after wave. The highlight for me during the swim was when Diane Jackson (mother of pro Heather Jackson) swam by and patted me on the back and stopped to say HELLO. It's nice to know you're swimming with friends. I did a good job at the turns and was pretty happy with my swim coming in at 59:21. My time in T1 went pretty well as I got out on the bike in 3:47. I would chalk down a lot of that to the run from the beach into T1.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzGUDmt7sxbS3Clb4Lin-C7jL4UAYa4EV5GncRIBN-4M90oBv0iUmtTFgL5Et5Oq8OguYJIXMLVW1o3GdJs91wxl2PVNGmWUaOM3bbZG_KbeUGEOdCKhLpnjjW3xshzQacdwasPbA_GE/s1600/bike+out+by+meghan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzGUDmt7sxbS3Clb4Lin-C7jL4UAYa4EV5GncRIBN-4M90oBv0iUmtTFgL5Et5Oq8OguYJIXMLVW1o3GdJs91wxl2PVNGmWUaOM3bbZG_KbeUGEOdCKhLpnjjW3xshzQacdwasPbA_GE/s1600/bike+out+by+meghan.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out on the bike. Taken by Meghan Cole</td></tr>
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The start of the bike course involves a long hill out of the park, but knowing about this hill, it really was no big deal, just a slow way to start your race. The course goes along matching much of the sprint bike route for a while. All of my friends who've done the 70.3 course said, MILE 10, when I asked about the bike course. And I'll tell you, it did not disappoint. This was by far, the longest and steepest incline I've ever had in a race. As I got up a little more than a 1/3 of the way, I noticed people up ahead getting off their bikes to walk them up the hill. If you know me by now, you are aware, I've had a streak going in that I have never walked my bike up a hill. Well, I was able to keep my streak alive. It was SLOW going, but I keep going. A number of people exclaimed how amazed they were that I was able to keep my bike with 20' wheels going. The deceptive part of the this hill is that inclines to the left, so it takes a long time until the crest is view. Good thing, but once I could see it, I feel I was only about 1/2 way up with a LONG way to go. Another trick I learned is not keep looking at the top. Look just about 6 feet in front of the bike and occasional glance up. It truly works, as I was able to beat this hill in little chunks. What followed that hill was a very nice FAST decline. I got into aero position and enjoyed the rest and recovery going down. I was starting to feel some tightness in my left glute and was hoping it was not going to bother me on the run. There were three bottle drops on the bike and even a gu stop, so keeping hydrated was not a problem. I was also able to keep taking one gu every hour.<br />
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Much of the middle of the bike route is a LONG gradual downhill until the turn-around point. We ride past the NH Motor Speedway just before the turn around and then head back. There was a point heading back where we were passing a long line of traffic going in the other direction. I thought it might be nice to yell out, "Thanks for your patience" to the drivers. Most waved and said "No problem", but of course one guy had to yell at me to "Go F*** yourself." Can't please everyone.<br />
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Now as I headed back in I started to recall another person telling me there were some hills around mile 48 of the bike. I was thankful for the warning as this was another tough hill. A little shorter than the hill at mile 10, but it seemed a little steeper. The problem with this one is that every time you got the crest, you realized there was another hill. This happened 3 or 4 times. Now the downhill that followed this hill was AMAZING. I would later check my data and realize I would travel down this hill at 42 mph. Again, I got into aero position and enjoyed the ride. I was hoping to finish the bike under 4 hours, but alas, it was starting to sink in that maybe my pre-race illness was going to be a factor. I got off the bike in 4:21:55. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Run out. Taken by Scott Graham</td></tr>
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T2 went well, including a quick hug and some good wishes from Colleen Alexander. My time getting out was 3:45. At least I was consistent. This 13.1 run would be a real test. There were lots of people around to cheer me on, including a quick visit from WATTIE INK team member, Roger Thrall. He ran with me for a bit as I headed up the road. The run course is a double loop, consisting of a 3.3 mile run out and then a turnaround, that you complete twice. This is where I started to get concern, as my legs and back felt fine and it was just my gut that was bothering me. I tried to start our slowly, running 1 minute and then walking for a 1 minute. My hope was to do that for a bit and then simply increase the length of the running segments to a max of about 4 minutes, followed by 1 minute walk breaks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking pretty happy!! Taken by Shawn Hawkins</td></tr>
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Well things didn't really change for the most part. I ran 1 minute and walked 1 minute. The only sustained running I was managing was during some of the downhill portions. Things did not not go well. I was passed by lots of friends like Diane Jackson again and Tina Green. When I got up to the turn around a little past mile 3, things started taking a real turn for the worse. Just before that though, right near a marina where there was a small crowd a I heard a young girl yell out, "There's THE midget." In no mood to educate, I quickly yelled at her, "NO I'M NOT!!!". What made me think is why did she use the word THE. Had word passed around about me racing or had she seen me earlier in the day. Anyway, when I came back that way, she was gone. But the problem with me now, is that I started to get dizzy. I had been drinking at each water stop so I'm not sure what the cause was. But I had to find a spot to sit or I was going to fall. I found a spot and sat for a bit taking some real deep breaths. One guy walked by and yelled at me to get going, that I could not quit. To be honest, had I seen a medical tent, I might have stopped.<br />
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Anyway I got going again, and the dizziness seemed to disappear. My running was really not getting any faster, as I was still pretty much doing the 1 min. run to 1 min. walk. I was so happy to run into my dear friend Alett Mekler on the run as she was finishing up her 2nd lap. I talked about my dizziness and she suggested I might need some salt. I looked at my hands and I noticed my fingers seemed to be fatter than usual. I remembered that was a sign in the past that indicated I might need some salts. Even though I had been taking in a lot of PERFORM, Alett offered me her last 2 salt pills. THANKS SO MUCH Alett!!! <br />
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As I got close to transition and entered the park to turn around, the race official told me I had plenty of time to finish my second lap. I pretty much walked the entire turn-around and managed to remember seeing Shannon and Robert, but I'm pretty sure my face was showing a lot of the discomfort I was feeling. The dizziness had gone and been replaced with some real pain in my gut. It didn't feel like I was going to puke, but I definitely needed a stop at a porta-pottie. The first one back out of transition was busy or there was no TP. I resolved to keep running and make it to the next stop about a mile down the road. The crowds were thinning out as were the other runners. And then all of sudden, my left leg went numb and started to tingle. Most other LPs know the feeling I am talking about. It rarely ever happens to me when I run, so things were not looking good. This is the first time during the day, that something about my short-stature was affecting me. I knew what I had to do. As many know I carry a couple of tokens from LPs to help me along. Ones who have had a much together time and me and my family. So I called out to Katie, Vivian and Addie (she just had decompression surgery) asked them to help the pain go away. And as is always the case, it was quickly gone. <br />
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Before I knew it I saw the porta-potties. I went on in and was able to relieve ALL of the pressure I was feeling. I got out and promised that I would start to run some more to finish the race. The number of runners were quickly dwindling and as I neared the turn-around and I knew I would not see a lot of runners behind me as I headed back in. I counted them, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. And then I wondered, how many would catch me? WHO CARES I yelled to myself and as my friend Verity once said, 'Don't look back, you're not going that way."<br />
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Well, only one of them caught me and I managed to run a lot of the last 3 miles. Just as I neared the park, I saw my coach Travis, coming out to check on me. He said he was worried, but was real happy to see me still going. It was then that he told me, he had finished 5th OVERALL. I was so proud of him!!!<br />
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I managed to run down the chute and was so pleased to see Robert there waiting for me and even see and hear Andy Potts lean over to congratulate me on my finish. I figure my 13.1 run was well over 4 hours, but was happy to find out the final time was 3:35:58, giving me an overall time of 9:25:46.<br />
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My goal was to finish 8:15 or faster, so of course, I did not reach that goal. But I did finish, and given the state I was in just a few days before the race, I am proud of what I accomplished that day. And I know, I will return to Timberman 70.3 again to finish stronger and faster someday.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Wattie Ink stat Maggie Freeman</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First place (and only) male paratriathlete.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With coach and 5th place pro, Travis Hawkins.</td></tr>
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<br />John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-26387103092828292432014-07-20T19:39:00.000-07:002014-07-20T19:39:22.676-07:00#TTF2014 The Toronto Triathlon Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nothing beats racing in your hometown, especially when you don't live there any more. What a weekend this was. Four days away from home, with more than 13 hours on the road each way to and from the city. As many know, my mom passed away on May 16th, and though we had a memorial service for her, the family had decided to have the internment for her remains on July 12th, the day prior to the race. It was a small family affair, along with Peter, the rector from her church, and some real close friends of mom's. It was to last about 15 minutes and start at 1pm, but of course when we arrived there was a problem. Despite my niece Sara calling earlier in the week to make sure all was in order, my mom's remains were nowhere on the property. They quickly tracked them down and the told us we would not be able to start until 3:30pm. We all went off for a quick bite to eat at Tim Horton's and then returned. It was a very quick event and a lovely spot that we can visit in the future if we so wish.<br />
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After a quick tour of Sara and Ronnie's new house I headed down to Toronto for the night so I would be close to the race site. I again had the privilege of staying at Marilyn and Fred's complex for the night, near Yonge and St. Clair. They treated me to a very nice light dinner and I turned in early for the night. The weather forecast was not looking promising calling for a risk of thunderstorms for the morning. Worrying about the weather, I did not sleep too well and the 4AM wake-up came quickly.</div>
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My first look out the window was good, with not rain on the ground yet. That was a good sign as the forecast had said it would start around 1AM. Had a bite to eat (bagel, banana, and some V-8 fruit juice), packed up and headed down to Ontario Place. It's interesting driving down Yonge St (Longest continuous street in the world) and seeing who is up and about at 4:30AM. Getting there was no problem and I parked and made it to transition without a hitch.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike covered ready for the rain.</td></tr>
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The sky was still quite cloudy, but it looked like the sun might peek out. I did bring extra plastic bags and covered up all my shoes and my handlebars. I had also brought a spare swim cap to use to cover my saddle. The start time came quickly as I got on my wetsuit and started to make it down to the swim start. Of course, just as I was heading down, the skies opened up and it started to pour. As long as it didn't thunder or lightening, the swim would more than likely proceed as planned. I got down to the swim start and who did I see, but Canadian Olympian, Triathlon Gold Medalist, <a href="http://simonwhitfield.com/">Simon Whitfield</a>. We had a quick chat prior to the swim start. Simon would later be guiding Terry Gardner on the run in the sprint race. Terry is a visually-impaired triathlete with <a href="http://www.wonwithone.com/">Won With One</a>. I was doing the Olympic distance race, which left first and Simon said he would do all he could to catch and pass me before I finished. </div>
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As we got called to the dock area for the anthem, the skies opened up again. We could barely see the turn buoys and so of course, I started to get a little nervous. Even though there is nothing I can do to change the weather, I realized I had never been swimming in torrential rain. The race was to start at 6:50AM and was delayed in the hopes the showers would subside a bit. The elite age-groupers went first and then the para wave would depart (all 2 of us!!!). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me swimming taken by @BrendaTeamTTF</td></tr>
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Bill Burke (race director from Premier Event Management) directed us into the water and gave us a 10 second count. The water was colder than I had expected, but certainly not colder than Cohasset. The difference with Cohasset is that I was able to get in and get used to it prior to the race. This was a bit of a shock and before I knew it, we were off. <br />
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The course is counter-clockwise, which I prefer, but I didn't even make to the first turn-buoy before I was having some problems. I was short of breath but making progress, but then I took a big mouth-full of water and started to choke a bit. There was a paddle border nearby and I signalled for him to come over. He got there real quick and I latched on. I took about 45 seconds or so to catch my breath and took off again. I worried this was the shaping up to be a Quassy flashback where I had to withdraw due to an allergic reaction to the pollen. Was the water too cold? NO!! Was I having some allergic reaction? NO!! So I continued swimming and I got into a quick grove. After the first turn I headed down the canal to the far buoy. At this point, it started to rain again and I couldn't see the buoy in the distance. It was at this point that the athletes from the previous wave caught up to me and I could follow them. It was a long stretch to that second turn (maybe about 700m, or 750yds). The water was noticeably colder as we neared the exit to the sheltered area. The rest of the swim went pretty well except for one smack I received right at the bridge of the nose as another swimmer went by. My final swim time for the 1.5km was 0:52:43 which was about 8-10 slower than I had hoped. Given the rain and the slow start, it would do, but I wasn't sure now I would be able to finish under 4 hours.<br />
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Transition was not that great either, coming out on my bike in 04:22. In fact, that time really sucks as I usually try and complete T1 in under 3 minutes. Again, I had to deal with removing the plastic bags off of the bike and getting my shoes out as well. The rain had stopped so I only hoped there wasn't a lot of standing water on the course. <br />
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This is BY FAR, my favorite triathlon bike course. I grew up in this city and drove both the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway (DVP) many countless times. Like the NYC tri, they bike course is closed, which rarely happens, so it really is a fun ride. With the new tri bar set-up I was able to stay aero for a lot of the course. I was passed by a lot of cyclists, but I also was able to pass quite a number myself. The roads were wet without a lot of puddles. I don't really feel I ever had to drive slower than I hoped. Including the roads we travel on, we pass 3 different stadiums, BMO Stadium (Toronto FC), Roger's Centre (Skydome-Blue Jays) and Air Canada Centre (Leafs and Raptors), pretty cool.<br />
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At the turn around, near DVP and Eglinton, I blew a kiss to mom. The last place we lived together, when I was still in high school, was up at DVP and Lawrence, just a couple of miles away. The way back is down hill and I was able to make up some speed, but at this point, we also faced a headwind. It was at this point that a motorbike pulled up beside me and was filming, they had the camera on me for a couple of minutes, including a point where I passed two other cyclists. The came up beside me again and asked if they could chat a bit. Well, those of you who know me, know I wouldn't have a problem chatting to a camera! LOL. I found out they were from TSN and are putting together a piece on WON WITH ONE, including Simon's work with the team. I found out it will be aired in Canada sometime in August.<br />
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When I returned to T2 all was going well. My bike leg was 1:35:36, more than 5 minutes faster than 2012, so I was able to make up some of my slow swim time. T2 was 4:23m again, WAY TOO SLOW. I need to be A LOT FASTER in transition. Again, I don't know if it was all the rain, but that is something I must remedy.<br />
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I took off on the run and things went well. As I ran along the shore, I looked out on the water, as at this point, the last of the sprint racers were starting their swims. It was then I noticed a paddleboarder was waving at me and cheering. It was the guy who had come along to me while I was in the water. He was REAL HAPPY to see me out there on the run. Sure made me feel good!!!!<br />
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I was able to start out running for 1:30 and then walking for 0:30. As time went along and things felt good, I was able to switch to 3:00 of running followed by 1:00 of walking. There were lots of great kids manning the water stations cheering us along. GREAT VOLUNTEERS for sure!!! It had started to rain a little around the 3K mark for me and then the skies opened up to a total downpour. For the next 4-6K it literally poured buckets. I was running through 2-4 inches of water and was totally soaked. I soon realized I would not be breaking the 4 hour barrier, but being so wet, I started to laugh. Getting to the water stops, it was a delight to see the kids still out there cheering us on. As people passed me, I would yell out, "SWIM, BIKE, SWIM". Got a few laughs!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhorgrs1SM7bP8Sep2FNtjPq9IsabbCGdjcMNymgoePSZbFT-fqn3yiWIpz-5RgFQFeg71WQA6BER9EG3l6qy7FDL7sBc_ERvAdSfRH-H95m-GuB_sebf7bMzLECArxQ2gOCbN3aQXTdas/s1600/10553417_10100150785262479_6021991882335187374_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhorgrs1SM7bP8Sep2FNtjPq9IsabbCGdjcMNymgoePSZbFT-fqn3yiWIpz-5RgFQFeg71WQA6BER9EG3l6qy7FDL7sBc_ERvAdSfRH-H95m-GuB_sebf7bMzLECArxQ2gOCbN3aQXTdas/s1600/10553417_10100150785262479_6021991882335187374_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My finish taken by Jan Ditchfield</td></tr>
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As I neared the end I was still feeling real good without any back or leg pain. As I neared the finish, Marilyn was there and as I entered the finish chute, I could see a large group from WON WITH ONE, waiting for the sprint finishers. I was really happy to find out my run time was 1:29:44, 3:30 faster than 2012. So really, if I had been able to have quicker transitions and a slightly faster swim, I would have beat 4 hours. My final time was 4:06:47. Given the crummy weather, this was a REALLY GOOD RACE!!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcGSyvcUxfPzFqlEX_WL1rY0LxLQiD6pj1hMXTysCo0GIuQBBFJisgcecW95BXoWvOuXE3TGIGlV1aNZLogwpLKDnBTQHVJ7LU6c5XdCyLuOEapc_TWSh0Q32R1g2GtTC3NQBMCALF7fU/s1600/10500492_786807851371531_5785030571592795285_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcGSyvcUxfPzFqlEX_WL1rY0LxLQiD6pj1hMXTysCo0GIuQBBFJisgcecW95BXoWvOuXE3TGIGlV1aNZLogwpLKDnBTQHVJ7LU6c5XdCyLuOEapc_TWSh0Q32R1g2GtTC3NQBMCALF7fU/s1600/10500492_786807851371531_5785030571592795285_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Jan Ditchfield</td></tr>
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Wouldn't you know it, but about 1 minute after my finish, I saw Simon and Terry coming down the chute. For the second year in a row HERO BURGER offered free burgers to racers. When I got in the line, it didn't move, so I gave up on that idea. I hung around for a while with Marilyn and she stayed long enough to see me get my finisher ribbon and flowers for 2nd place in the PC division. I would later find out the 1st place finisher was not a PC racer and had registered that way by accident.<br />
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I got back to transition to get my WET gear and bike and then took it all to my car. The drive back to Orangeville was uneventful and as soon as I got back I took a refreshing dip into Bonnie's pool. We had a long day ahead of us on Monday, having to drive the 500+ miles back to MA.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQufmfI4lBWVuh5wQnXO0qzAqQcpJtp8JehdZ5bw6P3TKopnOrr8egThFjZ-XotqoQoj8CuDSQuLmcEYzl-M7pNqYUF5ggcIqvu6_Y9ppnf0omIxt8hQgmqlqDF-oK6RbSE_QrQNPzNpU/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQufmfI4lBWVuh5wQnXO0qzAqQcpJtp8JehdZ5bw6P3TKopnOrr8egThFjZ-XotqoQoj8CuDSQuLmcEYzl-M7pNqYUF5ggcIqvu6_Y9ppnf0omIxt8hQgmqlqDF-oK6RbSE_QrQNPzNpU/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting my award with Steve Fleck <br />(taken by M. Fennell)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally meeting fb friend Irina!!<br /></td></tr>
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John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-75965436906031035492014-07-02T17:44:00.000-07:002014-07-02T17:44:32.984-07:00Hero Triathlon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86RhCsZ1Q5uzRdjANlbCmsjufrw7uztWpIXZA2wVaHtgYONfWNLHyCIsOxdDRgDJATRKYeK7Pdl4v5jB9xXgn55qmzPaiodyT1gkHHkU3mEVnlrUMeEHx9oYEZsLBSVhl_K6jSi9XhHU/s1600/20140622_064340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86RhCsZ1Q5uzRdjANlbCmsjufrw7uztWpIXZA2wVaHtgYONfWNLHyCIsOxdDRgDJATRKYeK7Pdl4v5jB9xXgn55qmzPaiodyT1gkHHkU3mEVnlrUMeEHx9oYEZsLBSVhl_K6jSi9XhHU/s1600/20140622_064340.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
And so goes the start of my triathlon season. This the first time I have ever competed in two triathlons in consecutive weeks. I was supposed to have done Quassy Olympic a month ago, but had to withdraw after my mother had passed away and I had to return to Canada. Bill Burnett from <a href="http://www.streamlineevents.com/">Streamline Events</a> puts on some amazing races and after racing the Cohasset tri last year, I knew I wanted to return to race there again. I ran into Bill at <a href="http://www.sunmultisportevents.com/TRI-MANIA.htm">TRI-MANIA</a> in March and he mentioned another race he organized called the Hero Triathlon. The race takes place in Mashpee, MA on the grounds of Otis Air-Force Base. Bill does a really good job supporting and recognizing physically challenged athletes and invited me to come down and race there as well. I couldn't pass the chance up to do this race!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johns Pond at Otis Air Force Base, Mashpee, MA</td></tr>
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The Hero triathlon offered both an Olympic and sprint distance and I had chosen to compete in the sprint race. The sprint was a later start, with the Olympic going off earlier, so I decided to drive down the morning of leaving Salem at about 4:40AM. It would be a quick and easy ride down to Mashpee. I could not believe how bright it was so early in the morning as I packed up the last few things in my car at 4:30AM. I was bringing breakfast with me and would eat on the road since I would not be starting until 9AM. I have now simplified my pre-race meal to a banana, English muffin with PB, some Gatorade, and then a CLIF bar about 90 minutes prior to the race and an applesauce (thanks QT2 nutrition consult!!) about 30 minutes prior to the race.<br />
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The drive down was easy with a great view over the Bourne bridge as I drove onto the Cape. Bill offered to keep a parking spot for me close to transition at Johns Pond. The morning was gorgeous with no clouds in the sky. The water was warm at 68 degrees. At first look, the swim course looked to be a lot longer than the advertised 0.3 mile distance. I don't worry about those details since we all have to swim the same course. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disney Dawn with me prior to the race.</td></tr>
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Check-in and set-up all went well with nothing out of the ordinary happening. I got a chance to meet <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/fdny-emt-missing-leg-promoted-article-1.1307095">David Kruysman</a>, the other PC athlete. He was going to be doing the Olympic distance race. He is a LT in the NYFD where he works as a paramedic. I also met up with LONG-TIME friend Disney Dawnie from Comp racing and Jim Leavitt. Dave Constantino was also there as well racing.<br />
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After the anthem the Olympic distance athletes set off and the sprint racers waited around about 30 minutes to start at 9AM. I was in the first wave and sighting seemed to go quite well and I seemed to stay with a group of novice swimmers who were able to do most of the sighting for me as they all swam head-up breaststroke which left me to stay focused on my "streamline" freestyle. The course was a simple counter-clockwise course, with the last leg a point where we merged with the slower Oly swimmers from the 8:30AM start.<br />
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Swim 26:13 (more than 1/2 mile for sure). Again, I'm not complaining, but there is NO WAY this was a 1/3 of a mile swim. The run to transition was short and I got to my bike pretty quickly getting out of T1 in 2:13. That's pretty good for me.<br />
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The bike course was very flat but most of it was around the Otis airbase with lots of open space and some pretty strong headwinds. The new aerobar set-up I have helped keep me down with less air resistance. Thanks so much <a href="http://www.challengedathletes.org/site/c.4nJHJQPqEiKUE/b.6449023/k.BD6D/Home.htm">CAF</a> for the grant to help with this!!! My total time for the bike was 52:16 (13 miles) giving me an average speed of 14.9 mph. Given the winds, I was pretty happy with this. The course was well-maintained with lots of people at every turn, including lots of men and women in uniform helping out,<br />
which added to the character of the race!!!<br />
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I was not happy with my bike to run transition getting out of T2 in a time of 3:17. Can't think of a reason, except that I was simply taking my time instead of doing MY JOB!!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish in 2:10:33</td></tr>
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The run was tough to start and I was experiencing some lower back pain at the beginning. No numbness or tingling, just a sign to me that I need to do more running off the bike (BRICKS) in training. The run only had one water stop at the turn around, but since I usually carry my own GATORADE it wasn't a problem. I usually use the water for dousing my head and back anyway. The course was pretty much an out and back with some hills, but nothing tough. The second half went much better, confirming what I said of more prep needed. The last 1/3 of a mile was pretty much downhill which certainly felt good where I ended up finishing my run in 46:37 (3.2 miles). My overall time was 2:10:33. My original plan was a sub 2-hour finish, but I knew once I saw the longer swim, that would not be the case. Overall, very happy for my first race of the year. The important thing is that I left the race feeling good and strong, ready to race in one week at Cohasset.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With David Kruysman post race.</td></tr>
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John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-3474590343002333702014-05-18T21:06:00.000-07:002014-05-18T21:06:28.207-07:00When Does the Yo-Yo-ing STOP?Please, soon I hope. I don't know how much more of this I can take. <br />
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November 2012- Drive to NYC to run in the marathon (UP)<br />
Marathon cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy (DOWN)<br />
Run in the Myles Standish Marathon 2 weeks later and qualify for Boston 2013 (UP)<br />
Get injured (totally my fault for not resting) and can't run for 2 months (DOWN)<br />
Recover and prepare in just 2 months for Boston 2013 (UP)<br />
At race expo picking up my bib, I found out that one of my students died tragically in a car accident (WAY DOWN!!!)<br />
Start the Boston Marathon (UP)<br />
Get stopped with less than a mile to go (DOWN)<br />
Have a successful tri season and run in the NYC Marathon (UP)<br />
Start the 2014 Boston Marathon (UP)<br />
Have to pull out 10 miles into the race due to stomach flu (DOWN)<br />
Return to Natick three weeks later (last weekend) to run the last 16 miles alone (UP)<br />
Arrive home that day to get a message from my sister that my mother is not well. (DOWN)<br />
I was able to return to Canada and be with my mother for her last few hours, when she died this past Friday (TOTALLY SHATTERED)<br />
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This is not a post to have people feel sorry for me and I know a lot of this revolves around unfinished races, which in the big scheme of the world, is not a big thing and could be a lot worse. It is still a ride I want to get off soon. I know you really can't experience the highs of this life without experiencing the lows, but I really am starting to say, "WHY ME?" The next time something really amazing happens, I am honestly going to have to step back and say, "Okay, what's happening next?"John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-81026700527565426312014-04-22T17:21:00.001-07:002014-04-22T17:21:09.926-07:00118th Boston MarathonI will write a more upbeat report soon I hope, but at this point, I need to put down the WHYS of what lead me to withdrawing from the marathon. After everything that happened last year, all of us who were stopped talked about what we wanted to do. We felt denied what was our RIGHT, the right to finish the marathon we had started.<br />
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The Saturday prior to the race Owen was out playing with a friend when his friend came running to our house to tell us Owen was throwing up. We went outside to find Owen being sick. This was not the usual Owen who has always been one to know prior to being sick in order to do so in the proper place. He continued to throw up most of the day and then started to have diarrhea. We checked his temp throughout the day and there was no fever. He crawled into bed around 5pm and laid there for a couple of hours sleeping on and off and then finally drifted off to sleep for the night. In the morning, he woke up, seemed to feel great had a small breakfast and then we headed off to church where he had a BIG breakfast and seemed good to go. We thought, heck it must have been food poisoning.<br />
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Fast forward to race morning. As I was driving down to Boston to catch my bus at the Sheraton, my tummy felt a bit upset. I started to wonder what it could have been. Once I parked my car at Columbia and Berkeley the pain went away. I thought it must have been nerves. I walked to the hotel and just as I entered I remember, this was the Hoyt's hotel. What a great bonus seeing all my great friends prior to what was going to be the greatest race of my life.<br />
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The ride out to Hopkinton was fine. Funny thing is I ended up on a bus with no other runners. It was filled with all the cycling volunteers who would be following the wheel-chair and hand-cycle competitors. We had a great time chatting. I got a message from a friend then that DandC had mentioned me on their show again. The highlight of the ride came when I got a call from my dear friend Trisha. She had been on Boylston waiting for me last year when all heck broke loose. She was calling to give a boost and it sure worked. <br />
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We arrived right at the starting line and I hurried over to the VIP tent where all of the mobility impaired (MI) runners would be staged. The weather was gorgeous at this point and we all started to get ready. I was proud to be there again with so many great friends. Scott Rigsby was returning again and he has always been one of my greatest motivators. He was the first double leg amputee to finish KONA (twice now). Juli Windsor was also starting with us, and she would end up being the first LP to finish Boston (certainly the fastest as well).<br />
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As we prepared to start, we had a moment of silence to remember the victims of the blasts last year. The highlight of the entire day would happen now as my friend Dave McGillivray (the race director) came over to stand beside me and we put our arms around each other. <br />
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And off we went. Everything seemed to be going well throughout the race. Passing the 5K and 10K marks all seemed well. Just as we went through Framingham I was passed by the pro men. Who then came up behind me, but Dave on a scooter. He asked me how things were going and I said I was feeling good. After he passed, I thought to myself, am I really feeling good. I started to break up my run/walks from 3min run/1min walk to 1.5min run/30 sec walk. As my stomach started to feel woozy again I thought I might need a gel. I took that and more gatorade (I had been drinking as usual) and it really didn't seem to help. Then as I neared the 15K mark I went to a solid walk. I tried to run but could only manage 20 sec or so at a time. Countless people were cheering me on, both spectators and runners. I tried but could not run. <br />
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I got to the next medical tent and asked for help. They asked me a bunch of questions to test my mental state and I passed (all marathon runners are NUTS!). They suggested I try to possibly keep going to the next medical tent and have a reassessment. As I proceeded along I remember I was soon coming along to a group of friends who were cheering people on. A number of families with LP children were there (Sue and Owen cheered there last year too). As I came upon them I think they knew immediately I needed help. My friend Renee offered to walk with me to the med tent. I was thankful to have her with me. At this point I asked her to call Sue as she handed me the phone I talked to Sue to tell her I was in distress and things did not look good for me to continue. I told her I would call again when I knew more. <br />
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The medical tent was not where they had said it would be (I found out later, it had been moved by the town of Natick). We neared the Natick Center and then all hell broke loose inside of me. I told Renee I needed to throw up. Before it happened, Renee pointed me towards a sewer grate. Nothing like puking in front of 100's of people. This was the most violent retching I have ever down. Luckily there were fire fighters there and they came over to assess me. We talked for a while and I asked for some water. I quickly downed a whole bottle and asked for another. I thanked Renee and suggested she return to her family. She hugged me (probably not very pleasant) and then left. The firefighters told me I had 3 choices: trip to the hospital, ride to the med tent (1/2 a mile down the course), return to the course. I sat a while longer and then decided to try and continue. I did feel better after the purge.<br />
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Off I went and again, I could barely run. I ran for possibly 20 seconds or so and then walked again. When I got to the med tent, I started to consider withdrawing. They escorted me into the tent and checked my vitals. Except for an elevated heart-rate, I had no fever and BP was good. They suggested I lie down and I promptly nodded off. I awoke and they said I needed to decide what to do as the bus to the finish line was arriving. I made the decision to withdraw. I called Sue and told her what I was doing. I would later find out both her and Owen were able to see Juli cross the line. I am so proud of what she has done for LPs, but even more so for LP women, and women in general.<br />
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I rode the bus to Babson College where we to transfer to a larger bus to ride into Boston. Waiting for the bus to leave, as fast as it happened last time, I had to puke again. I made it outside of the bus just in time and again, purged out the two bottles of water I had just downed. OKAY, maybe stopping was the right choice. I would end up doing it again one more time after I arrived home and again, it came upon me pretty fast.<br />
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I have read countless stories of people finishing the race in a terrible physical state and that's what I keep beating myself up about. Could I have walked the remaining 15+ miles to cross that line? I was totally empty of both fluids and any energy. And I was now realizing, I would not be able to keep anything down. The day would only get warmer. I wanted to get to Wellesley College to see Brit and Leslie. I wanted to get to Coolidge Corner, Kenmore Square, Comm Ave, make that turn onto Hereford St and of course, turn onto Boylston to run to Sue and Owen. But that was not going to be. It wasn't the fact that other LP runners would be there first. Both Juli and Dahn are MUCH FASTER than me. I know that. I didn't want to beat them, but I wanted to be WITH them. I missed the party!! I did all the planning and knew I was ready for this. But you can never be sure of anything. This was certainly a case of the worst timing ever.<br />
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I also have to think about this summer. I have a number of triathlons planned, including three of them before the end of June. If I had kept going, there is a very good chance I may have ended up in the hospital, or worse. I am 100% sure that both Sue and Owen are happy I stopped. I was able to return to work today and will very soon be on my bike and swimming as well. As Owen stated, "Sometimes you're the hammer and sometimes you're the nail." At this point, I think I am going to take a seat from marathon running and put a lot more of time into triathlon. Running so much has really taken time away from my bike training especially. If I truly want to do an Ironman in 2015, I need to get to work SERIOUSLY. It might not be in 2015, but I will be back BOSTON. Some year, I will be back.John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-74246089020730885272014-03-19T21:41:00.001-07:002014-03-19T21:41:02.573-07:00NYC Half-Marathon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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NYC is slowly becoming one of my favorite cities. I have raced there 3 times in the last 8 months and at least once a year for the last 4 years. The <a href="http://www.achillesinternational.org/">Achilles International</a> group I race with are based there and over the last 2+ years I have made a great number of close friends through Achilles NYC and CAF as well. Less than 24 hours before I was to leave for the race I watched this video, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UjsXo9l6I8&feature=kp">Empire State of Mind - JAY Z and Alicia Keys</a> a number of times. <br />
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My good friend Barbara lives on the UWS and offered me a spare bedroom at her place for the weekend. Since Sue and Owen were not coming along this time, it would save me the price of a hotel and also the chance to catch up with Barbara. I first met Barbara three years ago when she was the north-east coordinator for CAF. I drove down on Friday and like every visit I've made to NYC, I was able to find free street parking along Riverside Dr near W 80th. I simply park my car there and then use the MTA until I leave on Sunday.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once arriving I took the train to Barbara's place. She was still a</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">t work so I decided to head over to the Expo to pick-up my bib and have a look around. The Expo is a lot smaller than some of the bigger races I've done, so I was through in about 15 minutes or so. Barb met me there and so we headed out for some dinner. With it being March 14th (3.14) or PI day, we had to head out for some pizza. Barb suggested a restaurant called "Patsy's". We had a nice white pizza with mushrooms and broccoli. After dinner I suggested we get a little dessert, and what better place would a Canadian want to go to then "Tim Horton's?" It's been a while since I've been to one while the "ROLL UP THE RIM" contest is going on. I didn't win, but just getting a chance to play was GREAT. </span><br />
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Well, some things in life are just meant to happen. Heading to Tim Horton's we decide to get the train. It was a busy Friday night and as we are boarding the very crowded train Barb says to me, "Friday night riding the 1 train!". We both laugh and squeeze on. We aren't on the train 2 minutes and this woman says, "Excuse me, are you from Boston and do you know Claire Thompson ?" I think for a split second and say, "Yes, she goes to my church." She then explains how Claire had told her I was running the race on Sunday and she should go out to cheer me on. Of all the trains in all of NYC, we got to meet each other there. She is watching a young child and can't be there to cheer on Sunday, but really that doesn't matter. She wished me luck as she exited the train. I fully believe this was not mere chance. Thank you Claire!! I had asked Claire to say a special prayer for me to keep me safe during the race. I am fully convinced this was God's way of telling me I would be kept safe during the race!<br />
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I always hope to have a good night's sleep two nights prior to a race. Well, I got my wish and slept like a rock. Barb was awake early to do a LONG RUN in the park and I got ready to meet up with many of my <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdINwa772tQ9ZQjefFcZ5S_q-DvTrJfGyu_WtQfgB_66geaQBtvItRSjjBW0TCrQdtDDZHr5_wvr2EuWvFPWFdoEXvr_wE4dUFtC9uDsFCjD_MwsocQYvGCfMdKJnkSTR0YhxcEVUaa7M/s1600/me+and+kat+in+the+park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdINwa772tQ9ZQjefFcZ5S_q-DvTrJfGyu_WtQfgB_66geaQBtvItRSjjBW0TCrQdtDDZHr5_wvr2EuWvFPWFdoEXvr_wE4dUFtC9uDsFCjD_MwsocQYvGCfMdKJnkSTR0YhxcEVUaa7M/s1600/me+and+kat+in+the+park.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Kat from Achilles</td></tr>
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Achilles teammates for their regular Saturday morning run. We met up at NYRR and then headed over for a very short-run. I chose to do a 1.6 mile loop around the reservoir. It was a gravel road with lots of little pot-holes which were a little hard to maneuver. Think I will stick to the paved roads next time. I headed back to the apartment to get cleaned up and meet up with another one of my NYC friends.</div>
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I met Bianca two years ago prior to the NYC triathlon. She had posted something online about being nervous about the race, which would be her first triathlon. I had given her some suggestions and we had kep in touch prior to the race in 2012. We got a chance to meet then and since then, remained in touch through social media. It was nice to meet up with and have some coffee and catch up. She is actually racing the NYC Triathlon again this summer, and wouldn't you know it, she's raising money for Achilles!!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Jq5y6TT-BpZYcSlimpvrSu9nik0OtY0x0qGAi3kg4FTMaK7Jsig1yxqOT9GSBeir0oEW8m_yXwW9OZ0RGtPVbh0zk60PFqkf6nX-x6zMtULISvktFIrWsh9TCrVV7D7kFRgoGI6QRzA/s1600/carbo+loading+with+dana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Jq5y6TT-BpZYcSlimpvrSu9nik0OtY0x0qGAi3kg4FTMaK7Jsig1yxqOT9GSBeir0oEW8m_yXwW9OZ0RGtPVbh0zk60PFqkf6nX-x6zMtULISvktFIrWsh9TCrVV7D7kFRgoGI6QRzA/s1600/carbo+loading+with+dana.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carbo Loading with Dana</td></tr>
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I went back to the apartment to rest some more, get some of my clothes ready for the race and change to meet up with another one of the NYC friends, and member of Team Hoyt, Dana Krashin. We first met prior to the Boston Marathon in 2013. Two other Team Hoyt members, Meghan and Tammy (both from Massachusetts) would be joining us, along with Dana's boyfriend, Giancarlo. We met at a very traditional looking Italian restaurant called Carmines's. The food is served "family style" and I was amazed that the five of us ate a lot of food, with multiple helpings, and there were also leftovers, for a total bill of less than $100. Now, we didn't have any alcohol, so I am sure that helped. The food was excellent!!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_t0bP8Zo0U0r3RwPJ99znbvZWHbkjxH7j58qyihVaWlzI3aS7uVSuNn48LxjPlxPHr9IJm0IQdXmIuRuS-mwB9jFYNnNC0CSkojJvtS9ByjYm0lpqBXGrGbBs2OjoH3pD7FmnCchn0UE/s1600/meghan+dana+tammy+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_t0bP8Zo0U0r3RwPJ99znbvZWHbkjxH7j58qyihVaWlzI3aS7uVSuNn48LxjPlxPHr9IJm0IQdXmIuRuS-mwB9jFYNnNC0CSkojJvtS9ByjYm0lpqBXGrGbBs2OjoH3pD7FmnCchn0UE/s1600/meghan+dana+tammy+and+me.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meghan, me, Dana, and Tammy</td></tr>
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I headed back to Barb's place for the evening. Barb was out to dinner with a friend, so I had her place to myself. I laid out all of the clothing for the morning and prepared my drop clothing bag. When I had left MA, the weather report had said it would be low 40's and sunny for the race. Well by Saturday the forecast had changed and it was looking like it would be closed to 30 degrees with a strong northerly wind. I had a hoodie and sweatpants to dump at the start, but did prepare to bring gloves (found out later I did have a pair in my bag) or something for my head, except a visor. I also decided to stick with shorts and not wear running pants.<br />
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Barb's place was a perfect location for this race. I would simply walk from her place down Broadway to the bottom of the park where the bag drop area was. I had everything prepared for the night, set my alarm for 5:15AM and turned in for the night around 10PM. Here is where I was amazed as I had another great night of sleep. I work once around 3AM to use the bathroom and went right back to sleep. I managed to wake about 15 minutes prior to the alarm. I got ready and had a breakfast of a homemade banana muffin (THANKS BARB!!), a banana, some gatorade and I would have a POWER BAR on the way to the start. I would also have an apple sauce just prior to the start of the race.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1ub2qO5zRshrGcNjd728sH-Qu5dUUlmP6RHd1lnihTKYGu5fT8u2PzyKCoOk_aJtvPRGZYVldX8cKFTfAY0t6_xjSw31U9i_0n_OBOd_l0Gth8komxDSay2pblGhJVIDgbcFVTdWCR4/s1600/achilles+team+prior+to+nyc+half.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1ub2qO5zRshrGcNjd728sH-Qu5dUUlmP6RHd1lnihTKYGu5fT8u2PzyKCoOk_aJtvPRGZYVldX8cKFTfAY0t6_xjSw31U9i_0n_OBOd_l0Gth8komxDSay2pblGhJVIDgbcFVTdWCR4/s1600/achilles+team+prior+to+nyc+half.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the Achilles athletes and guides.</td></tr>
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When I got outside, I realized how truly cold it was. The weather was saying sustained winds around 18-20 mph which meant a wind chill around 20 degrees. As I walked down to the park, I noticed NYPD members out in full parkas and gloves. CRAP!!! It's COLD. I got down to the park and quickly found the bag drop, but not before finding Joe Bellatoni and his wife Denise. Joe is a blind triathlete and a member of Achilles. All of the Achilles athletes were together and we all started to make our way into our corral which would be at the back of the first wave. Security was pretty tight as we all had to go through metal detectors prior to the start. I started to dump my clothes, first my sweat pants and then the hoodie right before the start. When would I be able to run in the SUN!!!! We made our way to the start and I realized I had to make one more trip to the bathroom so just before the start line, I noticed there were porta-potties. I waited for about 30 seconds and then said, forget it, so as the 2nd wave was starting to line up, I took off!!!<br />
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I ran alone for a while until wave 2 caught up to me. The first 5+ miles are in the park as you run up the east side. You then leave the park at 110th and do a short out and back into the park. The 4th mile of the race back in the park is the toughest part of the race as you climb Harlem Hill. I have run in the park at least 4 times now with the NYC triathlon and the 26.2 back in November. It took a while for me to get my breath under control and once I did, I pretty much kept consistent miles for most of the race hovering around 13:45 min/mile. I did see my good friend Haggai in the park which helped give me a boost!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks Haggai!!!</td></tr>
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When you exit the park you run down 7th Ave all the way to Times Square and turn right onto 42nd Street. When I first exited the park I saw the biggest NYPD officer I've ever seen. He stood about 6'4" and was HUGE. Not someone I would want to have mad at me. When he saw me he exclaimed, "Now that's what I'm talking about!!" and gave me a big HIGH-5 and almost took my arm off. I cruised down 7th Ave and all was going real well. Once I turned onto 42nd Street I started to feel the full force of the wind as if I was in a wind tunnel. My hands were freezing. I am glad I had my homemade arm warmers on. I had taken women's knee socks and cut the feet out of them. The two pairs on each arm were helping a lot. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading to Times Square</td></tr>
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As I stated earlier, I had wanted to go to the bathroom prior to the race and finally decided I needed to make a pitstop. Just before we turned onto the West Side Highway, there were some empty porta-potties. Maybe emptying my bladder would help warm me up. As I exited, this would be first time I contemplated quitting the race as I was starting to shiver a bit. And then I thought, I don't think I could feel any colder and I would only had about 4 or 5 miles to go. I then thought of two other LPs, one I've talked about before named <a href="http://www.katiesraces.com/foundation.php">Katie Lynch</a> (I carry a sock of her's with me on my fuel belt) and then a young girl named Vivian. Vivian has achondroplasia like me and my family. She has had some major struggles in her young life and will be turning 1 right around the Boston Marathon this year. I thought of those two and the hard physical challenges they've dealt with. I imagined holding Vivian and then God holding onto me. I could keep going!!! I'm sure I could. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-Xafm1p5M-_8e6Kc1brxhPEZN0a9v_c5ePvWrs1PcludGi2m5EkE0vhzE0OrDlqgEcU0y-1JXGvoLiV1g9Kj2phyiAuOfDtGcqckCW5Wd_nQBNUbZfha3mUaGEc-j1cHfiG6acceX-8/s1600/to+freedom+tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-Xafm1p5M-_8e6Kc1brxhPEZN0a9v_c5ePvWrs1PcludGi2m5EkE0vhzE0OrDlqgEcU0y-1JXGvoLiV1g9Kj2phyiAuOfDtGcqckCW5Wd_nQBNUbZfha3mUaGEc-j1cHfiG6acceX-8/s1600/to+freedom+tower.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Freedom Tower</td></tr>
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Wouldn't you know it as we turned onto the West Side Highway, where I figure the wind would be the strongest and it seemed to me anyway, that the wind was lighter. I'm sure running in the sunlight truly helped. As I looked down the road I could see the Freedom Tower in the distance and I knew we would be running all the way down past the tower and into the Battery Park Tunnel. <br />
<br />
The remainder of the race went well and I was so excited to hear a friendly voice behind me call out and it was both Dana and Meghan who had caught up to me. A couple of good hugs from the two of them and they continued on to the finish. The Battery Tunnel was a lot darker than I had hoped it would be. I could see how someone could easily trip up on a pothole or some other debris. Exiting the tunnel would be the last hill to face as we had to run around the block to the finish. I was hoping to finish in 2:55 and I ended up with a time of 3:06:25. Given the cold weather and wind, I was very happy with the time. <br />
<br />
Finding my clothing back was pretty quick. I managed to get on warmed clothes and made my way to brunch my Achilles teammates. It was about a 20 minute walk from the finish line to a small diner. I was happy to see my friends one last time as I gobbled down a plate of Eggs Benedict. I shuffled to the train, got back to Barbara's place, took a shower changed and then made my way back to my car. Barbara was kind enough to help me with my bags. Driving 4+ hours home is not the best type of recovery exercise, but I was SO EAGER to see Sue and Owen again. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAx98jlDWMLC549ILtEqqaQGHe9WFwfDseH1g1lndsWL-0pTUkCG9iXgVGL0K_2iWw8j_VQzPIthWErUt9dizQ-7mzZsBi1dM4TM5oFs2PMxSzRwwxqOgbza3FeJACIO7YgSpYGK5hxc/s1600/nyc+half+2014+finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAx98jlDWMLC549ILtEqqaQGHe9WFwfDseH1g1lndsWL-0pTUkCG9iXgVGL0K_2iWw8j_VQzPIthWErUt9dizQ-7mzZsBi1dM4TM5oFs2PMxSzRwwxqOgbza3FeJACIO7YgSpYGK5hxc/s1600/nyc+half+2014+finish.jpg" height="172" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Finish Line!!!</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
Next up; Boston Marathon 2014 - April 21st - UNFINISHED BUSINESS.<br />
<br />
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<br />John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-81732455630174466242013-11-11T12:56:00.001-08:002013-11-22T11:36:03.240-08:00NYC Marathon 2013.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/16/5c/165c8635529432f0c7eca75f3689b0fe.jpg?itok=rL6xUbdR" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/16/5c/165c8635529432f0c7eca75f3689b0fe.jpg?itok=rL6xUbdR" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
You don't have to be a runner to know that the NYC Marathon was cancelled last year due to the destruction of "Hurricane Sandy". NYC 2012 was to be my first marathon. Well since that race never happened, I have done two other marathons. The first was the Myles Standish Marathon in Plymouth, MA. I ran that race 2 weeks after I was supposed to do NYC. The completion of that race, qualified me for Boston 2013. And again, everyone is fully aware what happened at 2:50pm in Boston on April 15th. At that point I was less than 3 miles from the finish line, only to be stopped 3/4 from the finish line on Boylston St. <br />
<br />
It was with great excitement that I prepared to finally tackle the 5 boroughs of NYC. I was excited to again be running as a member of Achilles NYC. An amazing group of triathletes and guides I have come to consider an extension of my own family. I have the honor to race on their triathlon team as well. As final preparations came from our family trip to the "BIG APPLE" I was contacted by Ellie at Achilles hoping we would be attending the team dinner on Friday night. I assured we would all be there and then she surprised me be saying I would be received a brand new award from the club, the "Donald Arthur Award". <a href="http://achillesinternational.org/sites/default/files/2011_Spring_Newsletter.pdf">Donald Arthur</a> was a heart transplant recipient who had planned to run a marathon in all 50 states. Sadly, his goal was cut short when he passed away earlier this year. <br />
<br />
<b>FRIDAY AND SATURDAY</b><br />
<br />
Our trip down on Friday morning was uneventful. We made my usual stop in Vernon, CT at the Vernon Diner. I usually stop there on the way down and then at Rein's Deli on the way back. There were no traffic problems and as I have done before I was able to find FREE PARKING again on the Upper West Side near our hotel. We checked in and had a bit of time to relax until heading down to the Achilles Team Dinner down near Lincoln Center. We took a trip subway ride down and arrived to meet up some old friends. Both Sue and Owen were hungry and eager to get some dinner. They put on a nice pasta dinner along with fresh looking salad and desserts. An amputee runner and his wife from Utah shared our table as we enjoyed our meals and waited for the awards presentations to start. A number of awards were given out to guides, runners, and fund-raisers. The award I was to received was saved until the end. Ellie brought over Donald's widow to meet me prior to the presentation. What a lovely woman she is. I was very to hear from her what a kind, gentle, and determined man Donald was. She informed me that Donald would be proud of me as a recipient and that it was my duty to carry on his message of helping others by getting out there to show people that there are no limits to what people can do. I was more than over-joyed that my dear friend Kat <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAul_b_ncNUiwnz97JD5jh3yQ7r9ue67UcxzRbGLiqjyjdrykqghCBcHIhaqOTIgY8wxUwHzce6flAu0uQEdHmkOJ99oHbJ1zuIF3TaUz69EqsgAnqtIEDk70zAeTwd9KoI6BH2Q3zkLw/s1600/receving+donald+arthur+award+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAul_b_ncNUiwnz97JD5jh3yQ7r9ue67UcxzRbGLiqjyjdrykqghCBcHIhaqOTIgY8wxUwHzce6flAu0uQEdHmkOJ99oHbJ1zuIF3TaUz69EqsgAnqtIEDk70zAeTwd9KoI6BH2Q3zkLw/s320/receving+donald+arthur+award+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Receiving the Donald Arthur Award from Achilles NYC</td></tr>
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Bateman would be presenting the award to me. She is the director of the NYC Achilles chapter and was the person to first contact me about joining their group. I was allowed to say a few words and I do not remember a lot of what I said but I ended with a saying I've often told people about physically challenged athletes. "Don't judge us by our bodies, judge us by our HEART." Donald's son came over to meet me and it was then that it hit me how appropriate my words were, since Donald started his marathon running after receiving a heart transplant. After dinner we returned to our hotel for the night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigx6ZzO4gKE_TU9qo9oILpOr-DQla4KjoTSzebyRKsi87lesaENuj7JkLHNczHv4QhqWYXea5uumXxSek3Sc1s0dkJ1oBR4BFezhKEbe3EhyU39KareUoFwW5miEgD-iJy-7_3_sYwPtM/s1600/with+kat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigx6ZzO4gKE_TU9qo9oILpOr-DQla4KjoTSzebyRKsi87lesaENuj7JkLHNczHv4QhqWYXea5uumXxSek3Sc1s0dkJ1oBR4BFezhKEbe3EhyU39KareUoFwW5miEgD-iJy-7_3_sYwPtM/s320/with+kat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Kat</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
We started out early with breakfast at <a href="http://www.zabars.com/">Zabar's</a> on Broadway. After a light meal we parted with Sue and Owen going off to spend some time around Times Square while I headed to the Race Expo at the Javits Center to get my race number and other swag. I had been hoping to meet up with <a href="http://www.lisabuohler.com/">Lisa Buohler</a> an amazing runner/duathlete I connected with through facebook. I wandered around for a while looking for her but it was not meant to be. I had to head out to a media event for Achilles at <a href="http://www.tourneau.com/">Tourneau</a>. We were being invited to spend some time at their shop turning back the watches as we would be moving to standard time that night. The watch they handed to me was a ROLEX. The salesman whispered to me it was the most expensive watch in the store. I was totally freaked out when I turned it over to see the price tag said $270,000. More than what we paid for our house. As gift for helping out, we were each given a nice Tourneau watch.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">CAF had a luncheon planned
for some of their athletes and also a number of their charity runners.
Barbara Evans had contacted me about attending along with Sue and Owen.
It was held at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. Again, a nice
spread was available and I was happy to have both Sue and Owen meet some of the
other athletes including </span><a href="http://www.alwaystri.com/"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sarah Reinertsen</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">, the guest speaker for that afternoon.<span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">After the luncheon we traveled back to our hotel room to rest for a bit before we headed out to see a movie. We had talked about seeing "FREE BIRDS" for part of Owen's birthday weekend while in NYC. This is the 2nd year now we have headed to NYC around his birthday. The movie was a lot funny than I had expected. On the way back to the hotel, we made a stop at Subway for a light dinner. I have grown accustomed to a lighter dinner after a big lunch the day before a race. I had my customary grilled chicken sub loaded with veggies. I packed up all my gear for my early morning wake-up. Of course, Owen put his SPEED in my shoes and also put on my running singlet to put some HEART in my jersey as well. These ave become customs that I cannot forget to do before a race. I then got to bed early with the expectation that I might not get much sleep.</span><br />
<br />
<b>RACE MORNING</b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Well, I did not sleep well, but this time it wasn't just the nerves. A police car and fire truck both drove by our building at midnight and then at 2AM respectively. Both times, sirens were blaring. Then to top it off, someone came back to their room at about 3AM from a night out on the town. They were not quiet, yelling and slamming their hotel room door. I laid awake staring at the ceiling and started to panic about the lack of sleep. I got out of bed at 3:30AM (1/2 an hour earlier than planned) and got dressed to go. I kissed Sue</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">and gave her a big hug and headed for the 1 train down to 7th Ave and 53rd Street. I was going to be driven on a VIP bus arranged by ESPN/ABC. The approached me last year about doing story about me and got in touch again about doing the same this year. The plan would be I was to wear a transponder and they were to try and catch me during the race. David Willey, the reporter, would run beside me and interview me while running. They had a number of different athletes to try and connect with. We were told none of us could be assured we would be interviewed. In the end, I wasn't picked, but that really was no big deal.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I spent most of the time on the bus talking to some of the other possible featured athletes. There was a runner who had lost 350lbs, a group of runners from <a href="http://www.crowdrise.com/onespiritnyc2012">Team One Spirit</a> in South Dakota raising money to help build a treatment center, and anti-bullying group of teachers from Michigan called <a href="http://defeatthelabel.com/">Defeat the Label</a>, and then Lara Kruiskamp from South Africa who is running a marathon in all 7 continents to raise money for orphans in her home country. Some truly amazing people with great stories to tell. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">When we arrived on the island the sun was coming up and we lined up to enter the athlete village. We were told to only bring the clear bag we were given for our clothing drop and nothing else. We were scanned and then allowed into the village. We were led to a nice tented area to wait. I had brought all the food I needed but more was available there if we needed it. By the time we arrived at the tent it was about 6:30AM. Still 3 hours to go before the race would start. It was chilly and quite windy. Little would I know that the wind would pick up on the race course later that morning. Anyway, we sat and chatted and did our best to keep warm. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">With about 90 minutes to go before race time I had to deliver my drop bag to the Achilles tent over in one of the other staging areas. It was a lot closer than I thought it would be. I got there and found a number of my Achilles friends, dropped off my bad and headed back to my staging area. When I returned I had time for one trip to the porta-pottie and then it was time to get in the corral. At this time it was about 8:50AM, still about 50 min to go until the start of our wave. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I had posted this prayer the night before the race and at this point, spent some time reading it to myself and sharing it with one other runner. I really felt at ease about my safety knowing that there were dozens of people keeping me in their thoughts and prayers. I found the prayer online and adapted it somewhat for myself changing a few words and phrases here and there.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RgK1dfP2rDJXC3H1HkTLXFTddcdPvDJkLRVC-JDV-TmFAYl99seV9MTVPPvEB6OlT5HdiwmM9fMgRkEupHNjvjuFm0T6G2z7HZjTL3IYU9AXs_qWx9xiiCRD8v0wo_TzlJ9qdjKBuE0/s1600/start+on+staten+island.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RgK1dfP2rDJXC3H1HkTLXFTddcdPvDJkLRVC-JDV-TmFAYl99seV9MTVPPvEB6OlT5HdiwmM9fMgRkEupHNjvjuFm0T6G2z7HZjTL3IYU9AXs_qWx9xiiCRD8v0wo_TzlJ9qdjKBuE0/s320/start+on+staten+island.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the start corral, minutes before the start.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Lord, watch over me this day as I run. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This is the day and this is the time for the race. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Watch over my body. Keep it free from injury. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Watch over my mind. May I listen to the signals from within </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">as I enjoy the scenes from without. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />Watch over my spirit. Keep my thinking positivly even if the race does not go as I have planned. Because in the end, it is your plan I truly follow.<br /><br />Watch over my competitors. Remind us that we all are struggling equally.<br /><br />Lord, Let me win.<br />Not by coming in ahead of my friends, but by testing myself.<br /><br />Let it be an inner win. A battle won over my fears and doubts.</span></i><br /><i><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">And may I say at the end, "I have fought a good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith."</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I have to say, if you don't like crowds, this would be hard place to be. We were led in and told to wait for direction. Just was we started to move closer to the start, people started to drop all of their extra clothes and so I followed suit. Off came my hoodie and sweatpants. I wanted to keep my toque and gloves a little while longer. As we moved closer to the starting line we had a bit more room to spread out. I moved towards the back and dropped my final clothing, set my GPS watch and waited. We had the National Anthem and my pulse started to race. A number of men relieved themselves one more time and before you know it there was a LOUD cannon blast and the song, "NEW YORK, NEW YORK" started and we were OFF. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>THE RACE</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroOztPdfTYwBDJPBZoRvuY4WYeo83F8W7ssz0iH81gU_-qo1lFPmBGMK2MF6GjTpmYATCnHH0KqHHohAfNpJjaaaKUXMnMZ8sRFu8WhEasmAuwS1mm5ZZ7fVKI_BkhrZmtFMLTljdNug/s1600/on+verrazano+narrows+bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroOztPdfTYwBDJPBZoRvuY4WYeo83F8W7ssz0iH81gU_-qo1lFPmBGMK2MF6GjTpmYATCnHH0KqHHohAfNpJjaaaKUXMnMZ8sRFu8WhEasmAuwS1mm5ZZ7fVKI_BkhrZmtFMLTljdNug/s320/on+verrazano+narrows+bridge.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minutes after the start. Photo by Lara Kruiskamp</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">It took about 1 minute for me to hit the starting line and up I headed for the first mile, which was totally uphill on the Verrazano Narrows bridge. What I noticed as the crowds of runners left me were the two NYPD copters hovering at the top of the bridge. The wind was quite strong and I was hoping it would let up a bit once I got off of the bridge and into Brooklyn. It literally was 1 mile up to the top of the bridge and then back down for the 2nd mile. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">As I exited the bridge I could here the drums of a marching band. Except for the Queensborough Bridge, this would be the last time I ran without spectators. Since I was near the back of the wave, I was alone as I left the bridge and entered Brooklyn. I was about to experience how amazing the city of Brooklyn really is. Just as I did in Boston, I wore my name of the front and back of my singlet, along with, PHIL 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength". The streets were lined with thousands of people all the way up Fourth Ave in Brooklyn. It took a while for the fastest runners from the 2nd wave to catch me, so for a while I was running with only a few other runners around me. Things were going along with no issues and according to my watch (which has always been reliable) things were going as planned. I was hoping to stay on 13:45/mile with the plan to switch to 14:30/mile after mile 14. The wind was strong and it did not take too long before my GPS was offset with the mile markers along the course. As I stated, in the past my watch has seemed synchronized with other courses, but for some reason, that was not the case in NYC. I wondered if it had something to do with interference from buildings etc. Either way, I wasn't going to let my watch run my race for me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I saw my first friendly face when I heard someone yell, "JOHN YOUNG!!" I looked over and saw my dear friend, Miriam Weiskind. I was still in Brooklyn on 4th Ave. She immediately ran out and gave me a huge hug. I told her all was well and off I went. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcrqNplffe0aypKvQjOE5PB_hS04T6dlbB4_z-KHUDIU0jH7wR2EXJG_7WynoUKidy5Y94KeOZNI6LnME3JXLGx55gLk8mxIJMKV8xWsHn8zxJhQdtLFV-AWN_7yI-7kpMbucSk_1xxw/s1600/with+miriam+brooklyn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcrqNplffe0aypKvQjOE5PB_hS04T6dlbB4_z-KHUDIU0jH7wR2EXJG_7WynoUKidy5Y94KeOZNI6LnME3JXLGx55gLk8mxIJMKV8xWsHn8zxJhQdtLFV-AWN_7yI-7kpMbucSk_1xxw/s320/with+miriam+brooklyn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dear friend Miriam </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I noticed a lot of the crowds throughout this part of Brooklyn were latino. The kids were happy to stand at the side of the road and give "high fives". It was at this point I think I learned what the word </span><strong style="background-color: #f6f6f9; color: #222222; line-height: 30px;">pequeño</strong><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> means as a lot of the kids were pointing at me with big smiles on the faces. I figured out quite quickly that it doesn't mean FAST, but rather it refers to me being LITTLE. I didn't mind at all as the kids were just talking about what the SAW. And they saw a little person running in the NYC Marathon. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">As we moved further north, we entered the Williamsburg area. There are a lot of Orthodox Jews living in this area. It seemed for the most part, that we were being quite the disruption to them as they weren't about their day to day lives. I witnessed lots of them asking the police details if they were able to cross the street. Some didn't bother asking, and just crossed on their own. It was nice to see some young families with kids out cheering here as well. I did notice a lot more "unfriendly" pointing and giggling by the kids here and of course, I just smiled and kept on RUNNING.</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEn-2yvVq04FCKt0DOm4DSrlugdqKN458ZjAWk3wCblILs2PrY_d6zqI9xG-QeoKa9wF7wTuhSLnz-Rrc0FYIk_sYYeMFhHL1-5PkiGZFPfvtv_3pGWXpBCuy1S9mJyj4T2ZnFZWA3cA4/s1600/mile+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEn-2yvVq04FCKt0DOm4DSrlugdqKN458ZjAWk3wCblILs2PrY_d6zqI9xG-QeoKa9wF7wTuhSLnz-Rrc0FYIk_sYYeMFhHL1-5PkiGZFPfvtv_3pGWXpBCuy1S9mJyj4T2ZnFZWA3cA4/s320/mile+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken by Jeff Barnett around mile 8.</td></tr>
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As we left Brooklyn, they seemed sad to see us go. The Greenpoint crowds seemed just as loud as those further back in Brooklyn. The trip across the Pulaski Bridge into Queens went well. The crowds at this point were a little sparse, but being able to see the Queensborough Bridge in the distance seemed to give me some more strength. Hard to believe I was already past the halfway point. When I checked my watch and did some calculations, it was at this point that I realized my goal of a 6:09 would probably not come true. there was no sadness at all though. I was still feeling good doing the BIGGEST marathon in the world. I<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> did see one LP along the route and if my memory serves me right, it was just before heading onto the Queensborough Bridge. He was young guy, probably in his mid 20's. I put out my hand for a hearty high-5 and he graciously obliged. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I had read a lot about the drastic change from Queens onto the bridge. It was eerily quiet as the crowd noise was no gone, replaced solely by the sounds of runners heavy breathing and the car traffic above. There were a lot of runners walking at this point, including myself. I did get passed by Lara Bournemann Mish, a good friend of mine. I have gotten to know her and her sister Jen through the NYC Triathlon and CAF. We had a nice chat and she continued on ahead of me. It was at this point where my mind wandered back to the Boston Marathon. As I crested the bridge and was starting to head into Manhattan I noticed a prolonged groups of sirens blaring. I had managed to start running again and what struck me at that point, was that that was the last sound I remember hearing as Juli came back to stop me during the Boston Marathon. The sound continued for a what seemed like a few minutes and I started to wonder if something had actually happened? Those thoughts came to rest as I neared the bottom of the bridge for the turn down into Manhattan. The crowd was cheering us welcoming us and all seemed fine. Again I had read a lot about this stretch of the race. The run up First Ave was supposed to be an extremely loud and raucous affair. The crowds seemed to be somewhat excited, but maybe since this was a little later in the day, they did not seem so rambunctious. I tried a couple of times to get them going by waving my arms to help them cheer. I was to later read that the crowds this year were a little lighter than years in the past mainly due to a possible fear of an incident, but more so, the worry about dealing with increased security. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nR5lUu2ME12g-9T4lx_EZvza8OXeyHUGYddOGInnlE_VemkxNYVzbVktKNjGriNPWPx_vQCavk2m4BXgxxV2lMSUbkdInEU7NPYbv_U6Q1MZKWXObErfzPFdSXfgVW5vfsKVkNI9xKs/s1600/93rd+and+first+ave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nR5lUu2ME12g-9T4lx_EZvza8OXeyHUGYddOGInnlE_VemkxNYVzbVktKNjGriNPWPx_vQCavk2m4BXgxxV2lMSUbkdInEU7NPYbv_U6Q1MZKWXObErfzPFdSXfgVW5vfsKVkNI9xKs/s320/93rd+and+first+ave.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken by Megan Ellis on First Ave.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">There was a plan to see the Achilles cheer station at 93rd and First and then Sue and Owen around 100th. The crowds continued to cheer us along and I was to later find out that a friend, BAA runner, Lindsay Willard and Pingree grad, Sam Logan, were both able to spot me from the other side of First Avenue and give me a cheer. I may not have heard it, but I was thankful to know people were out looking for me. As I neared 93rd St, I looked over and saw my dear Achilles friend, guide Megan Ellis. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">I ran over and gave her a big hug and kiss and continued on, feeling a bit more energized as I then started to look for Sue and Owen. As I neared 100th St, I did not see them. Once I neared 103rd St, I called Sue on my cell. They had missed me. After riding up on the subway to see me, they had turned the wrong way and headed for the Hudson and not towards to East River. All 3 of us were bummed, but in the end it was probably for the best for Sue's sake as she had decided we would be heading home after the race and she would need to be rested for the 4+ hour drive. A funny note about the bible verse on my back, "PHIL 4:13". I had my name right underneath it but that did not stop a number of runners from yelling, "GO PHIL!!" And some others asked me if that was my estimated finish time? To which I responded, "I WISH!!!"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I headed up towards the Bronx, the last borough to hit, prior to getting back into Manhattan. At this point I came across two Achilles supporters who I had met at the dinner on Friday night. They asked where my guide was, and when I said I did not run with one, that decided to run with me for a while. At this point we had passed the 19 mile mark and I was struggling a bit mentally, having been running now for more than 4 hours. The ladies were asking questions and chatting and I was really not in the mood to chat right now. We went on for a while, crossed into the Bronx and I felt the need to tell them I needed some time alone. I politely let them know I was not really into chatting right now and would appreciate it, if they went off on their own pace. I asked them to forgive me if I was being rude, but I needed to get my mind to a different place, by no fault of their own at all, I felt that chatting was not helping. The said they understood fully (I surely hope so) and off they went. The path through the Bronx is very short, amounting to less than 2 miles. The crowds were good here, but it was important I try and get me mind set for the last 5 miles. I kept saying, 5 miles, that's just a short run after work, you can do that. Here was to come the true test.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The crossover on the Madison Ave bridge was short. I had heard about the bridge being covered with some carpeting, but it was not there. A recent change I suppose. We now proceeded down 5th Avenue into Harlem. The gospel choir we were greeted by was amazing as they were signing "MY GOD IS A LOVE MACHINE." The song brought a smile to my face and it was at this point ( I think!!) that I noticed another close NYC friend in the crowd, Chris "CAV" Cavagnaro. I was somewhere around Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">As I continued down 5th Avenue it wasn't too long before we reached the NE corner of Central Park just before mile 23. The road seems to narrow here and so I seemed to be pretty close to fans watching on both sides. I saw a group of Achilles athletes and guides ahead and realized it was Bill Reilly and his crew of supporters. Bill is an amazing athlete with CP. He does all of his races in a wheelchair where he pushes himself with his feet to move backwards. The guides are there to help him when he goes downhill where they act as his brakes. My dear friend Ariel Krieger was one of his guides and it meant a real boost to me to get a hug from her and a big HIGH-5 from Bill. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">After I passed them a wave of emotion came over me and I started to weep uncontrollably. I looked at my watch and read the elapsed time of 5hr:50min. It then hit me all at once. When I race Boston last April, I was stopped from my run with about 3/4 of a mile to go somewhere around 3:20pm. The bombs had actually gone off at 2:50pm, when I was just passing through Cleveland Circle, which was when my watch would have read 5hr:50min. I don't recall thinking about that time during the day, but for some reason my body knew it was coming. I was actually weeping so hard I had to put my face in my hands and keep sobbing. Spectators actually started to ask me if I was OK. As soon as it started, the crying stopped. I was determined to finish this race strong and so I started to run a little harder. Just prior to mile 24 we turn into The Park. I was happily surprised as most of the running in the park was downhill, at least that's the way it felt. I could hear the music and P.A. announcer from the finish line as the crowds at this point were quite thin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> Just after the 40KM mark we exit the park and run along 59th Street and Central Park South. Quickly the crowds really grew as I truly sensed I would be finishing the LARGEST MARATHON in the WORLD. There were close to 51,000 finishers and I was going to be one of the them. I rounded the right side of Columbus Circle and looked up on the big Jumbotron only to see myself re-enter the park. With less than a mile to go the emotion started to talk hold of me again, but this time it was all JOY and I could not contain my smile. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVBqC9V_W0MulCP9lBhjoWZ3GeIc8sxXItBlkEhLnyd73Vp8Hq6bL09oHo43i8s5KimLgHOUaSCmaN0-GQrP1mLJ9QnkEdZ_-c-vjuL3fXTg7bFvl8vgzXTozkc3sgBuqEvGe2dSsYrU/s1600/finish+line+from+video.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVBqC9V_W0MulCP9lBhjoWZ3GeIc8sxXItBlkEhLnyd73Vp8Hq6bL09oHo43i8s5KimLgHOUaSCmaN0-GQrP1mLJ9QnkEdZ_-c-vjuL3fXTg7bFvl8vgzXTozkc3sgBuqEvGe2dSsYrU/s320/finish+line+from+video.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The FINISH!!!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">With about 200m to go I looked over and saw a crowd of Canadian supporters cheering. I had seen the same group over on the First Avenue and I waved at them again. When I had passed them earlier, I had yelled that Toronto was my home town. When they say me this second time, they let out a huge cheer. Then something amazing happened. I looked down on the pavement and noticed a small Canadian flag in the middle of the road. I would pick it up and take it with me the rest of the way. I could see the finish line ahead and continued to run. As I crossed the line I let out a loud yell raising my arms in the air. I would later find out that the NYC Marathon would include this clip of me in their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ouf2rVTT_U&feature=youtu.be">Marathon Recap video</a>. It appears around the 19:30 minute mark.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFy5PuLwlrE-Q9JOcsiquCeJtif33NB2j0_k3i7aZDxTX4iMsgMCaBEt7X7G65HAASxSFSaxlWsOE9EKg9u8BSB4mvw3ygtiUKEffgixrbIVgsPUcVUs88b_3D4wQhKVEGPtziZ3306o/s1600/post+race+by+dakota.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFy5PuLwlrE-Q9JOcsiquCeJtif33NB2j0_k3i7aZDxTX4iMsgMCaBEt7X7G65HAASxSFSaxlWsOE9EKg9u8BSB4mvw3ygtiUKEffgixrbIVgsPUcVUs88b_3D4wQhKVEGPtziZ3306o/s320/post+race+by+dakota.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boy was it WINDY!! Done in 6:37:26</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I looked up and saw the face of Achilles in Kat Bateman waiting for me.I gave her a huge hug and simply let loose in tears again. She helped me move along to get out of the finish area and handed me over to another volunteer who would take me to the family meeting area where I would find Sue and Owen waiting for me. The area was right next to the Dakota, home of Yoko Ono (widow of John Lennon). I had a couple of hot chocolates, changed my clothes and we made our way to the 1 train, to get back to our hotel. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">After changing we packed up and left the city around 5:30pm to make our way back to Salem. I nodded off a few times but pretty much stayed awake for the trip home. We did make a stop at Boston Market for some food, but like some big races in the past, I ordered a lot of food, but was only able to eat a little bit of it. We arrived back home a little after 10pm. After decompressing I went to bed and was up at 6AM in order to head to work at <a href="http://www.pingree.org/">Pingree School</a> where I would teach 4 classes. Needless to say, I wore my finishers medal all day long.</span><br />
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John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-81412586972018716882013-08-30T19:14:00.000-07:002013-08-30T19:14:04.764-07:00Timberman 2013 <span class="bqQuoteLink" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">"<a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marktwain138540.html" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 26px; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="view quote">Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.</a>" Mark Twain<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<br />
What an amazing summer I've had. In total, I've completed 5 triathlons, with one big one left to go, and that's the Pumpkinman 1/2 Iron race on September 8th. None of my races have been personal best times, but I've been dealing with a back injury and have been just so happy that I've been able to race.<br />
<br />
The weekend at Timberman was looking to be a great time with my Achilles team mates. The plan was to meet up there on Friday night, a group of us would race on Saturday in the sprint, and then another group would race in the 70.3, while the rest of us cheered them on. <br />
<br />
All of the other Achilles members were coming from NYC and so I had a much shorter drive on the Friday morning. The drive was supposed to be less than 2 hours, but with traffic and a lunch stop, it ended up being close to a 4 hour trip. I arrived on site around 2:30pm and immediately went to register. The process was pretty seamless, except I had to make a change in my registration. I had to register as an age-grouper and then switch over to the PC division. Kat Batemen (the Achilles NYC chapter director) told me to talk with Erin and to my surprise, she was happy to switch me over with no problems at all. I spent the next little while running into some friends like Roger Thrall and his family and a lot of other members of TEAM WATTIE INK, that I have got to know over this season. <a href="http://heatherjacksonracing.com/">Heather Jackson</a>, a pro is a member of the team (winner of a number Alcatraz, Wildflower and Oceanside this season) a long with MANY other excellent athletes and some just awesome people. Besides Heather's parents, Diane and Chris, and Jon, there are too many others to name.<br />
<br />
I then decided to check in with the group coming from NYC as it was now about 3pm and to my surprise they were stuck in some awful traffic coming from Manhattan, it looked like they would not make the 8pm cut-off to check in with the race. After some chats with Erin and a couple of phone calls from Kat, they agreed to allow the Achilles athletes who were racing the sprint to check in at 5AM prior to the race. I was so thankful that Kat, Eliza with guide Megan, Cathy with guide Tessa, and Soo Lee with guides Ariel and Greg would be able to race along with me in the morning.<br />
<br />
I checked in with Melissa, who had made the reservations for the homes we would use, and she suggested I get the keys and at least get my stuff into where we were staying. The homes were just over the town line in Meredith. I picked up the keys and made my way to the house I would be using along with about 1/2 of the athletes, guides and handlers. I dropped off a few things and then checked in with the convoy from NYC. Still a long way away. I decided to get some dinner (SUBWAY) and then make my way back to the packet pick-up area. Met up with a few other friends and once I realized the group was definitely not making it by the 8pm cut-off time, I headed back to the house. I also picked up some beer for after the race on Saturday!!<br />
<br />
To my surprise, I pulled up to the house to find a big boat and truck in the driveway. A large man walked over and asked who I was. I told him I was a member of Achilles and we were here for the weekend to race in the triathlon. I was simply waiting for members to arrive. It seems he was the owner and was coming up for a weekend with his girlfriend. He went into the home and found some of my stuff there and knew nothing of the rental. He understood the broker who made the arrangement had not told him so he graciously went on his way and I was left alone to wait for my team mates. WOW!! What if I had not dropped off my stuff or even got the keys. The other team mates did not show up for hours, some as late as midnight. What would have happened????? <br />
<br />
Anyway, I brought in my gear, ate my dinner, arranged my things for race morning. I probably should have tried to sleep, but instead I watched some TV and waited for the rest of the team. Melissa and <a href="http://bensimmonsrunwithit.blogspot.com/">Ben </a>arrived first with the cargo van of bikes. Ben is a PC athlete and Melissa works as a guide for Achilles but was doing the 70.3 on Sunday as an age grouper. A car load of athletes showed up next and then the big passenger van arrived around midnight. All in all, some of them had been on the road for 14 hours!!! Some of them were very happy I bought the beer!!!<br />
<br />
This was not a great pre-race plan. To bed well after midnight with a 4AM wake-up call. I got some sleep and managed to get up before the alarm. Now remember, we were to be using 2 houses, so a group of people had left AFTER MIDNIGHT to find the other house. When I got downstairs, I realized, ALL of the group were staying in the one house. It seems they had problems opening to door in the dark and had to come back. There were people on the sofa and FLOOR. <br />
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Anyway, those of us who needed to race and guide got out the door and headed to Ellacoya State Park for the <a href="http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/sprints/timberman-triathlon/register.aspx#axzz2d8HoxFKz">Timberman Sprint Triathlon</a>. I drove my own car and the others followed in the vans.<br />
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We were down to the race quickly and parked with no problem right near transition. I got set-up pretty quickly while the other Achilles members got their race packets. We were racked right near BIKE IN and OUT, which is awesome because it really reduces the amount of running done with the bike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJbC3mxHWfYCU6s5_NhGA1gZ7gzOD_rzhCfKj6TVLp1UtdzjFiC_LwKUEqVv8vibb0KLWRJy3TArZzfEh2r00rOBs3fr20oGi-8w7NfL92sXskegLGU6z5ZcsacpOWKbdzEjlADX9b4k/s1600/me+and+kat+timber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJbC3mxHWfYCU6s5_NhGA1gZ7gzOD_rzhCfKj6TVLp1UtdzjFiC_LwKUEqVv8vibb0KLWRJy3TArZzfEh2r00rOBs3fr20oGi-8w7NfL92sXskegLGU6z5ZcsacpOWKbdzEjlADX9b4k/s320/me+and+kat+timber.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Kat getting ready to RACE!!!!</td></tr>
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I noticed a lot of NON-RACERS in transition taking pics etc and wondered what was going on. All races I've done restrict transition to racers only. I made a point to one of the race officials and they told me something about relaxed rules during the sprint race, which is actually a bunch of baloney. I've done this race twice before and transition was always restricted. I would later write a letter to WTC to complain about the issue and was told it would be corrected.<br />
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Once I was all set up and ready, I walked to race start. It's a good walk along the beach with a chance to get used to the water. The temps were stated to be in the high 60's and so it was actually quite nice. The swim is a short swim out, a right turn, a swim parallel to the shore (in pretty shallow water) and then another right turn to then swim to the exit. All the challenged athletes were scheduled to leave in the first wave. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JvKGDRg5yvgeniSVMJHvzufg4XiKE-KZJaORPRRXvivr2nzSN0qpnxGOkqMtyFwd2kcRO1PKVabMw3HzNOE9P0v1nBUKhK2vLPP4kI221VMIO2e2MC13CkCA33WR3SjIjAlSLWp4Wf0/s1600/swim+with+tessa+by+ariel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JvKGDRg5yvgeniSVMJHvzufg4XiKE-KZJaORPRRXvivr2nzSN0qpnxGOkqMtyFwd2kcRO1PKVabMw3HzNOE9P0v1nBUKhK2vLPP4kI221VMIO2e2MC13CkCA33WR3SjIjAlSLWp4Wf0/s320/swim+with+tessa+by+ariel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prior to the swim start with Tessa.</td></tr>
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The race started on time after the anthem. I started in the back, but quickly realized there were plenty of tentative swimmers and so I quickly started to move my way up. All went well in the swim and I finished the 0.3 mile swim in 14:01 and was pretty quick to my bike after a long run around transition to get in to T1. I could have been faster with a T1 time of 4:01, mostly due to the run from the beach. <br />
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The bike ride is a bit longer than most sprints (usually 12 miles) at 15 miles. It's pretty much an uphill ride to the turn-around and then a downhill ride back to T2. The ride went well and there were fans in the usually spots along the course. I managed to see lots of friendly faces, including Heather Mackesy-Boyle from Team Comp. I was sure she would catch me sometime on the run, as she was heading to the bike turnaround when I was already heading back.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the bike!!!!</td></tr>
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I finished the bike in 1:07:34, a few minutes off of my best bike there in 2010. Again, a little too long in transition at 4:02. The 3 mile run, like the bike, is a slight uphill out and then downhill back to the finish. They have one water stop just before the turnround and so you actually pass it twice. My run turned out to be faster than expected at 41:09. My final time was 2:10:52, which was actually a little more than a minute off of my best time. Had I been more aware of that, I might have pushed it a bit more on the run. Overall, I finished as the fastest (and only) male PC athlete, but 2nd overall with 4 PC athletes. With so few in the category, WTC put all of us in one category.<br />
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One of the highlights for me as seeing my friend Robert Head, and his mother. They are both massage therapists and I met them back in 2009 when I first raced Timberman. He gave me his usual amazing post-race treatment and I felt so much better for it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awards ceremony getting 2nd overall in the PC division.</td></tr>
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Post race food was excellent and after the awards ceremony I drove back to our place and was able to take a nice shower and relax for a bit. I then decided to head back with the athletes who were racing in the 1/2 in Sunday and help them with the bikes. We first went to package pick-up and then headed over to Ellacoya to drop off the bikes. While at package pick-up I got to meet <a href="http://gotchocolatemilk.com/become-one/chrisann-dalton">Chrisann Dalton</a>, a friend I met through social media. She raced in the 70.3 and will be racing in Kona as a member of Team Refuel.<br />
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There were two athletes using tandem bikes each with a guide. One of them is named <a href="http://charlieplaskon.com/">Charlie Plaskon</a>, a visually impaired athlete who has an amazing story and has completed numerous Ironman races including KONA. There is a lot of work required to set up the bikes so I was happy to help out. We then returned to the house for dinner. I had promised to help cook the chicken and thought I may have missed the chance, but was happy to see it waiting on the counter to be cooked on the grill. I grabbed my stool and a beer and started cooking.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0oHoYPOoKGziV4c0heeN_c0nYEwKGqq6UIDxUnsSGLIn6dSDcTBma-uYRMQe-clpsXRyxbDlcLRBNUJDEcK-MmQerOFf_LWA48xShoS6vw8VnF3D3f67YBD8tVVoLLaMxw9aiyohb6hY/s1600/with+megan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0oHoYPOoKGziV4c0heeN_c0nYEwKGqq6UIDxUnsSGLIn6dSDcTBma-uYRMQe-clpsXRyxbDlcLRBNUJDEcK-MmQerOFf_LWA48xShoS6vw8VnF3D3f67YBD8tVVoLLaMxw9aiyohb6hY/s320/with+megan.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megan, the master chef!!!</td></tr>
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Megan and her crew had done an excellent job preparing an awesome meal for all of us. I was happy to be able to contribute a bit with the meal. Another athlete joined us for dinner and her name <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ColleenKellyA">Colleen Kelly Alexander</a>. Her husband and guide came to dinner as well. She has an amazing story returning to racing after nearly being killed while riding her bike. I did not know I would be able to help her a little the next day on her journey to complete Timberman 70.3.<br />
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This night would be a much earlier night with most getting to bed at a very reasonable hour. I was up again soon after 4AM and was so happy not to have to worry about getting my bike ready. I did pack all of my gear not expecting to return to the house prior to returning home. I decided to park about 3/4 of a mile from the race at the scenic outlook and then walk to the race. This way I would be able to walk to my car and leave when I wanted.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUT-1d76zZyYhHXmG7A0ucB3QECIJsL8iOwBbwfuP8jCaFdPJEfzE-YN4IeVn1lkAhJyMp7AvNM0uUhQQ-WZQarV6qcIhkC8VeKnxrDDYee8h5Wu0Qx-YWo4J7_y_JZ7poNdtU9JJ27kU/s1600/ben.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUT-1d76zZyYhHXmG7A0ucB3QECIJsL8iOwBbwfuP8jCaFdPJEfzE-YN4IeVn1lkAhJyMp7AvNM0uUhQQ-WZQarV6qcIhkC8VeKnxrDDYee8h5Wu0Qx-YWo4J7_y_JZ7poNdtU9JJ27kU/s320/ben.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allan, Ben, Diego, Melissa, and Ariel<br /></td></tr>
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I had managed to get handler wristbands for myself and most of the other Achilles spectators. I was hoping to be able to help out in transition with some of the athletes. Racing today for Achilles were Ben Simmons, Ricardo Corral, Charlie and his amazing guide Greg Cho, Allan Tyson and his guide Diego Suarez, Melissa Cortale, Ariel Krieger and Colleen Alexander. Melissa Young and Rodrigo Fernandes were working as handlers as well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris and Colleen</td></tr>
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I simply spent my time prior to the start helping whoever needed assistance spending most of the time helping Charlie with whatever he needed. Colleen was racked nearby and asked me for some help simply to be used as someone to literally lean on while she was getting ready. I was unaware she was recovering from such a horrific accident and found myself getting choked up later while reading her story. When the athletes came in from the swim, again, I simply found myself being extra hands for Charlie and then helping Ben a bit as well. Once they were all out on the bike I knew I would have a couple of hours. Melissa and Rodrigo chose to leave for a while but I wanted to stick around and watch the race. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roger heading out on the run.</td></tr>
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I had lots of other friends racing and I enjoyed cheering them on, especially WATTIE INK star, Roger Thrall. It was also fun watching the pros race as well and I had a front row seat being able to stay in transition. I had a great time talking to Claire Cloutier. She was the race director at the first race I did back in 2009. It was a sprint aquabike up in Lowell called the Mill City Triathlon. I did that race thinking I would never want to run. And now look what I am doing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie and Greg heading out on the run.</td></tr>
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Both the tandem bikes came in first and again I found myself mostly helping Charlie but simply being a "gopher" for whoever needed it. I started to get nervous as Ben was due back and Melissa had been working as his handler and I didn't see her around. I would later find out all of the Achilles spectators and Melissa went for breakfast and got stuck in traffic trying to get back to the race venue. When Ben came in I did what I could to help him and he seemed to head off for the run with no incidents. Melissa and Rodrigo both were back to help Ricardo when he came in on his hand-cycle. He had a major mechanical problem on the bike as his gears had messed up on the first hill and he was forced to use his low gears the whole way.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ricardo with Melissa doing a great job as handler.</td></tr>
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Once Ricardo was out in his pushrim chair for the run, I was to start making my way to my car for the ride home. I saw the Achilles fans to say good bye and then planned to walk along the run route to my car. Tessa (who worked as a guide on Saturday) asked if I could drive her back to the house to get the cargo van. Not a problem at all. We had a nice time chatting as we cheered on other runners and even some of the Achilles athletes, including Charlie, Greg, and Ben!<br />
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After I dropped Tessa off, I headed back to Salem. No traffic problems heading back. I have made the decision to put Timberman 70.3 on my calendar next season. It will surely by my most difficult 1/2 Ironman race as I know all too well from friends that the hills on the bike are some of them most difficult around. I am confident I will do that race in 2014 with the hopes of doing my first 140.6 in 2015. Thinking about either IM Louisville or Chattanooga. <br />
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<br />John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-62257743516678593732013-06-12T05:59:00.000-07:002013-06-12T08:00:25.749-07:00Rev3 Quassy Olympic Distance TriathlonI am about a week late getting this blog entry done. The end of a school year can be hectic with exams, grading and meetings. We have 3 days left until summer break. Not bragging here, just grateful for the chance to unwind from what has been a very rough spring. April is a month I don't ever want to repeat again. I've dealt with the lowest of lows with the death of Tim, one of the students in my advisee group, to starting the Boston Marathon only to be stopped 3/4 of a mile from the finish line. I had planned on writing a blog post about the Marathon, but in the end, deciding on passing on that. I wrote a lot about the race on my facebook page and felt in the end, writing a dedicated blog post to the race was not what I wanted to do. <br />
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For those of you that have followed my triathlon journey will remember that I raced the Rev 3 Quassy Olympic triathlon last year where I experienced my first ever, DNF. I asked to be removed from the water during the swim because I was having a real hard time breathing. I soon found out I was having an allergic reaction to the high amount of pollen that was on the water than morning. Needless to say, I NEEDED to get back to this race and make amends. I would soon find out, that my friend David Laskey was not exaggerating when he told me this bike and run course would be TOUGH. <br />
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Leading up this race on June 1st the weather was HOT. I had been concerned about not getting any open water swim done prior to the race, if only to be prepared for the cooler water temps at the beginning of the year. I drove up on Friday with plans to get into the water prior to checking my bike into transition. I would kill two birds, dealing both with the water temps and of course, the pollen issue from last year. On my way to check-in and get my timing chip, I saw a friendly face in <a href="http://www.kellyhwilliamson.com/">Kelly Williamson</a> chatting with another athlete. Kelly is a pro I connected with online about 18 months ago. She has been a terrific source of advice and support. She blogs about her races in a honest manner, pulling no punches when it comes to being constructively critical on her own performance. We had a quick chat and Kelly introduced me to her fellow pro triathlete, <a href="http://www.teamwurtele.com/">Heather Wurtele</a>. Heather immediately said, "I know about you from facebook.". Heather is a fellow Canadian and we hit it off right away. She was waiting to do an interview with the Rev 3 folks, so I didn't want to take too much of her time. Her and her husband Trevor are both pro triathletes and travel around a lot of North America in a motor home to races. <br />
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The water was absolutely fine on both accounts. I had been diligently taking my allergy meds and had my inhaler with me as well. I took a swim in my ORCA speed suit and the low 70's water temp was totally fine. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8cuj_rkzyajdK_u8Xl9qbqS7UXc0S9WLHEBqDcTG-NomX-DbM1HFtZnbuU7pT1GvC41qmHBr891OX0zIaUJWhPYMv5mQGDFhAImDzL0Xv8jpT4BheNp_usEE3qb6BCt_qP7lE_cCyVY/s1600/20130531_164625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8cuj_rkzyajdK_u8Xl9qbqS7UXc0S9WLHEBqDcTG-NomX-DbM1HFtZnbuU7pT1GvC41qmHBr891OX0zIaUJWhPYMv5mQGDFhAImDzL0Xv8jpT4BheNp_usEE3qb6BCt_qP7lE_cCyVY/s320/20130531_164625.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right at BIKE IN and BIKE OUT.</td></tr>
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I was also able to connect with Courtney Ronner, from NYC. She is good friends with a lot of my TriLife friends and we had met last year when I did the NYC triathlon. We had been staying connected through facebook and twitter. I checking in my bike and to my delight I realized I earned a spot at the end of a row in transition. A coveted spot for any triathlete as it affords you a little more space in transition. I was able to also connect with Eric Opdyke, the race director. He also ran in Boston and passed me during the race, asking if I would be at Quassy and I said, I would. It meant a lot to me to prove to him I could do this race, as it was he who drove me to the med tent last year after I had been pulled from the pond. I felt totally dejected at that point. I was also able to meet up with <a href="http://www.ericwynn.org/">Eric Wynn</a>, an amazing photographer. He would be racing the Olympic and shooting a lot of the 1/2 Rev the next day along with David Laskey who would be shooting both days. I also met up with Rachel and Ben Berry who now live in upstate NY. Rachel would be racing in the Olympic race as well. Ben was preparing with a large cycling event back in NY state on Sunday.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflm8jB_CYFIt6r8WB0dbdGNo-kPuSN2ZvG0UVTPrsKlzqWMtIIaknXOTohOIWLzBiwNPYpFC-vG3jBMhc7ZJfg9UaETVOdfRDNOQBPeYO_H8Nc8zRc75-pFSluVK8IZFROBtx3YpPQWw/s1600/20130531_164625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflm8jB_CYFIt6r8WB0dbdGNo-kPuSN2ZvG0UVTPrsKlzqWMtIIaknXOTohOIWLzBiwNPYpFC-vG3jBMhc7ZJfg9UaETVOdfRDNOQBPeYO_H8Nc8zRc75-pFSluVK8IZFROBtx3YpPQWw/s320/20130531_164625.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike checked in at end of a row!!!!!</td></tr>
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<br />
After getting all checked in I decided to head to see Leticia and her family in Monroe, CT. They graciously hosted me again this year. I was eager to get their earlier this year and spend some time with her, Pedro and their two beautiful boys. We spent a relaxing evening together, Pedro helped my get my tri-tats on and I went to bed around 10pm or so. I would set the alarm for about 4AM in order to eat, pack the car and get the race site around 5:15AM or so. Breakfast consisted of a banana, sportsdrink, apple sauce and a bagel with Nutella.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmXjYTZpRHQYSfqZIlTZLYlOpU4H8-OR1zguIIKO6s0z0BQsmoyuLERWxMWyxq0QVlAo_hHemCAzEk1B5nYvLFZvLksx-ypgzlWBHwG3Bef9Ev0KEQZ8TTR7PJcqE9_k0n9Z-KWS7i4I/s1600/20130601_062248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmXjYTZpRHQYSfqZIlTZLYlOpU4H8-OR1zguIIKO6s0z0BQsmoyuLERWxMWyxq0QVlAo_hHemCAzEk1B5nYvLFZvLksx-ypgzlWBHwG3Bef9Ev0KEQZ8TTR7PJcqE9_k0n9Z-KWS7i4I/s320/20130601_062248.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race morning, ready to go! It was already HOT.</td></tr>
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The drive to the race (25 min) was uneventful and with the sun coming up already, I would not need my headlamp in order to get my gear. Checking ahead of time, they had some handi-capped parking available right beside transition. Arrival and prep went pretty easy and I was able to walk around a bit well prior to the race. Saw lots of familiar faces and realized quickly it was going to be a HOT one with little wind. <br />
<br />
I dressed for the swim using my sleeveless ORCA vest along with the wetsuit pants I have. The two piece system seems to work well for me. Hoping it will be warm enough when I race the Cohasset triathlon at the end of June. I was set to go off with the 3rd wave at 7:10AM. I was able to get a little practice swim in prior to the anthem. And felt ready to go.<br />
<br />
Prior to the start I set up in the back of the pack, hoping the water wasn't going to be churning up too much. Off we went at the horn and my day was starting. The course is a simply rectangular path making two right hand turns at the buoys for a total distance of 1500m.<br />
<br />
I was passed by at least two large packs of swimmers during the swim but managed to stay on course pretty well. The back leg was hard to sight as we swam right into the rising sun. I did my best to follow the swimmers passing me as I made pretty good time, completing the swim in 45:12. I was hoping or 42 or 43 minutes, but being the first tri of the season, I was pretty happy. The next most amazing part for me was my T1 time, as I was able to get out onto the bike in a little over a minute, at 1:06. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwnVUcP6VEzhxojzPChR-g3VbdjkXWiRt3lgzUkjPQGlR3NpnDU_F83Gu4HwRXnI3F6CdgexbguPojvPEN2KO0CaBvaPjLiABlZQ6kC8cZX_KeoIICo23CUJWnPls2jYJAZwXbJB2JTo/s1600/Bike+quassy+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwnVUcP6VEzhxojzPChR-g3VbdjkXWiRt3lgzUkjPQGlR3NpnDU_F83Gu4HwRXnI3F6CdgexbguPojvPEN2KO0CaBvaPjLiABlZQ6kC8cZX_KeoIICo23CUJWnPls2jYJAZwXbJB2JTo/s320/Bike+quassy+2013.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After ANOTHER big hill. (Photo: David Laskey)</td></tr>
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Now came to true test. This would end up being the toughest Olympic bike course I have ever completed. There were some challenging hills, some amazing downhills (40mph+), and virtually no flat segments. There was two particularly steep ascents. On one I lost my chain, but managed to stay upright and then get my chain back on real quick. The climb around mile 11 of the bike was particularly difficult. As I got to it, I noticed people getting off and walking. I have been able to stay on my bike and every race and did not want to start walking today. I was in my lowest gear making progress, when a real sense of struggle came over me and I thought, "what's the big deal, get off your bike and walk.". Then a louder voice said "NO!!!". Then this is what I PICTURED IN MY MIND, so vividly at the top of the hill. K.A. was at the top of the hill, laughing at me and saying I could not do it. He was calling me some awful things. I choose not to use his name, but he is the blogger who wrote some awful things about me completing the NYC triathlon back in 2011.<br />
<br />
I could see him laughing and I refused to let him beat me. I kept going and did not get off of my bike. When I crested the top of the hill, I simply looked to my right where I PICTURED HIM standing, and I said, "Fuck you!" Sorry to anyone who that might offend, but I don't want you to lose the effect of what I had been feeling at this point.<br />
<br />
The rest of the bike course remained a challenge, but I managed to complete it in a total time of 2:14:06. That is well more than 35 minutes slower than my best 25 mile bike ride. The heat and hills were really taking a toll on me. I managed to keep drinking and had two gels on the bike, so my nutrition was going well. My time in T2 was remarkably slower than T1, at 2:57.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBYuddKfd8H3haK8JSD8mPSyInXTg66vln41F_hYnNtZBnMOBxa4FcyC8WUHqLWwbbmDMl88z5xKidUb3t-1Rl9I0ytYfMKFrDZ_5wmAfPL5EQb2Ab_iwlCsg7rCLw6LCe4CTW-UBd7k/s1600/_PR_1986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBYuddKfd8H3haK8JSD8mPSyInXTg66vln41F_hYnNtZBnMOBxa4FcyC8WUHqLWwbbmDMl88z5xKidUb3t-1Rl9I0ytYfMKFrDZ_5wmAfPL5EQb2Ab_iwlCsg7rCLw6LCe4CTW-UBd7k/s320/_PR_1986.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A SLOW run. (Photo: Wynn Photography)</td></tr>
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This would end up being a very slow run as well. At 1:47.13, it was almost 30 minutes slower than my best 6.2 mile run. The heat was oppressive as I ran from side to side of the road trying to stay out of the direct sun. My back as also starting to give some problems, more specifically, my legs were tingling a lot. I had to stop a few times in order to stretch out my lower back. The first two miles were particularly slow as well as the last mile, which was a long uphill leading to the final two-tenths of a mile back to the park. The water stations were fully stocked, with lots of friendly people having fruit, water, Gatorade and lots of ice. Dumping cups of it down the back of my tri-top helped with the lower back discomfort. Finish time of 4:48:50 giving me 1st place in the para-triathlete division. Being the only para-triathlete, all I needed to do was finish and I would win. Well, I've always said, I am faster than everyone who stayed home today. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2uppw1IdLFLwCkeS68aJJ5X5vQWGPkGZFK_qwCkCRbRTWEHEuV3QmcsvQN2BUw1i2EbgT2ggerrAoOPK_EUzLFw5geWhik3wuN8esEYN6eZp1aKSwTcBFlSanhzPYBCR0mR2zLbccTg/s1600/20130602_121639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2uppw1IdLFLwCkeS68aJJ5X5vQWGPkGZFK_qwCkCRbRTWEHEuV3QmcsvQN2BUw1i2EbgT2ggerrAoOPK_EUzLFw5geWhik3wuN8esEYN6eZp1aKSwTcBFlSanhzPYBCR0mR2zLbccTg/s200/20130602_121639.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coolest finisher medals ever!</td></tr>
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Knowing there are at least 2 other LP triathletes has really helped me focus to start this season. Raul Mico is in Valencia, Spain and Ryan Gambrell lives in the San Diego area. They are both a lot younger than me, so for now, I have 4 seasons of experience in my corner. I'm just so happy to know there are other LPs out there who are passionate about this sport as well. Post-race I was wandering around the Rev3 tent (spending the $25 gift card I received along with the medals and other swag) and ran into one of my great online friends, <a href="http://milesmusclesmommyhood.blogspot.com/">Jen Small</a>, a REV3 Team triathlete. She was preparing to race in the 1/2 race on Sunday. It was great to see her and wish her luck ahead of her big day.<br />
<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNFD6AuMcWX2XAqBuEETWQvZ16ed3GznOhkM-Hvhz2d5MF9NQFBcLNDIYGML6Oc13apldbHlpdYfovqDADuLmsEfrbi9IwELpWhbelPu_WEpPZRpGGHQx69ZARqEbSmj6rZ7wES2pZEE/s1600/img_5084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNFD6AuMcWX2XAqBuEETWQvZ16ed3GznOhkM-Hvhz2d5MF9NQFBcLNDIYGML6Oc13apldbHlpdYfovqDADuLmsEfrbi9IwELpWhbelPu_WEpPZRpGGHQx69ZARqEbSmj6rZ7wES2pZEE/s320/img_5084.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where's the food!!!!</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Rev3 produced a terrific re-cap vido from the weekend. I managed to make the video around the 2:35 mark in the vido. </div>
<br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/24964569">Age Group Video Recap</a>John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-50138706251621270732013-04-06T20:39:00.004-07:002013-04-06T20:39:43.213-07:00BOSTON 2013. Almost here......................<br />
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<u>Mile Markers for
Boston 2013<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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I plan on focusing my mental energy on race day to 27
different people or groups of people for each mile (and final 0.2 of a mile) of
the Boston Marathon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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MOST of these people are POSITIVE influences in my
life. The people who have supported,
encouraged, and followed my journey these last 5 years of my life. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A couple of these people could have been NEGATIVE influences if
I let that happen. I will think about
how they have come into my life and what I did to turn that energy around and
use it to make me stronger. You can’t
spend your life letting people come into your life and let them affect you by
something they said, or did to you. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I would have to say that there are PLENTY more than 27
individuals, so though many will be specific people, some will be groups of
people. I wished I had thought about
this list 27 days prior to the race, but it’s certainly better late than never. And of course, if you didn't get named,
please know, if at any time you wished me well and sent me an encouraging
message, I appreciated it all from the bottom of my heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b>
<br />
<ol>
<li><b><u>SUE</u></b>.
My partner, my rock, my love. I am
absolutely sure I would not be this healthy and alive today if it had not been
for you.</li>
<li>Team Hoyt. Watching the video of the two of you finishing the Ironman World Championships gave me the push to complete my first triathlon in 2009. Also include Kathy, Bryan and Todd in here as well.</li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Pingree School. I don't think I could be working each day in a more supportive environment. All of you at the school have helped and encouraged me. Pingree parents (e.g. Trish C) have been supportive as well. Thanks for allowing me work with such AMAZING kids each and every day.</li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Former students from Norwood, ON, Canada (Lisa, Antine, Lana, Karen, et al). There are plenty more of you around as well. I love keeping in touch with all of you as you raise your respective families. Thanks for keeping in touch.</li>
<li>Mom. I came into your life when I was 2 weeks old. I am the man I am today all because of you. Thanks for choosing me and loving me.</li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">Kelly (blogger). You could have brought me down, but I did not allow it. It's too bad people in this world still think it's OK to dehumanize people of short stature. When my body starts to hurt on April 15th, I will think of CRUSHING your spirit.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">Jim Logan. I would never have RUN if it was not for you. "Walk if you must" is what you said. Look at me know! This world lost a special man when you left us far too early.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">Leslie Battle. We did a couple of races together and have both transformed our bodies these last few years. I love your honest and direct view of life. Never stop being YOU!</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="text-indent: 0px;">Peggy Curran Grimes and Sandi Stephenson. Two of my closest online triathlon friends. We have never met in person and yet I know I can count on encouragement from the both of you almost every day. Of course, there are countless more online friends through facebook and twitter. I thank ALL OF YOU!</span></span></li>
<li>Comprehensive Racing. Nancy Thomson introduced me to this great group of triathletes. I kept going after my first race because of the encouragement I got from Kurt, Jen, Patrick, Kosmo and the rest of a SUPER team.</li>
<li>Salem, MA, especially the people at the SALEM YMCA. Bill, Chop, John, Rich, Charity, et all. The Y is a great place to be and workout in an environment where we are there just doing our best to be healthiest.</li>
<li>Countless Triathlon Race directors. It all started with the Mill City Triathlon. You could have tried to deny me the change to race based upon your pre-conceived ideas of what a triathlete should look like. You allowed me to race and that's what got me started. Thanks Wendy, Mark, Kat, John K, et al.</li>
<li>CAF and Achilles International. What a terrific group of athletes, guides and supporters. You all understand how important it is for physically challenged athletes to have the same opportunites as able-bodied athletes.</li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">My siblings (Bonnie, Wendy, Sharon, and Ed. You helped me become the man I am today. Because of my sisters I learned to respect and view women as equals. Because of Eddy I learned to stand up for myself and not let bullies push me around.</span></li>
<li>Katie Lynch. I never met you but learned through countless others that you were strong-willed and head strong. I only hope I have half the will and drive that you displayed each and every day of your life. As an LP, you led the way to make sure there were opportunities for people with physical challenges to take part in physical activities and sports.</li>
<li>Jim Hutton at NSS. My 9th grade P.E. teacher. You treated me like all other 9th grade boys. I was never allowed to take it easy in class. All you ever cared about was that young people gave 100%. Because of you I learned to never give up. "DO OR DO NOT, THERE IS NO TRY!"</li>
<li>Gus Ryder. You coached Marilyn Bell, the first person to swim across Lake Ontario. I was lucky enough to learn how to swim at your pool in Mimico, Toronto. </li>
<li>Marilyn Fennell. My kindergarten and 1st grade teacher. We are still friends to this day and both you and Fred are Owen's honorary grand-parents. You made sure I was permitted to attend public school in 1970. </li>
<li>My nephews and nieces; Dawn, Cheryl, Sara, Julie, Tara, Megan, Mike, Mark, and Shane. I love each one of you with all my heart and loved watching each of you become amazing people.</li>
<li>Ken Skier and Ben Berry. Both of you have an online presence always viewing life from the positive. You run (race) to live and live to run (race) in perfect harmony. I hope we have many more races together.</li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -48px;">Bruce and Nathalie Casey (in-laws). Along with Tim and David, you helped Sue become the beautiful woman I married almost 18 years ago. </span></li>
<li>Other LP friends and their families. Way too many to list them here. Don't let others set your limits! EVER!!</li>
<li>PARA-PROMOTIONS. Jan Ditchfield. Your VISION of how the world should view para-athletes will be life-changing for MANY.</li>
<li>My birth parents and their families. You made the decision 47 years ago to allow a beautiful woman and her family to raise me as their own. Thank-you for loving me as well. </li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">Camera cars. Taking pics of me because you think I'm "funny looking"? GROW UP! You only make me stronger.</span></li>
<li>Kelly Williamson, Simon Whitfield, Chrissy Wellington and other Pro triathletes. Many of you have encouraged and helped me along the way. What a GREAT SPORT!!</li>
<li><b><u>OWEN</u></b>.
(Really 26.2) My son, my buddy, my
greatest achievement ever. You make me
so proud each and every day. I love you
with all my heart</li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Almost forgot one more group. <span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 18px;">Friends from St Peters prayed for me after injury and have always been there for me. God bless you!</span></span></li>
</ol>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-40753092537413742742012-11-26T20:33:00.001-08:002012-11-26T20:35:40.577-08:00MARATHON MANAs soon as the dust settled about the NYC Marathon being canceled I set out to quickly find another 26.2 race within driving distance of home. I figured I had done all the preparation needed to complete my first marathon and I wanted to do all I could to prove to myself whether or not I could complete the distance I had trained for. I quickly found there was a race less than 90 minutes away in Plymouth, MA. It was a first year race called the <a href="http://www.mylesstandishmarathon.com/">Myles Standish Marathon</a>. Most of the course would be run in the state forest. A big difference from running through the streets of the 5 boroughs of NYC. The race fee was a "steal" at only $50 with the added bonus that any NYC Marathon refugees would have half their race fees send to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy.<br />
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The race stated there was a 6 hour cut-off and since that was my target time, I reached out to the race director if finishing after the cut-off time meant a DNF or simply that there would be reduced support on the race course. The race director Anne-Marie got back to me quickly to assure me I would not be pulled off the course and if anything, some of the volunteers might be released after that time. I have started to use a FUEL BELT and knew I would be able to carry what I needed for the later stages of the race. I immediately registered and then had to decide how best to prepare for the race after just completing a 2 week taper for NYC.<br />
<br />
When I reached out to Anne-Marie I thought it best I send along links for the two stories about me leading up to the NYC Marathon.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://nymag.com/fitness/features/new-york-marathon-contenders-2012-11/">New York Magazine</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/600023_10151313062142419_1980012954_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://bostonherald.com/sports/columnists/view/20221104little_in_size_only_pingree_teacher_ignores_naysayerschases_dream_of_running_marathon">Boston Herald</a><br />
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Anne-Marie got back to me and asked if I felt it would be okay for her to reach out to some media contacts leading up the race. As most people who know me are aware, I am not bashful at all about spreading the word. I quickly heard that Fox News Boston was interested in doing a LIVE interview on the morning news program on the Friday morning prior to the race. Pingree was gracious enough to allow me to travel down to Dedham for the interview. The link to the interview is below.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/20117736/2012/11/16/mass-mans-marathon-dream-fulfilled">Fox News Story</a><br />
<br />
Sue and I discussed the best way to try and travel down to the race as Sue and Owen were both hoping to come and watch me at different points on the course. I certainly was not expecting them to come down for the entire day while at the same time I was not wanting to have to drive myself home after the race either.<br />
<br />
I knew that a fellow triathlete I know, <a href="http://www.crazytrimom.blogspot.com/">Donna Furse</a>, who races with QT2 lives in Manchester and was doing the race as well. I reached out and asked and she said she would be happy to have the company to drive down to the race. Donna also let me in on some additional info. It seems the race organizers had decided to allow people to start an hour early (at 7pm) if they were worried about making the 6 hour cut-off. I went so far as to ask people online about whether or not I should start early. I would say it turned out to be about a 60-40 split in favor of starting early. I could think of many reasons to take the extra hour and in the end I decided to do so. In the end, there are about 8 or 9 of us who started at 7AM. <br />
<br />
Leading up to my prep for the race, I ended up deciding to do a mini ramp-up with a 10 mile run the week before the race and then keep all the other runs to between 4-6 miles. The week prior to the race I decided to take part in the <a href="http://r11a5k.com/">R11A 5K</a>. This honored Rich Angelo who was a member of the Fitwerx triathlon team who died unexpectantly during the swim portion of the USA Triathlon National Championships in Burlington, VT. Rich was a dear friend of a number of triathletes I know in the area and he was also a beloved father, brother and son to a loving area family. <br />
<br />
The race went better than expected as it was a very hilly course and I was able to average 12:07min/mile over the 2.8 mile (a wee bit short) course. I stuck around for the award ceremony and then headed home to finish up about 7 miles on my own. <br />
<br />
As race day approached I was trying to figure out the terrain of the course. The elevation was described as "some rolling hills" and there were also two spots of running on packed dirt roads. The weather was looking like clear skies but coolish temps. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/p206x206/188543_4269677534815_844182448_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/p206x206/188543_4269677534815_844182448_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/8794_4267637843824_670026150_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/8794_4267637843824_670026150_n.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the bus!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Donna arrived like clockwork at 4:35AM as she stated she would. I had got up about 45 min earlier and had my usual pre-race fruit and protein smoothie. The temp outside was, 28 degrees, but luckily there was no wind at all. The ride down there was fast but maybe it only seemed that way because Donna was such a great person to chat with. We learned a lot about each other's families etc and of course a lot of why both of us race. I always find when I get to know people, we are usually more alike than different.<br />
<br />
We arrived at the drop-off spot a little before 6AM and waited for the shuttle (yellow school) bus to take us to the race start. It was starting to feel a little weird that so much of the race was going to be in a state park yet it would be ending in a strip mall.<br />
<br />
When we got to the start line I was rushed to get ready and head to the starting line. I had decided to run in shorts but keep the compression sleeves in my calves. I wore three t-shirts and a long sleeved shirt as well. I ended up with a visor (instead of a toque) and no gloves. The temp in the park as still in the high 20's but the sun was coming up and there was no wind. I was certain once I got moving all would be fine.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/c180.0.403.403/p403x403/575245_10151192289662615_168116723_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Photo" border="0" height="320" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/c180.0.403.403/p403x403/575245_10151192289662615_168116723_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the 7AM start! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We got a couple of pics of the early starters and by the time we assembled it was 7:08AM. We lined up and then WE WERE OFF! I started feeling a bit emotional at this point thinking back to when I started all of this racing back in 2009. Prior to my first triathlon, I had never ran more than once around a track. Four of the runners started off quickly and I would never see them again. There were 3 or 4 runners behind me, but most importantly, I was not feeling rushed. I quickly got into my 3min/1min run to walk routine and all was feeling well. I had remembered to take a blast of my inhaler prior to the start and so breathing was going quite well.<br />
<br />
I also decided to run without music. So much of my recent training was done listening to my body, especially my breathing, and I felt it would really work out better that way. Without much of a crowd to worry about it did seem lonely AT TIMES, but since I trained that way, I was used to it. The only real fans were at water stops and at the marathon relay transfer areas.<br />
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Except for miles 5 to 6 and then 7 to 8, most of course consisted of rolling hills. The course was a lot hillier than I had expected, according to the description online and the mapymyrun site. With my GPS and google maps it turned out there was close to 1000ft of climbing and descending. When I checked a few sites regarding the NYC Marathon, that race has about 800ft of climbing (mostly on the bridges).<br />
<br />
I did not start getting passed by the 8AM runners until just before mile 8. That ended up being a little later than I had expected. For the first 8 miles I was averaging 13:10 min/mile, which was faster than planned, but all seemed real good at this point. Once I started getting passed I knew that would mean a steady stream of runners would be passing me the rest of the morning. I would certainly enjoy being cheered, but cheering them on as well.<br />
<br />
I got my first glimpse of Sue and Owen between mile 10 and 11. At that point, all was going according to plan. My pace was good and temps at that time were warming up, but I was not HOT at all. I got a nice hug and kiss from both of them and kept on going.<br />
<br />
Once I reached 13.1 miles (1/2 marathon distance) my watch read 2:53:39, and all was well. I had a 6 or so minute buffer built up at this point and could start to ease up a bit. The climbing at this point was pretty consistent. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/600023_10151313062142419_1980012954_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/600023_10151313062142419_1980012954_n.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeling OK! (Capstone Photo)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Things started to change after mile 15 and I started to feel like the climbing was getting harder. I figured immediately after the race, I had not trained well enough and I probably had just not been ready for the distance but when I checked out my GPS watch, my hopes had been confirmed.<br />
<br />
The climbing was NOT IN MY HEAD. Through the first 14 miles or so we had been averaging about 30 or so feet of climbing per mile. Mile 16 was 60 feet of climb with 70 of descent,. Mile 17 had 60 feet of descent.<br />
<br />
My knees, quads, and hamstrings were starting to get sore, not tight, just sore. Again, I saw Sue and Owen between miles 17 and 18 and at this point I had calculated I would probably not make my 6 hour goal. I took off my long sleeve shirt and gave it to Sue and continued on.<br />
<br />
My pace at this time was slowing to close to 15 min/mile. And then I hit mile 19 with 85 feet of ascent. Now I know, these GPS devices can be inaccurate. But my watch was confirming what my body was feeling. <br />
<br />
And then, I hit the WALL around mile 20. Nutrition did not seem like a concern but something inside of my body was telling me to give up the running and simply walk the remaining 6+ miles. That voice lasted for about 2 minutes. And then I remembered, Katie Lynch, Jim Logan, the Hoyts, Sue and Owen and all those insensitive knobs who yelled things out of their car windows as I trained, And I started to run again. My lungs could not handle to 3 to 1 run to walk, so I started to follow the electrical poles. I would walk to a pole and then run between 2 or 3 of them and then walk to the next one. That worked for most of the rest of the race. The two stretches of dirt road on the course were not easy either. I was doing my best to avoid the small potholes, so a lot along those roads was shuffling instead of running.<br />
<br />
<br />
We exited the park just before mile 25 and I knew this quest would soon be over. As I neared the finish chute I could here people yelling, "He's coming!". I turned the corner into the small parking lot at the strip mall where were to finish, which was so different from the miles and miles in the park.<br />
<br />
Sue and Owen were there and I crossed the line running as much as I could. A big hug for both Sue and Owen and all I could do was look at Sue and start crying. All I remember saying to her was, "That was SO HARD!".<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/12682_803670266739_1082555064_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="210" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Finish! 26.2 miles DONE.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
My finish time was 6:20:07. When I think about that, I finished less than a minute per mile slower than I had hoped for. My goal was 13:44 per mile and I ended up with 14:18 per mile. When I think about how much hillier that course turned out to be, I was totally satisfied with my finish. It only took me less than 48 hours to starting thinking, when is the next one.<br />
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<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/318931_802828688269_1400529989_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a support crew! Owen's sign says, "My Dad Just Did a Marathon"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Funny thing, 4 days later I would travel back to Andover to race in the Feaster Five again. There would be more than 10,000 runners here and I ended up RUNNING the 5K and finished in 41:53. Very close to my average 5K time. Nothing beats running with Joan Benoit, Bill Rodgers, and the Hoyts.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/76476_10200120581082843_747724164_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of the Feaster Five</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="266" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/598432_805247890169_1644643246_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look over on the right hand side. Just 4 days post-marathon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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canuckleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577464433349282281noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-19376686373985489362012-11-06T05:56:00.002-08:002012-11-06T05:56:32.098-08:00NYC Marathon 2012. Well, almost.As many know by now, the race itself was cancelled due to the terrible aftermath of "Hurricane Sandy". There are arguments flying back and forth online about whether or not the race should have happened. Also, there has been concern expressed about why the marathon was cancelled, yet 3 NBA games and an NFL game were able to go on in the area. <br />
<br />
The argument can go back and forth for days, but deep down I know. It was right to cancel the race. The problem was the fact that they waited so long to do so.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I want to share a letter I read to the school community where I teach.<br />
<br />
<i>Good morning.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>This past week has been a whirl-wind of emotion for me from
great highs to very low lows. After the
hurricane last week I was ready for the NYC Marathon to be canceled. I had come to the conclusion that it was out
of my control and I would be wasting energy worrying about it. I would continue to train as planned and wait
to see what happened. It was obvious
there was some terrible destruction in the NYC area, but the Mayor seemed
positive that the race would go on as planned.
As the week came to a close, the Mayor announced that the race would
actually go on.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I heard from a number of runners, that they would not race
as they felt it would be disrespectful to the families who lost loved-ones or
had their homes damaged or destroyed. Though I agreed I also heard the message
that this race might be a rallying point for the city as it had been after
9/11. The only difference was in 2001,
the race was 7 weeks after the terrorist attacks, and this year the marathon
would take place less than a week after the storm. I considered the options and felt like I
should go and race. I had trained a long
time for this and had numerous people supporting me along the way and I did not
want to let them down.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXbQhVDaDpZyHaLkjMEES1s6zPbSpRSKKrYi5AccGh2Ml_QPjQqt4NVgPMqICsV_W75u0jEfXpbiUsFCwV4HoYNg4tl_bGGMnM9zlPhDZ_wzOFRX8sR5-07CVUONsl0kZMAS7fZi4gs1Q/s1600/achilles+jersey+2012+NYC+marathon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXbQhVDaDpZyHaLkjMEES1s6zPbSpRSKKrYi5AccGh2Ml_QPjQqt4NVgPMqICsV_W75u0jEfXpbiUsFCwV4HoYNg4tl_bGGMnM9zlPhDZ_wzOFRX8sR5-07CVUONsl0kZMAS7fZi4gs1Q/s200/achilles+jersey+2012+NYC+marathon.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My race jersey.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>As we travelled down to NYC on Friday it got clearer with
each mile past Hartford, how devastating this storm was. Most gas stations along HWY 91 were closed
either with no power or they were out of gas.
Trees were down all over the place and work crews were out cleaning
up. We were listening to the radio and
receiving text messages (my wife was driving as I was reading them) that there
were long lines for gas and no subways running.
All of the radio shows were saying the same thing, why was the marathon
going on? Bodies were still being
recovered on Staten Island. We arrived
in NYC around 4:30pm, more than 2 hours later than expected as there was a long
line to go over the bridge into Manhatten from the Bronx. They were restricting cars to 3 occupants or
more. We parked the car, got our rooms
and then at 5:30pm I got a text that the race had been canceled.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>My immediate response was that of frustration and
anger. Why had I come all the way down
here only to have the race canceled? Was
this a ploy by the mayor to get all 40,000 runners in town, cancel the race,
and then at least have us there to spend our money. I don’t know the answer, but I did know, it
was the correct call. Only much easier
to take if it had been made 3 days before.
Many more runners sacrificed more than I did with canceled flights and
then re-booking them. There were
athletes from South Aftrica, Australia, India, all over.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivOgQ_RyqbiI2_s50oidwA-PSESYpc4CwSXW7VUPGClCkHB8ZflZ_quzkrQHLhJnpnQAKSfGRXCNiu8z5vjBdq1prHYJ9svUlMUipcx0Bejs39n4huLqqEsQdAxvjeVvoqOVGWIxhzP0EE/s1600/me+and+kat+in+central+park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivOgQ_RyqbiI2_s50oidwA-PSESYpc4CwSXW7VUPGClCkHB8ZflZ_quzkrQHLhJnpnQAKSfGRXCNiu8z5vjBdq1prHYJ9svUlMUipcx0Bejs39n4huLqqEsQdAxvjeVvoqOVGWIxhzP0EE/s320/me+and+kat+in+central+park.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Kat (Pres. of the NYC Chapter of Achilles Int)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>But what had I lost, but some money for gas and a hotel
stay. Taking the time to realize,
1,000’s of people had no power, flooded homes, and 42 dead in NY alone. I was only denied my first chance at running
a marathon. I got up early on Saturday
morning and ran with some of my teammates from Achilles International and then
had a chance to speak to some fund-raisers at a luncheon for the Challenged
Athletes Foundation. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I will have many more chances to race where some people’s
lives are turned upside down by the loss of a loved one or their home. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Take the time to be thankful for what you have and when a
bump comes along in the road, it often helps to take the time to realize, there
are often people a lot worse off than you are.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ__GJwRexZx_WyE5594uQfYD9jifW1sfQWPa_b-UlIq0Cl7daxFt1T4dodQ0HJlnmM-XmC3w40aydu-HwUYJLLA0X-LXZhnyg_cB7r7pJ5FA0oZF57SEc3_sauwngGnql36kWRv1tvQhg/s1600/mile+24+in+central+park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ__GJwRexZx_WyE5594uQfYD9jifW1sfQWPa_b-UlIq0Cl7daxFt1T4dodQ0HJlnmM-XmC3w40aydu-HwUYJLLA0X-LXZhnyg_cB7r7pJ5FA0oZF57SEc3_sauwngGnql36kWRv1tvQhg/s320/mile+24+in+central+park.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mile 24 banner still in place. I'll be back!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As an addendum, I just found out that there is a marathon in Plymouth, MA on November 18th. I signed up last night. So much for an off-season. I am also racing in the <a href="http://r11a5k.com/">Rich Angelo 5K</a> this weekend to honor a fallen triathlete and father. December 5th is the Jolly Jaunt 5K in Danvers, MA that raises money for the local Special Olympics.</div>
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<br />canuckleheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12577464433349282281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-82105340302143412732012-10-08T20:52:00.001-07:002012-10-08T20:52:46.281-07:00NSS Reunion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
I had a weekend away from Sue and Owen in Toronto. There was a dedication ceremony at my old high school, Northern Secondary School. There had been a campaign and a brand new turf field was put in and they had a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the field. The field had been named CLARKE PULFORD FIELD back when the school celebrated it's 75 anniversary. Mr. Pulford was there to help cut the ribbon along with some other key people involved in getting the new field project done. <div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/536559_10152179427630377_1633158539_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/536559_10152179427630377_1633158539_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former Red Knight Football players from the 80's along with Coach Pulford</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/576373_4392974178418_422765361_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/576373_4392974178418_422765361_n.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me along with Jim Hutton.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Both Jim Hutton, my 9th grade phys ed and math teacher along with Dale Callendar, were integral people involved in getting this 7? year project complete. They were directly involved in fund raising and in helping to secure outside donations and pledges from both corporate and government entities.<div>
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<div>
As I wrote on my facebook page, Jim Hutton was one of the main reasons I became a teacher. His goal in life had always been to help young people become responsible for their actions. He taught me to be self-disciplined and for that, I am eternally grateful.</div>
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I got to spend some key time with some great friends from NSS. In no particular order, they are, Ottilie, Graeme, Wade, Chris, Toby, Jan, Stephanie, Bill, Warren, John, Ainsworth, Alex, Dave, Peter, Ford, and Nata. I am really sorry if there are some names I left out. It really was a whirlwind tour. There some former teachers as well, some of whom I had MAJOR crushes on back in the day. To save their embarrassment, I won't included their names, but suffice it to say, they taught me Chemistry and English in the grade 12 and 13 respectively.</div>
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I also got a very quick visit in with Bonnie and her family and along with my mom. I arrived there on Sunday afternoon and then flew home this evening. I was actually able to fly home on <a href="https://www.flyporter.com/Flight/Tickets?culture=en-CA">Porter Airlines</a> for free using the tickets I won from the Toronto Triathlon Festival.</div>
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This morning I was able to get up and have my longest training run in preparation for the NYC Marathon which is in 4 weeks. I did a 13.1 mile run through Orangeville this morning leaving my sister's house just prior to 7AM. I completed the run in 3:02 and what really struck me was that my last 13.1 RACE was completed in 3:05. This run goes along way in boosting my confidence as I prepare to race the marathon. Deep down inside, I KNOW I WILL BE READY in November 4th. Lookout, NYC, here I come!!!</div>
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John Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10379400259636830511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783542592392245098.post-36259896560886770622012-09-24T18:13:00.000-07:002012-09-24T18:13:34.829-07:00Pumpkinman 1/2 Iron Triathlon<br />
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<tr><td style="background-color: #edf1f7; padding: 3.75pt;"><h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #003399; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
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<tr><td style="padding: 0.75pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><b><a href="http://thinkexist.com/quotes/harriet_tubman/"><span style="color: #003399;">Harriet Tubman</span></a><o:p></o:p></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not enough races live up to all
the hype you here. With social media, it sometimes only takes a small
circle of people to falsely boost up the ratings of a race. You hear it's
the BEST one for scenery, race support, swag, etc, and yet it sometimes just
does not deliver. Well, I was finally able to take part in the </span><a href="http://pumpkinmantriathlon.com/">Pumpkinman Triathlon Festival</a> up in Berwick, ME. Kat Donatello and her husband Jeff put an amazing event. <span style="font-family: inherit;">The "Festival"
consists of a sprint race on the Saturday and then the 1/2 Iron race on the
Sunday. They were the first to bring a 1/2 Iron distance race to Maine 5
years ago. It did not disappoint! Hands down, the BEST VOLUNTEERS of any race I have ever done. I know it's only been 20 races now over 4 years, but no other race touches this one for the PEOPLE involved.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">I had decided to head up there
early Saturday morning so I could help out at the sprint race. I wanted
to see this TREMENDOUS hill they all talk about that you take to get to
transition from the swim. It's actually such a big hill, they award a
prize to the athlete who can get up the hill the fastest. I arrived at
about 4:45AM and was asked by Tracy (volunteer coordinator) to help with
parking and then move my way up to transition. It took a long time for the sun
to come up and once it did I was able to take a look at this massive hill, and
it was no exaggeration.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/422614_4227962190831_1907143320_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/422614_4227962190831_1907143320_n.jpg" width="238" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Meeting up with Kosmo (Dave) and Nancy</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">One HUGE bonus for me to was to
finally get a chance to meet Bob and Mary-Ann Blais. The are the parents
of Jon Blais, the "BLAZEMAN WARRIOR POET". Jon acquired ALS in
2005 and prior to that had been a teacher and triathlete. He refused
to simply die from this terrible disease. In 2005 he entered and
completed the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.
He succumbed to the disease in 2007 but his memory lives on today in
100's of Blazeman Warriors who compete in triathlons to raise money for ALS
research, all the while rolling across the finish line to bring awareness to
this disease and celebrate his life. I watched this </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrEUyIiApus" style="font-weight: normal;">VIDEO</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> after I had
started competing in triathlons in 2009. It not take too long before I
contacted Bob and Mary-Ann Blais in order to explain how connected I felt to
Jon even though we had never met. We immediately struck up a friendship
and this would be our first chance to meet. I saw them prior to the start
of the sprint and we had a chance for a nice long chat. They of course
were as gracious and giving as I had expected. The Blazeman Foundation
can be found</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><a href="http://www.waronals.com/index.php" style="font-weight: normal;">HERE</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> for anyone interested in
becoming involved in a very worthwhile cause.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Once the race started I spent my time in transition helping to
direct athletes in and out. I loved the ambiance of the race and was
really enjoying cheering everyone on. I was able to see a number of great
friends race, for example; Kyle Burnell, Vinny and Marty Miserandino, Brendan
Reen, Nancy Thompson, and David Boyle.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">I stayed for most of the race, pretty much until the last bike was
in. I made sure to check in with friends and then made my way of site to
find some lunch and then check into the my hotel. I was going to find a
local place to eat and then I remembered that there is a TIM HORTON'S in
Biddeford, ME. I checked the GPS and it was only about 25 minutes away.
ROAD TRIP!!!! Nothing beats a taste of home when you are far way from
it. A nice light lunch and then I made my way to Sanford, ME, to the
Super 8 Hotel I booked. The hotel was about 20 minutes away from the race
site. It was SO CLEAN and QUIET. For under $80 it was a pretty good
deal.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I stayed for most of the race, pretty much until the last bike was
in. I made sure to check in with friends and then made my way of site to
find some lunch and then check into the my hotel. I was going to find a
local place to eat and then I remembered that there is a TIM HORTON'S in
Biddeford, ME. I checked the GPS and it was only about 25 minutes away.
ROAD TRIP!!!! Nothing beats a taste of home when you are far way from
it. A nice light lunch and then I made my way to Sanford, ME, to the
Super 8 Hotel I booked. The hotel was about 20 minutes away from the race
site. It was SO CLEAN and QUIET. For under $80 it was a pretty good
deal.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/s720x720/253584_779048279399_75788966_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/s720x720/253584_779048279399_75788966_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Meeting up with Mary-Ann and Bob Blais</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I returned to the race site for package pick-up and the hopes of a
short swim, bike and run. The chance to swim did not happen as there was
a wedding on site and they understandably didn't want us ruining the pictures
running around in wet suits. I did have a short ride after meeting up
again with the Blaises. We chatted a lot more about Jon and about my day
tomorrow. I explained to them I expected to finish between 8 to 8.5
hours. My previous 1/2 Ironman time was 8:59, but I was convinced I had
done a lot more work in preparation, especially running off the bike, otherwise
known as a BRICK workout.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">On the way back to my hotel I stopped at a local Italian
take-out place and then returned to my room to eat and pack for the morning.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I set the alarm for 4AM and after packing layed on the bed
expecting to lay awake for a while but for some reason I was real calm and
relaxed. I drifted off to sleep around 10pm and had a very good night's
sleep, which again is not common prior to a race. This might have
something to do with a request I had made of friends prior to the race. I
asked for some prayer help prior to this race. All I simply requested was
that people ask God to keep me safe. Competing for more than 8 hours
non-stop is not an easy task. If I was confident I was in His hands I
could concentrate in racing.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I woke up at 4AM and quickly checked the weather. We had had
some severe rain late in the night but it looked like the rain had stopped.
The sky was overcast, but it looked like there would be no rain for the
race. I had my protein smoothie, banana, yogurt, and some PB&J
sandwiches. I packed up the car with my gear and bike and made my way to
the race site.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Parking at the site was not a problem. I got up near
transition, got body-marked and then racked my bike. It was still a while
before sunrise so I simply walked around a bit prior to laying out my gear.
Once it got lighter out, I set up my area and then chatted a bit more
with other athletes. The neatest thing happened when an athlete
approached me to ask, "Are you the Titan!". Well, that just
made my day. I am now one month into an agreement with <a href="http://para-promotions.ca/">Para
Promotions</a>. They
are a company that is establishing themselves to represent elite level
para-triathletes. The company president, Jan Ditchfield is a triathlete
herself who has worked numerous races guiding visually impaired triathletes.
She lives in Ottawa, ON and I first met her last summer when I raced in
Peterborough, ON. We raced together again at the <a href="http://www.nyctri.com/">New York City
Triathlon</a> and she
contacted me after the race about forming this partnership. They have
set-up both a facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Young-The-Titan/419311734782970?sk=likes">Fanpage</a> and
also a <a href="http://johnyoungthetitan.wordpress.com/">webpage.</a> This athlete said he was a friend of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/carolinebikes">Carolyn
Gaynor</a> (we raced
together in NYC as well) and had seen her tweeting about the fan page.
VERY COOL!!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prior to the race there was a very moving ceremony where some of Jon Blais's ashes were scattered in the lake. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just like the </span>previous night, a sense of relaxed calm came over me as I thought about Jon and then about the day I was about to have. I was determined to smile more and take in the entire day. I was SO READY to have an amazing race.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/429901_10151390111433154_50914756_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/429901_10151390111433154_50914756_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">A moment of silence prior to the race in memory of Jon "Blazeman" Blais (by D. Laskey)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/387009_10151390512568154_322969723_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/387009_10151390512568154_322969723_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Jules Gorman. Peace! (photo by D. Laskey)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was in the 2</span><sup style="font-family: inherit;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: inherit;"> wave which went off a minute after the
pros left. The course is a two course
totally a distance of 1.2 miles. It was
a counter-clockwise course which I prefer since I breathe to my left side. Off we went, and the first lap went just
fine. I got clobbered a bit prior to the
first buoy when the wave behind us caught up to me. A couple of swimmers got close, but no big
deal. Sighting the buoys went well and
managed to keep pretty close to a straight line cornering each buoy as you are
supposed to. I finished the first loop
in 30 minutes and the second in 29 minutes, for a total of 59 minutes on the
swim. Out of the water I came, and now
in front of was THE HILL!!! I took off
my cap and goggles and simply kept a good pace getting up the hill. Wet-suit top off as I entered transition and
started to run to my bike.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">As I quickly got ready for the ride, transition went pretty well. I got out and got on the bike
quickly. I thought it was a bit too
cloudy to wear my sunglasses so I kept them in my helmet. The first few miles of the bike were VERY
ROUGH but after a couple of miles, things started to smooth out somewhat. The ride consisted of a loop that was done
twice with 2 different bottle exchanges.
What that meant is we essentially had 4 chances to change bottles on a
56 mile course. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/421342_3800727062745_2022224112_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/421342_3800727062745_2022224112_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a corner. (photo by D. Connolly)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Since I cannot reach my
bottle cage without getting off of my bike, this was terrific. I exchanged 3 times out of 4 getting water
once and Gatorade twice. Except for the
initial and final couple of miles the course was very smooth with very few concerns
or technical corners. Where the turns
were, they had ample marshals and police out to help. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On one particular hairpin turn there was
plenty of warning to slow down and watch out!
A HUGE bonus on the ride was the sight of good friend of mine from high
school days named Dianne. Here and her
partner live in Maine, very close to the race sight. She came to cheer me on and take some
pics. I actually saw her at least 3
different times on the bike and the once on the run.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/199339_3800666181223_730527562_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/199339_3800666181223_730527562_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruising! (Photo by Dianne Connolly)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I was very happy to make it into T2 and realize I was not the last
bike in. I took my time getting ready
for the run, taking a puff of my inhaler and 2 Advil with some gel and
watered-down Gatorade. Here’s where I
was to find out if all of my BRICK training was worth it. Well, unlike the Patriot Triathlon last year,
I was able to start running and keep running.
Just as I left transition, I
heard a familiar voice call out “DAD!” and then one yelling, “JOHN”. Sue and Owen made it there in time to see me
out on the run. I turned around and
waved but had to keep running !!!</span></span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/c100.0.403.403/p403x403/419140_3800627260250_1975820064_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/c100.0.403.403/p403x403/419140_3800627260250_1975820064_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much "easier" this time. (by D. Connolly)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">My pace stayed pretty consistent for the entire 13.1 miles. This course was an out-and back that we had
to do twice, so except for my final turn-around, I saw lots of people and we
cheered each other on. The best part of
this was the ability to see the best feature of the PUMPKINMAN, and that’s the
volunteers. We passed most of the aid
stations 4 times, since this was a double out and back. They cheered just as loudly each time, and in
fact, got louder! There was a young
family at the top of the big hill giving out cold, wet sponges. The kids were amazing as they were almost
fighting over who could whom the sponges.
The asked me the second time I came by what my name was. The next two times going by, I could here
them yelling, “JOHN…… you’re doing GREAT.”
I made the mom chuckle, when she yelled each time, “YOU ROCK THE
HOUSE!”, to which I replied, “I DON’T WANT TO ROB YOUR HOUSE!”. At the turn-around they had an OASIS set up
with music, food, water, sponges, etc.
It was great to see them and get a real boost. On my second time up, when I realized I was
the last runner, as I neared the top, Jeff (Kat’s husband) drove up to tell me,
they were keeping the course open for me and everyone was waiting at the OASIS
to cheer me on and of course also at the FINISH line. I got up there and said thanks again and
again, and then started the final run down the hill.</span></span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/393260_3800703502156_347063387_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/393260_3800703502156_347063387_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lot of time to be alone between the groups of great volunteers. <br />(by D. Connolly)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">As I passed the “sponge” family, I of course thanked them as well,
and kept going. It was a real surprise
as I neared the last water stop to see a number of the volunteers from the run
course had come down to cheer me in to the finish. I had done the math a while back and realized
I had not made the 8:00:00 cut-off or even the 8:15:00 mark, but I had a real
chance of making it in under 8:30:00.
The final hill was kind of deceptive and I ended up walking most of
it. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/c100.0.403.403/p403x403/60711_3800719862565_135664519_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/c100.0.403.403/p403x403/60711_3800719862565_135664519_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering the finish chute. (by D. Connolly)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I entered the grounds and ran
towards the finish chute. As I entered
the chute I had to be careful as it was a steep downhill on grass. If I was not careful I might end up falling
and rolling down. I could heard Andy
Schachat announcing my name and in fact he was even playing some of John
Williams’s Olympic music to boot. I had
already made up my mind to roll across the line in honor of Jon Blais, but that
was only cemented when I saw both Bob and Mary-Ann Blais waiting at the finish
line along with Sue and Owen and then Kat and Kyle holding up the finishing
line tape.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/s720x720/383207_4387571048082_800868877_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/s720x720/383207_4387571048082_800868877_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolling for the Blazeman. (by M. Blais)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">All of what I’m doing now is ce</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">ntering on preparing for my first
full marathon. On November 4</span><sup style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">th</sup><span style="font-family: inherit;">
I travel to NYC to compete in the ING New York City Marathon. That is 26.2 miles in the city that never
sleeps. Again, when I started all of
this 3 years ago, I would have never imagined a full marathon would be in my
future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I ended up finishing in 8:30:02.
I was SO HAPPY with this time. I
took almost 30 minutes off my time from Patriot on what I feel was a harder
course. My run time of 3:22 was only 16
minutes slower than my last stand-alone ½ marathon. I know I can’t complain about that. I’ve had doubts but really think a 140.6 is
not out of the question.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/s720x720/547963_4387567768000_1004412790_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/s720x720/547963_4387567768000_1004412790_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the Blais family, Sue, and Owen (K. Donatello)</td></tr>
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