Monday, June 2, 2014

Well it's been going on three years since I've updated my blog here. Some might think maybe I've been sitting on my butt getting lazy, but actually I think the opposite might be more true. I've done so much, maybe I'm just too tired to type it all out and relive it?! Well owning a business and twin 4 year old girls might have a little to do with it too!

Anyway, since my Triple Ironman in Oct of 2011 (my last post), I've rattled off about 23 marathons, a few 50K ultras, with a handful of more hardcore events thrown in as well. I probably wouldn't do each of those justice at this point if I tried to catch up and write a long detailed recap of each, since the pain is always forgotten rather quickly, and it's best to put pen to paper when it's all still fresh. But I can at least mention some of them here by name.

But first, another slightly "hardcore" event that could've put an end to it all..at least if I'd listened to many other folks...including even my first doctor's opinion. In Feb of 2012, I had the pleasure (actually there was NO pleasure in it) of going under the knife for back surgery, to correct a herniated disc that had caused a condition called "drop foot". I had lost about 75% of the ability to press down with my right foot...which as you can imagine put a slight kink into extreme racing of ANY kind. Actually it put a kink into even WALKING without a major limp...and if this condition doesn't heal on it's own (which it didn't), it often becomes permanent! Usually I'd never go for surgery, but in this case I didn't have a choice. Even the thought of this happening to someone as active as me, scared the living hell out of me. Thank God surgery was successful, and 2 days later I was back on the elliptical machine, with staples still in my back, and blood oozing out. The part about "easing back into it" must have escaped my understanding. Two months later I pulled a loaded sled one degree of latitude to the North Pole (about 70 miles). 3 months after that I finished the famous Molokai2Oahu World Championship paddle race, in the solo stand-up division (32 mile open ocean through one of the most treacherous channels in the world). This is considered the toughest paddle race in the world, and quite frankly I had NO business even participating in it...but fortunately the race director didn't know that and I didn't let that stop me from finishing!

I ran more marathons as mentioned above, in the later part of 2012 and in the beginning of 2013. Then of course Boston happened and honestly my involvement after that needs a book rather than even it's own blog post, to fully describe it. But in a nutshell, I completed a 78.6 mile run the very next weekend (3 marathons back to back to back in honor of the 3 people initially killed) and raised well over our goal of $26,200 for the victims. Then a couple months later, a friend and myself along with an incredible crew ran 4.5 days straight from DC to Boston (called DC2BOSTON) and ended up raising about 80K for charity. It was an experience that's hard to adequately describe in words. Since then I ran a BQ/PR and qualified for Boston, and also just ran the 2014 Boston Marathon.

Not to be left out...was the completion of one of my life-list races...and so about a month after DC2BOSTON I finished the granddaddy of 100 mile ultras, by running the Western States 100!

So see...I haven't been lazy after all!!!!

Currently I'm training for a Quintuple Ironman (12 mile swim, 336 mile bike, 131 mile run) in Oct 2014.

Here's the list from present to past since the Triple IM post...and a smattering of pics:


                                         Molokai2Oahu World Championships

                                         


                                         North Pole



                                         DC2BOSTON



                                         DC2BOSTON



                                                    Presenting a check to Jeff Bauman



                                         Western States 100 finish



                                         2014 Boston Marathon finish



2014
 Boston Marathon4/21/2014Boston MA1,5058,14711,1438:143:36:02
 Trap Pond Marathon4/13/2014Laurel DE1228:433:48:41
 Reston Runner's3/30/2014Reston VA534429:033:57:11
 Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon and Half Marathon3/15/2014Washington DC323965218:343:44:40
 Lower Potomac River Marathon3/9/2014Piney Point MD435428:413:47:44
2013
 Potomac River Run Marathon11/17/2013Carderock MD1562889:384:12:24
 Anthem Richmond Marathon11/16/2013Richmond VA534856178:133:35:24
 Marine Corps Marathon10/27/2013Washington DC1,57012,36120,85813:265:52:17
 Army Ten-Miler 201310/20/2013Washington DC1131,1761,3217:051:10:51
 Steamtown Marathon10/13/2013Scranton PA332412687:403:20:57
 Western States 1006/29/2013Squaw Valley CA2917421117:1428:44:00
 Promise Land4/27/2013Lynchburg VA1814714714:007:15:06
 Runners Marathon and Half Marathon of Reston 20133/24/2013Reston VA832368:443:49:09
 Terrapin Mountain 50k and 1/2 Marathon 20133/23/2013Lynchburg VA1212214312:486:37:52
 Rock n Roll USA3/16/2013Washington DC1001,2311,8899:574:21:01
 Lower Potomac River Marathon 20133/10/2013Piney Point MD748648:543:53:19
 Peak Snowshoe Marathon UNOFFICIAL3/2/2013Pittsfield VT7:48:42
 George Washington Birthday Marathon2/17/2013Greenbelt MD1958659:083:59:22
 PF Chang's Rock 'N Roll Marathon and Half-Marathon1/20/2013Phoenix AZ494135358:263:41:17
2012
 Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon 201212/8/2012Rehoboth Beach DE402413178:573:54:41
 Anthem Richmond Marathon 201211/10/2012Richmond VA1731,2771,8809:224:05:35
 Marine Corps Marathon10/28/2012Washington DC2,28713,17522,77414:416:24:54
 Army Ten Miler 201210/21/2012Washington DC7164,6215,8128:301:25:09
 Baltimore Running Festival 201210/13/2012Baltimore MD746308118:543:53:20
 Vermont Spartan Championship Race 20129/22/2012Killington VT5036441627:476:04:07
 Molokai2Oahu 20127/29/2012Honolulu HI88888814:417:50:14
2011
 Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon & Half Marathon12/10/2011Rehoboth Beach DE271181388:143:35:52
 North Central Trail Marathon11/26/2011Baltimore Cou... MD231301528:453:49:19
 SunTrust Richmond Marathon 201111/12/2011Richmond VA986958828:423:48:06
 Marine Corps Marathon 201110/30/2011Arlington VA2231,4141,7218:173:37:14
 Virginia Triple Ironman 201110/7/2011Lake Anna VA77748:03:44