USAF Marathon #2

VAPOR

B-2 American Chopper

USAF Marathon experience #2!! The weather at the start was rainy but not freezing like last year. The night before it had been raining or should I say down pouring. It was a blessing to have it stop for the start of the race. No flyover this year at the beginning...budget cuts. If you have read my other blogs on my marathon experiences, I always include the funny costumes that people wear. Just like last year I only saw a few, but one in particular was a guy dressed as Godzilla. Believe or not he actually stayed up with me throughout the race. The race was well organized and aid stations were awesome with plenty of water and Gatorade. 

This year was unique. First, my wife Tiffany had flown into Dayton on Wednesday to be with a good friend of ours (Check back, I will have a separate blog for this). Second, when we moved to Whiteman AFB this past May, I heard they had a running club and decided to join. Months before the race we ran together at different locations each weekend. The base has an official varsity team and we had 23 people representing! On Thursday we traveled from Whiteman AFB to Dayton Ohio via a 15 pax van and my car. We arrived later in the day and I was able to hook up with Tiffany and we all went to eat at Giovannas in Fairborn, Ohio for dinner. Great food!  On Friday, it was expo time. But before we went we decided to visit to USAF Museum! Awesome!! I had seen it before when we were stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB, but alot had changed in 13 years. The expo was excellent and it was great to see other AF members. After getting my BIB and some extras I decided to go see the B-2 motorcycle. It was specifically made into a B-2 by American Chopper. Really cool!! They also had a Dodge car that can go 160+ MPH called Vapor.  After that it was time to head to the traditional night before the race pasta dinner. It was a all you can eat buffet of pasta, bread and salad. Oh and a bit of cheesecake was eaten...just sayin! Then it was back to the hotel room for final preparations and going to sleep early.  

Now to the race, it started at 7:30 am. I was up at 5 am to eat as I always am. I had oatmeal, english muffin, coffee and bagel. A bit more than my normal routine, but a little extra would not hurt considering I was getting ready to burn it all off in the coming hours. I made sure I had my energy gels (Jello type), music and headphones before we departed. It took us about 20 mins to get to the base, once there though it was a bumper to bumper mess, reminded me of my morning commutes in DC. UGH!! We were worried we would not make it to Start line in time so our driver for the morning actually pulled an awesome audible and pocked his head out to the traffic cop and told him he was a shuttle and needed to get these people dropped off. Classic! The cop let us pass and we were parked in minutes! I am going to have to think of that each time I go to these big events. Once parked and a bit of a walk it was time for the pre-race ritual...yep the porta-john. I had timed it perfectly. Tiffany had rode with friends of ours and was lucky to get parked right by the Finish line.  It was great to have her there and to see me after the finish. Hugging my best friend at the end is always refreshing!

Our Team had different goals for finishing the race, so we all split up into our specific corral locations. I started in the 3:45 group as did several of the other runners. The horn sounded and off we went. I really like how the USAF splits up the full and half-marathon runners. We started at 7:30 am and the half started at 8:30 am. This made the start much smoother and less crowded. Normally I have to run conservatively at the beginning with so many people around. This time I started out on the right stride just like lastyear. 

In the first 2 miles I encountered a 300ft hill incline. I knew it was coming early in the race, so my strategy was to go slow and save the energy for later in the race. With the 2 miles behind me, I quickly got on pace. The next 7 miles moved quickly and before I knew it I was at Mile 9. Mile 9-10 took us through downtown Fairborn. It was good to see the downtown area again and everyone cheering us on.

Soon enough we reached Mile 13...half-way home. I felt like I was on cruise-control and a bit ahead of the 3:45 pace group .I was also encountered by my teammates! I crossed the half-way marker in 1:51. Mile 13-20 went quickly, keeping pace. At Mile 20 I felt myself starting to slow down and I had to walk a bit but I kept going. Then, at Mile 21 the dreaded overpass had come. Last year, I reached the overpass and decided to walk for a little bit, which turned into a walk over the entire overpass. This year I was determined NOT to walk. I pushed through and continued running. At Mile 24 I still felt pretty strong, no walking just one foot in front of the other. I did feel my legs getting heavier but pushed. I was going to get under 4 hours!!  

As I reached the last few legs of the race I was on pace for under 4 hours. The 3:55 pacer had just passed me so I knew that if I continued on pace I was going to break it. As I reached the Mile 26 marker, I told myself...SELF lets GO. To my surprise the body responded. I was in an all out sprint to the finish.

Two personal bests for me, Overall 3:55 and Half-Way point: 1:51. 

Big shoutout to all my Whiteman Teammates! Without you I would have not reached this goal!

My first Marathon--Whiterock Marathon in Dallas TX

As I reflect on each of my marathons, I will start with the Whiterock Marathon in Dallas TX in Dec 2009. If you have read my blogs about my marathon experience's in the past, I always point out the crazy outfits and experiences. The Whiterock did not disappoint, there were many Elfs and Santa's. But, as I look back on this race, it was about finishing. I remember as I made it to Mile 16, I was thinking it would be possible. That was before the pair of hills to come at Mile 18-20. I was warned in advice of these hills, but pushed through and concurred both. I remember telling myself 6 miles left...let's do this! That was my mind of course and we all know that sometimes the mind can say GO but the body says NO! It was a struggle but I made it to the Finish. It was all about finishing and finishing is what I did! I think I made a fashion statement with my outfit that day!

Your Train

We have all seen the many trains of this world. Fast, slow, big, small, some to close to call, but have you ever thought "What train am I on and what is it's destination?" Or maybe even having no idea you had a specific train with your name on it. Well I am here to tell you, YES you have one...it is called Life.

When you have reached a certain stop and the conductor tells you this is your stop and he opens the door and you step out, where will you be?

What a question huh? Unfortunately, many of us are so caught up in how nice we can make the train. Make the bed more comfortable. The food as tasty as possible. Coffee, oh yes the coffee. In Luke 12, Jesus shows us just how foolish this way of thinking really is. He told a story of a man who had a great harvest, but he didn't have the space in his barns to hold it all. So what did he do, he built bigger barns and thought, now I have solved the problem. Telling himself he could rest easy for the remainder of his days. But, God interrupts the celebration and says "You Fool! You will die this very night, then who will get everything you worked for?" Jesus follows up by saying "Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."

Even if your train is made of all the luxuries, it’s worthless if the destination is Hell. You would be better off in a train made of trashcans that gets you to Heaven. So how do you make sure your train is heading to the right place? FAITH in Jesus. It is the ticket to board a Heaven-Bound train.

The choice is yours.

Thankfulness Pt 1.

November has been the month of thankfulness. I have read and noted what people have been thankful for. So let me start this first of a few blogs about what and who I am thankful for. 

When was the last time you thanked God for everything in your life? I know we all have given thanks to God when something good happens in our life. But, what about the difficult times? It is hard to be thankful during those times isn't it? We may even think we have nothing to be thankful for. Today, we are facing unemployment, home foreclosures, economic craziness, political chaos and I could go on. Some of these problems have directly impacted many of you in small or maybe significant ways. But, when have you been thankful ALL the time?

When was the last time you thanked God for salvation. There is no way for us to thank God enough for that. What about this beautiful world that he made for us. There are countless things to be thankful for in each of our lives…stop and observe. God has a plan for our lives and it might require us to go through both good and bad. Both will shape us into the person God wants us to be. Are you willing to hold his hand as he guides you through each and every situation?

The most powerful way to give thanks to him is through Prayer. This is the one thing that Satan can’t touch…your personal time with God. Prayer time should always include a time of thanking God. Take time and be specific when you thank him. Don’t make it a quick thanks. It needs to be sincere. Becoming more thankful will help you build a closer relationship with him. You will develop an attitude of worship. The needs of those around you will become more evident. You will be open to telling others about God and what he has done for you. 

The #1 thing I am thankful for...GOD.

My #2 is on the way…

Marine Corp Marathon, Washington DC

(Right before the finish!)

My second MCM is in the books. What an experience! With Hurricane Sandy threatening the race with wind and rain, she managed to stay away from the DC area until we finished. The weather could not have been better. 50 degree’s, cloudy and just a few periods of stiff winds. We had two Osprey planes flyover to start the race. As many of you have read in previous blogs of my marathons I always include the funny costumes that people wear as they run. The MCM this year did not disappoint. I saw a Viking (Well we actually ran together for about 6 miles); he didn't know he was actually pacing me. We had people as bananas, saw Elvis (Yep he is still alive), saw a WWF girl (well she was dressed as one), saw an Incredible and many women in pink tutus. The race again did not disappoint on the Gatorade and Water stations, BUT the start has got to change. The MCM sounds the gun and we just start walking then run. We are all supposed to look for the time we want to finish by the big timing displays on the shoulder of the road before the race, but I wonder why they don’t do a better job at corralling us. For the Rock and Roll Marathons, we are corralled and then each corral starts 1½ mins apart for spacing. Much smoother and orderly. This is also a benefit for the runner, who wants to get into a rhythm early, not after 8 miles of zig zagging through the madness. I was again IMPRESSED with the Marines. From the stations to the finish line...the Marines were always yelling and supporting as we ran. I had three running friends (Brian, his wife Michele and Susan) come in town for the race and stay with us. Brian and Susan both ran the MCM too. It was great having them here for the race and Susan got stranded with the Hurricane and stayed with us an extra couple of days.  

Now to the race, I was up at 5 am to eat as I always. I had oatmeal and coffee. I made sure I had my energy gels (Jello type), music and headphones before we headed out. It took us about 10 mins to get to the metro stop. And just that quick we were headed to the MCM waiting area at the Pentagon. Once we arrived, I was to meet up with a friend of mine who was racing his first marathon, but with the madness of people I never found him. Brian, Susan and I headed to the start line (About a quarter of a mile walk).  First stop for me...yep the porta-john (pre-race ritual). The lines were so long and we were running out of time to get to the start, so Brian and I headed out to find a tree...LOL. Well we ended up finding some porta-johns that no one knew about, so we were able to take care of our business.

The race started at 7:55 am...well I think it did. The gun went off and I was still running to get to the 3:45 timing corral. I had no time to think of the race...walked right up and started walking to the start line. As it was last year, the first several miles were just WAY too crowded.

In the first 2 miles I encountered a steep hill incline, but I was most bothered by the crowded runner madness. I knew it was coming early in the race, so my strategy was to go slow and save the energy for later in the race. We encountered another hill at around mile 6-7 and again I kept with my strategy of going slow to save energy. The next 5 miles moved quickly and before I knew it I was at the half-way point, crossing in 1:59 knowing I started a few mins after the gun so I was on a good pace, but I felt my legs getting tired. All I could think was...crap I have 13 more miles to go, but I pushed through and actually felt myself getting stronger as the race moved into the later stages.

Miles 14-20 went rather smooth, I ran by the Washington Memorial, the Natural and American History Bldg’s and around by the Capital. Miles 21-25 seemed like a blur except the moment the 4:00 hr pace group passed me. I started thinking about the elusive Under 4 hour’s goal I set for myself. I remember thinking how upset I was (Well actually I was PISSED) that they were passing me. As I reached Mile 26 I was thinking of my strategy to climb that final Hill before the finish. You see this was no normal Hill climb...this was downright steep in a very short distance...Marines had to think of this last grueling turn. To my surprise my wife Tiffany popped out of the crowd and told me to “come on”, “come on”. She ran up ahead of me and snapped the photo you see at the top of this blog. It was great to have her at the finish! What a refreshing hug!!

As some of you might have read over Facebook, I ran this marathon in HONOR of Traci Bernicke Inman for being a survivor of breast cancer. She has been such an inspiration for so many women that it was the least I could for what she has done!

I had no PBs this go around. Overall 4:03, Half-way 1:59.

Forgiving Others

Not forgiving others is one of the tactics used by Satan to disrupt, distract and destroy us. It can be said that there is nothing more difficult to do in this life than to forgive others and ourselves of mistakes, errors, untruths, murder, violence and abuse.

Each of us was, is and will continue to be imperfect and will dork things up. We fall to the enemy’s snares and hurt people through ignorance and stubbornness. For anyone unwilling to forgive someone else, in reality are either unwilling to forgive themselves or feel they have nothing in their own life needing forgiveness. 

We can be so stubborn and selfish and want what we want when we want it and have no patience for those who slow us down, wanting to mentor us or heaven forbid improve us. We fight the idea of forgiving someone else. We expect someone who has wronged us to crawl on their knees to us begging before we even consider granting them forgiveness.

We are so quick to point out someone else’s dirtiness while not seeing the dirtiness of SELF. We are good at spotting the littlest thing that someone else does wrong without even looking in the mirror at our own transgressions. We believe those who commit sin must repent while making excuses and reasons why we don’t need to do the same.

Think about this…what if those dirty people come into our path to teach us a lesson? This lesson may be exactly what we need. Think of all the people you have encountered in your life. As you think back on the last time you saw a particular person; it may have been weeks ago, years ago, or a once in a lifetime encounter. The reason…this person served their purpose in your life. Bottom-line, each experience or encounter serves a specific purpose.

So if the encounter is a lesson, think about the people who have hurt you. Have you allowed yourself to forgive them? Or are you still holding the pain? Do you find yourself thinking of revenge, or worse still, acting out those thoughts? Who is holding you prisoner…you or them?

Forgiveness is about taking back control and not allowing negative emotions to rule. It also is about letting go of all those bad emotions that could be responsible for pinning down your relationships! Hanging on to resentment, hatred, or anger will ensure that these destructive feelings WILL spill over into your current life and stop you from enjoying positive, successful relationships.

It takes great humility, honesty, faith and LOVE to forgive someone. Imagine having the same forgiveness Jesus had on the cross when He said “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”.

Until we are willing to ditch our PRIDE or desire for revenge we will never be able to forgive others or accept forgiveness. Love demands us to get off the high cloud you think you are resting on and humbly bow before those who hurt you and say “I Forgive You”. Even if that forgiveness is rejected, we can have the faith to know we followed what God commands of us just as he did on the cross.

The Choice is Yours

USAF Marathon, Dayton OH

What an awesome USAF Marathon experience!! The weather at the start was a perfect 49 degrees. We had a B-2 Bomber flyover to start the race! If you have read my previous blogs on the marathons I have run I always include the funny costumes that people wear as they run. I only saw a few this race. A bumble bee...she really dressed the part. A ballerina...she dressed the part as well, just with running shoes...LOL. The race was well organized and the volunteers were outstanding! I am not just saying that because it was my services’ marathon. The water stations had plenty of water and Gatorade.

This race was also a bit unique as I traveled from Washington DC to Dayton Ohio on Friday for a Saturday race. I also had 3 other friends race as well. For two of them, it was their first marathon and for the other it was his third. I traveled with one of the guys and we arrived late in the afternoon Friday. The expo was excellent, a lot of vendors and spread-out. It was held at the Nutter Center (The basketball stadium for Wright-State University). After getting my BIB and some extras we headed to Fazzlios for our pasta dinner. After dinner it was hotel room bound to prepare. One of the guys (Josh) was not due to arrive in Dayton until 11pm so I picked up his BIB. Josh is an 18 yr old that is good friends with my son Hunter and was traveling from Oklahoma via a Greyhound bus…yep 30 hours in a bus! Hunter my son unfortunately could not make the run due to college commitments.

Now to the race, it started at 7:30 am. I was up at 5 am to eat as I always am. I had oatmeal, English muffin with Peanut Butter and pickle juice...my routine. I made sure I had my energy gels (Jello type), music and headphones before heading out. It took us about 20 mins to get to the base and park. Not too bad considering the amount of people. Again, let me say it was well organized. We had to walk for a bit to the starting line area. First stop for me...yep the porta-john (pre-race ritual). The four of us meet up again at the corral locations, took a picture and Josh and I headed for the 4 hr pace group. Right before the start we had a B-2 flyover...AWESOME!! Then the horn sounded and we were off. I really liked how the USAF split up the full and half-marathon runners. We started at 7:30 am and the half started at 8:30 am. This made the start much smoother and less crowded. Normally I have to run conservatively at the beginning with so many people around. This time I started out on the right stride.

In the first 2 miles I encountered a 300ft hill incline. I knew it was coming early in the race, so my strategy was to go slow and save the energy for later in the race. With the 2 miles behind me, I quickly got on pace. The next 7 miles moved quickly and before I knew it I was at Mile 10. Mile 10 took us through downtown Fairborn. It was good to see the downtown area again and everyone cheering us on. Back in the late 90’s we were stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB, so I was in familiar territory. One place I was specifically looking for and found was the Halloween store Foys. It is a popular store year round with famous Halloween props from Hollywood Motion Picture’s.

Soon enough we reached Mile 13...half-way home. I mentioned to Josh that we were making really good time and we both felt like we were in cruise-control! We crossed the half-way marker at 1:53. Mile 13-20 went quickly, keeping pace. At Mile 20 Josh had to slow down and walk but I kept going. I was very PROUD of him for keeping up through 20 miles. His personal best before this race was a 4:45 (He finished in 4:23). Then, at mile 22 it happened...I tried all day to go without having to stop at a porta john. Although making it to mile 22 without having to stop to relieve myself was good. I had never gone that far before mother natural called. It was a welcomed pit-stop LOL. Back on the race track I go. At mile 24 things started going downhill a bit for me. I felt my legs getting heavier and I actually walked for a bit. As I picked back up running, I noticed in front of me a woman wearing a pink shirt with “Running for Amy” on the back. As I ran up beside her I asked her about Amy and she said she had breast cancer. It reminded me of the 7 women I ran in honor of back in April 2012. What a horrible disease...CURE PLEASE!

As I reached the last 1000 meters, to my horror the 4:00 pacer had caught up with me UGH! She went by me like I was walking. I remember telling myself...COME ON, really!!?? Get it in gear and let’s push to the finish. If I finish in front of her or even close I will break the 4 hr mark (I came across the start line 1:10 after the official start). Well the mind says one thing but the legs and body said something completely different. Yes, the body let me finish so I should be happy with that right? LOL.

Two personal bests for me, Overall 4:00 and Half-Way point: 1:53.

Big shoutout to Jonathan Miller and Joe Deporter for completing their 1st Marathons! You guys did awesome! Congrats!