Running has changed my life.
I started running in August of 2013 on my 40th birthday, after repeated
efforts to lose weight and maintain. I
was 256 lbs. at my heaviest and at one point in 2011 got all the way down to
the low 200s, but could not break the below the 200 lb. mark.
In late 2011 my dad's health started declining rapidly. We had to put him in a Memory Care center
just before Christmas. Then in April of
2012, my mom's health started failing as she was diagnosed with cancer,
Multiple Meyloma. By August 1st of 2012,
I found myself alone with my Dad at a rehab center as he breathed his final
breath. My mom was at home bed-ridden at
the time, her body ravished by the chemotherapy. Over the months following, I was with my mom
morning and night on a daily basis, and trying to raise 2 boys in their early
teens. This was in addition to trying to
keep up with responsibilities at church and at work. I had a lot of support from my wife and
others, but it was a very tough time. By June of 2013, I found the cycle had repeated and my weight had
steadily increased to 246 lbs. I knew I had to start taking better care of
myself. I struggled for 2 months to lose
weight and it was not happening nearly as fast as it had in the past.
So, on the weekend of my 40th birthday, I decided to take my
first attempt at running, inspired by mainly my pastor. I made it about 1/4 of a mile, but it was slow
and difficult. Within a week, I had set
my mind to doing a 5K some time in the next year. There were a couple of setbacks, but I worked
as hard as my body would allow. By
December 14, 2013, I could run more than mile at a time and this was a notable day
because I actually ran/walked 15K at a 12:30 pace. It also turned out to be one day short of a
year before my first MARATHON!!!
By March 2, 2014, I was ready for my first race, at a weight
of 216 lbs. I ran the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) 10K...yep, not
a 5K. It was HARD, but I did run the
entire way and finished with a 11:32 pace, a bit slower than I had
trained. This inspired me to focus on
speed and by April 8, 2014, I ran my first 5K and finished under 30 minutes
with a 9:22 pace. Also during this time,
the Bridge Street Half Marathon had reopened their registration and I went for
it. I had done this distance once in
training and had 3 other walk/runs over 10 miles. I finished it successfully at a 10:46 pace,
with a lot more walking than I had hoped.
Again, I set my mind to work on pace. On May 3, 2014, I ran the Decatur, AL, Steeple Chase
8K in 45:45 seconds, a 9:09 pace. This was
a significant day because I experienced the elusive negative split. At this point, I started to branch out in my
training and finally take on some hills, which I had avoided like the plague.
Another significant day in my training occurred on May 24,
2014. It was my first group run. This was the Saturday Morning crew at Panera
Bread at Bridge Street. This led to a
new skill starting to develop, talking and running. This was probably one of the most significant
turning points in my development. I
didn’t realize it then, but now I know that runners are a special family. We don’t judge each other. We encourage, challenge and motivate each
other. We look out for one another so
that no one is left behind. We
struggle together. We share in
excitement over successes. We hurt for each other when we have setbacks. We pray for one another and share our life
experiences.
My next race was a doozy, the Mountain Mania 15K in
Decatur. During the first 5K there is
300’ of ascent across a distance of 1.75 miles.
Then, after some rolling hills, there is another climb of 275’ in about 1.75
miles. The concept of negative splits
was a distant memory, but I finished at 1:31:59.
Then on June 28 I ran the Firecracker Chase in Fayettville,
TN. This is a 10.2 mile race with a
not-so-easy climb about half way through.
It was a challenge in some warmer weather, but I managed almost an almost
perfectly even split and even had the energy to come home and push mow the yard
that day.
By this time, I had branched out and started running with
more groups: Tuesday at Bruegger’s in Madison and Thursday at 4:30 at the
Indian Creek greenway and even Sunday Morning Hills in various locations. I was even leading the Saturday morning crew
at Panera on occasion. All these people are awesome!
Then came another race day I will certainly never forget,
August 2, 2014, two years and one day after I watched my dad draw his last
breath. It was the 10K Race for Hope in
Madison, AL, for a very good cause, Autism research. Although there were only 130 people in the
race, I was happy to be 28th overall and 1st in my age
group with a pace of 8:11, 3:21 per mile faster than my first ever race, a 10K that
was exactly 5 months earlier. The next
weekend, I tried the 5K distance again, this time with some trail mixed in
at the Run to Rescue 5K at Bob Jones High School. I was trying for under 25 minutes and ended
up with 23:45.
On my 41st birthday, I began a 16-week training plan for the
Rocket City Marathon (RCM), but I decided not to sign up until I was sure I
could add the distance and avoid injury.
At this time, I had crushed 200 lbs. and was down under 180, where I have maintained since. (I thought that running a marathon would mean I would lose 20 more pounds, but came to realize that marathon training and weight loss don't go together that well. This is good as far as my friends and family are concerned, because I've had a lot of people tell me not to lose more weight.)
Next up on the race calendar was the 2nd of 3 half marathons. This was the Hartselle Half Marathon in Hartselle, AL. This time I was experiencing the beginning of
some moderate hamstring tendonitis, due to over-training. I
managed to snag 3rd in my age group and get in under 2 hours with a
9:03 pace. There were only 5 in my age
group, though. There was no sign of the negative split and I felt terrible
after the race. The next week was spent
on complete rest due to doctor’s orders because of the hamstring, but I started
back running and resumed my plan soon.
In October, we had a family vacation, so I didn’t get the
miles in, but I think I needed a little extra rest.
I did get in 7 miles along the coast of Carlsbad, CA. We came back in town late Thursday before the Monte Sano 15K in Huntsville, AL. I felt horrible during this race, as I
carried my water bottle, but could not bring myself to drink from it for fear
of loosing that pre-race banana. I ran
slightly positive splits, though I started slow...the average pace was 9:12, which was worse
than the half marathon. I spent the
remainder of the day in bed with a fever and was still feeling bad on
Sunday. One interesting note: this was
the first time I had been sick since I started running more than a year before,
and I recovered quick. Running has been
great for sustaining my immune system.
The next thing I knew, it was getting close to the next
price increase for RCM, so on the last day before it went to the highest price,
I finally committed. But I had one more
race that I had already registered for.
This was the Huntsville Half Marathon, it was a relatively even split race
and kept my string of PR’s alive by finishing around 1:55.
Now, the only thing that stood between me and my first
Marathon was 5 weeks of training. The
highlight of this was the opportunity to run the awesome new RCM course in its
entirety on November 22. It was a
beautiful day and I ran it in 4:35, but there were only four of us who ran the
whole course that day. The others
finished in under 4 hours. Nevertheless,
I finally had my goal time, 4:21 (so I could get in under a 10:00 pace). There was another VERY cool benefit to this:
We Run Huntsville was out taking pictures and they got some of me just
after I passed the Saturn V rocket at the Space and Rocket Center. The sky was absolutely gorgeous as the rocket
towered behind me. The next day, I
discovered my picture was featured in the weekly We Run Huntsville newsletter…then
it was still there then next week. And
it was even printed out and laying on the table at their booth at the RCM expo.
After a few weeks of tapering, the time had finally
come. Even the date was historic,
12.13.14. It was cold, I think 28, at
the start, but the forecast was for sunny and mid to upper 50s before my
planned finish. I don’t know how the
forecasters missed it so badly, but we saw very little sun and the temperature
on my phone at the finish was 43 degrees with a cold, steady breeze from the north.
I finished with even my gloves still in place. As for the race, a couple
of miles in, I caught the 4:10 group and then several more miles I caught sight
of the 4:00 group. I passed them briefly, but I knew that I was too
fast. I felt great and was taking it easy at the aid stations, just as I
had planned. By mile 16, the 4:00 group
was starting to fade in front of me. I
knew not to try to keep up with them because I had to run my race. As I walked through the final aid station and
got ready for the last mile and a half push, I looked back and thought I caught
a glimpse of the 4:10 group. I felt
strong and after taking one more look at my watch and about 30 seconds extra
walking, I made my push to the finish.
As I turned the corner to the finish line, I saw the final seconds of
4:08 ticking by and made a dash to come in at under 4:09 by the clock. The chip time was 4:08:25, and put me a full
30 seconds per mile ahead of my goal.
16 weeks of marathon training with about 500 miles had culminated in
what I consider a huge success. I can’t take
credit for this and the other running successes. There really
are too many people to thank, but you know who you are. I do want to thank my wife for putting up
with me being gone so much on the weekends.
In the end, though, all credit goes to God. I don’t know why he has given me this passion
for running, but I must be aware to use it for His glory and not allow it to
hinder my relationship with Him. This
relationship was made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So as we celebrate His birth this season, I
find myself not knowing what is ahead for me and running. I do know for sure that I don’t want to
stop. In fact, the thought of quitting
is scary to me.
I am also very thankful to have my mom still. Most of my weekend runs and races end with me driving home talking to her on the phone, and I hope to continue that for a long time. At some point I would like to be a part of a race to benefit Multiple Meyloma research—maybe even I can find a way to help in organizing one.
