I commend to readers a piece that appears in the New York Times online that features personal stories of cancer patients. One of the individuals is my friend Kate, the very Kate I’m running to support in her battle with pancreatic cancer. Rather than bloviate, I think Kate’s compelling story requires no more words from me. Click here to listen to Kate in her own words; she is the third person down on the page.
(If you haven’t made a donation to the Lorenzen Cancer Foundation, please consider doing so and visit my fundraising website)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Yo Adrian, I Did It!
Ok, so I didn’t win the heavyweight championship of the world on Sunday in Philadelphia, but I did finish the Philadelphia Distance Run, one of the nation’s premier half marathons. Only a year earlier, I was in Philadelphia hobbling around on my bum right ankle. I remember vividly the struggle of walking from my hotel near the Philadelphia Convention Center to the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Several times I had to stop and rest my poor foot for a few minutes, and when I eventually reached the Art Museum, it took me more than 5 minutes to struggle up the steps made famous by Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky movies.
This past Sunday was quite a different story. I had intended to use the Distance Run as a training run; I wasn’t going to run for time. In fact, I had agreed ahead of time with Anne the personal trainer that I would take it easy and try to finish in about 2 hours and 10 minutes. For better or worse, when I started the race I couldn’t help myself. The beginning of the race went straight down the Ben Franklin Parkway along the same route I struggled so hard to walk just a year earlier. I was overwhelmed with the sense that I had come so far in my recovery, and to prove to myself just how far I had come, I decided to adopt my own strategy, run as fast as possible for as long as possible. My pace quickened considerably, and before I realized it, I had whipped through the first 10 miles more than 3 minutes faster than I had finished the Annapolis 10 Miler just a month earlier. By mile 11, I was in position to finish in about 1 hour, 50 minutes, just about a normal time for me at the half marathon distance. However, my left knee started to ache just a tiny bit, at which point I knew I needed to pull back and slow down. My knee is fine, but my body was not used to running full throttle after over a year layoff. Even after slowing down, I still finished in 1 hour, 54 minutes, 33 seconds, almost in the top 1/3 of all finishers.
Running the Philadelphia Distance Run takes me further down the road to recovery. Certainly compared to a year ago, I have made huge strides, and with some hard work and sensible training, I will reach my goal of running, and finishing, the Los Angeles Marathon next March.
This past Sunday was quite a different story. I had intended to use the Distance Run as a training run; I wasn’t going to run for time. In fact, I had agreed ahead of time with Anne the personal trainer that I would take it easy and try to finish in about 2 hours and 10 minutes. For better or worse, when I started the race I couldn’t help myself. The beginning of the race went straight down the Ben Franklin Parkway along the same route I struggled so hard to walk just a year earlier. I was overwhelmed with the sense that I had come so far in my recovery, and to prove to myself just how far I had come, I decided to adopt my own strategy, run as fast as possible for as long as possible. My pace quickened considerably, and before I realized it, I had whipped through the first 10 miles more than 3 minutes faster than I had finished the Annapolis 10 Miler just a month earlier. By mile 11, I was in position to finish in about 1 hour, 50 minutes, just about a normal time for me at the half marathon distance. However, my left knee started to ache just a tiny bit, at which point I knew I needed to pull back and slow down. My knee is fine, but my body was not used to running full throttle after over a year layoff. Even after slowing down, I still finished in 1 hour, 54 minutes, 33 seconds, almost in the top 1/3 of all finishers.
Running the Philadelphia Distance Run takes me further down the road to recovery. Certainly compared to a year ago, I have made huge strides, and with some hard work and sensible training, I will reach my goal of running, and finishing, the Los Angeles Marathon next March.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Dispatches from the Road: Austin
One of the challenges of training for a marathon is running your weekly mileage no matter what your schedule. Family obligations, chores, work; all these can be impediments to the runner training for 26.2. One obstacle that can really throw a monkey wrench into training is the dreaded business trip. Often less than 48 hours, the business trip can constrain even the most dedicated of runners --- meetings, boring panel discussions and presentations, the obligatory schmoozing over lunch and/or dinner, it can eat up all of your time. Yet, the business trip also provides an opportunity, a chance to run and take in the scenery of a totally new and unfamiliar place. Over the years, I’ve traveled all over the country for business to places like Chicago (see previous post), Seattle, New Orleans, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Hilton Head, Oklahoma City, Miami, Boston, and New York. I can still remember running along San Francisco Bay toward the Golden Gate Bridge and seeing Alcatraz in the distance. Running along Puget Sound in Seattle was an unforgettable experience --- the peace, tranquility and beauty still are deeply etched in my memory.
This past week I had a quick business trip to Austin. Y’all know that Texas has the biggest and best of everything. Just ask a native Texan, they’ll tell you. They have the best Mexican food, steaks, football teams (high school, college, and pro), the biggest capitol building --- everything is super-sized and deluxe. Texas, and in particular Austin, is a pretty good place to run, too. In fact, Runner’s World named Austin one of the best places to run in the country, and I agree. On Tuesday, I went for a run in an area known as Town Lake; the area along the Colorado River that has nice parks and a fantastic gravel running trail. Last November, I was in Austin for a 5-day conference. At that point, I was cleared to run for no more than 30 seconds at a time, followed by 10 minutes of walking --- not exactly the ideal scenario for an avid runner. To say that I was frustrated by these restrictions would be an understatement, particularly since I was surrounded by avid runners just like me.
I vowed to return, and return I did! My run on Tuesday was hardly like last year’s run. The sun was strong, the humidity was oppressive, but my motivation was at an all-time high. I was determined to make this the best run since the surgery. Instead of running for 30 seconds, I cranked out five, 8 minute miles and probably pushed myself a little too hard. By the time I got back to the hotel, I was completely soaked and totally exhausted, but it was worth it. It was worth knowing that I really have made progress in recovery from surgery, that I really am improving, and that I really am on the road back to my old running self. On Tuesday, I ran with a little “Don’t Mess with Texas” attitude, and I think I’ll carry that with me into next March when I run the Los Angeles Marathon.
This past week I had a quick business trip to Austin. Y’all know that Texas has the biggest and best of everything. Just ask a native Texan, they’ll tell you. They have the best Mexican food, steaks, football teams (high school, college, and pro), the biggest capitol building --- everything is super-sized and deluxe. Texas, and in particular Austin, is a pretty good place to run, too. In fact, Runner’s World named Austin one of the best places to run in the country, and I agree. On Tuesday, I went for a run in an area known as Town Lake; the area along the Colorado River that has nice parks and a fantastic gravel running trail. Last November, I was in Austin for a 5-day conference. At that point, I was cleared to run for no more than 30 seconds at a time, followed by 10 minutes of walking --- not exactly the ideal scenario for an avid runner. To say that I was frustrated by these restrictions would be an understatement, particularly since I was surrounded by avid runners just like me.
I vowed to return, and return I did! My run on Tuesday was hardly like last year’s run. The sun was strong, the humidity was oppressive, but my motivation was at an all-time high. I was determined to make this the best run since the surgery. Instead of running for 30 seconds, I cranked out five, 8 minute miles and probably pushed myself a little too hard. By the time I got back to the hotel, I was completely soaked and totally exhausted, but it was worth it. It was worth knowing that I really have made progress in recovery from surgery, that I really am improving, and that I really am on the road back to my old running self. On Tuesday, I ran with a little “Don’t Mess with Texas” attitude, and I think I’ll carry that with me into next March when I run the Los Angeles Marathon.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Six Months to Go Until Los Angeles
It’s hard to believe that the Los Angeles Marathon is a little less than six months away. Oh how the time has flown by. When I started this blog in June, the most I could run was 3 miles. My legs were weak, my stamina non-existent, and my confidence was shaky. Fast forward to today; I’m running 10 mile races, stamina has improved, and my confidence is increasing every week. Training for a marathon is like the race itself --- long stretches requiring patience and perseverance. Last Monday during my weekly workout with Anne the personal trainer and physical therapist extraordinaire, I realized just how much progress I’ve made --- my 800 meter times were dramatically faster than even a few weeks ago and I felt refreshed rather than totally exhausted. Clearly I’m making progress.
While the training has gone well and progress is evident, it hasn’t been easy, not by a long stretch. I’ve had moments of impatience where I’ve wanted to run longer and faster, but my body wouldn’t respond. I’ve had moments of frustration where I finished races in times far slower than in the past. And I’ve had moments of doubt where I’ve wondered whether I’d bitten off more than I could chew by trying to run a marathon. Through it all, I’ve had incredible support from you --- my family, friends, and colleagues. You’ve let me vent my frustrations and provided the encouragement I need to persevere and keep going. Without your support, there is no way in the world I could make this comeback.
Most gratifying, however, is the outpouring of support I’ve received with my fundraising efforts to support pancreatic cancer research. My goal when I started this journey was to raise $2,000. To date, contributions have totaled $2,795, most of which came within the first month of the fundraising campaign. Wow! I am grateful and appreciative beyond words. This kind of generosity and kindness is a rarity in today’s world. Thank you for you contributions, generosity and support of such a worthy cause.
While the training has gone well and progress is evident, it hasn’t been easy, not by a long stretch. I’ve had moments of impatience where I’ve wanted to run longer and faster, but my body wouldn’t respond. I’ve had moments of frustration where I finished races in times far slower than in the past. And I’ve had moments of doubt where I’ve wondered whether I’d bitten off more than I could chew by trying to run a marathon. Through it all, I’ve had incredible support from you --- my family, friends, and colleagues. You’ve let me vent my frustrations and provided the encouragement I need to persevere and keep going. Without your support, there is no way in the world I could make this comeback.
Most gratifying, however, is the outpouring of support I’ve received with my fundraising efforts to support pancreatic cancer research. My goal when I started this journey was to raise $2,000. To date, contributions have totaled $2,795, most of which came within the first month of the fundraising campaign. Wow! I am grateful and appreciative beyond words. This kind of generosity and kindness is a rarity in today’s world. Thank you for you contributions, generosity and support of such a worthy cause.
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