Chicago 2011

Tomorrow I run the Chicago Marathon, one of Five marathon majors in the world. This is my third marathon this year, and my sixth overall. I wanted to run Chicago for two reasons; I would like to run all Marathon Majors (Boston, Chicago, New York, Berlin, London), and it’s in one of my home towns. I lived in Chicago from around Kindergarten, till 3^rd grade. I can vividly remember being on a bowling team, ice skating on the lagoon in our back yard, going to the dead fish riddled beach of Lake Michigan, eating Bratwurst and hot dogs, taking field trips to Brookfield Zoo, and driving around everywhere on streets named after Native American tribes and people; there were good times to be had in Chicago as a kid. Sadly, we moved back to St. Louis for my father’s job, and the city I was born in became my home again.

There are a lot of things going on in my life right now, and although most of them are good, one is not. My mom was recently diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a form of blood cancer. It seems to be in the beginning stages, and she has had some issues that may be related to it, but otherwise she seems to be doing ok. Cancer is a pain in the ass, and it doesn’t matter which flavor it is. My hope is she will get old, bitter, and be a pain in my ass, for years to come, I know I deserve it for what I’ve put her through!

My mom (Carla if you don’t know her), has always been there for me, always supported me, always put up with me, and always been my voice of reason! You really don’t know how much someone is been there for you, till you look back and remember things they DIDN’T do for you. When I was seventeen and living on my own in St. Louis, having recently dropped out of High School and moved out on my own, I was in dire straits. I had a job, not a good job. I had just enough money to pay for shelter, my car, and one meal a day; the money for gas, more food, and other necessities was not there. My mom bailed me out of some “Checkbook Balancing Issues”, but was very pointed in that I needed to make some hard decisions; I wasn’t making it, and I could make it if I moved in with her or my dad. She could have just given me more money, knowing that I was suffering, but then I wouldn’t have changed anything. That had to be hard, knowing your son was literally hungry, being able to help, but knowing that it would just continue if she took the easy road by making my life easy. Not more than a few weeks later I had moved in with my dad, and started GED classes. The GED classed turned into being a full time college student (for a period of time), and that education put me on solid footing in the IT industry.

Did I say how smart my mom is?

My mom has always said and believed that I would make something of myself, even in my darkest hour. She knew that dropping out of high school was a bad idea, but that I would still succeed; she knew that not finishing college was a bad idea, but I would still succeed (Finally finished in 2009). She has always believed in me, and fortunately, she has always been right! She has always been a solid example to follow, always bettering herself through additional college degrees, certifications, and being driven in her career.

So tomorrow I run for my mom. My mom would love to be a part of this; to walk into the expo and feel the power of all the runners energy; to stand at the starting line at 7:30AM, the same line that the worlds elites are standing at; to eat the stale bagels at the finish and to wear that medal around your neck that says not only did you do something today, but you’ve been giving it everything for the last 16 weeks too! She would soak it all in like a sponge.

Thanks for everything mom, this one is for you! I love you very much!

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Just a few comments on this summer’s marathon training; wow that was a hot one! Thanks to my kids for putting up with another session of Marathon training, luckily you slept through most of it. I want to thank all my friends for helping me get out there and run through the heat and for being so supportive. I especially want to thank Tracy for everything over the last six months; not everyone is lucky enough to share this type of adventure together. We trained together and we will both run the same race tomorrow! I only wish I could run the last few miles of the race with you, as you did for me twice this year, but I’m thinking 26.2 is all I have! Good luck to everyone in their fall half and full marathons! I look forward to seeing many of you at mile 6 of Rock n Roll St. Louis!

GO to GO: The Hills of Life

Sunday will be my fourth Marathon, and hopefully my fastest! It's been a long road getting here though!

Last year I did the GO St. Louis, with only one goal, break 5 hours. My two previous attempts were 5:15 and 5:30. Even though I had trained for a 4:30 or better each time, the distance and weather beat me. With last year’s GO, I hit the heat wave at mile 9, and really felt the beginning of the end at mile 14, so that left me with 12.2 miles to grind out and grind I did. I ran/walked the majority of the 12.2, and in some cases, walked entire miles. My legs were cramped up and my body was falling apart, but despite all the challenges, I was able to keep moving fast enough to make the sub 5 hour mark. I came upon my friends at mile 26 and they ran me into the finish. The race was a fight, but I faced the challenge and met my primary goal, although GO Marathon was just one of many challenges in 2010.

2010 had its ups and downs, in running and in life. The most memorable positive event of 2010 came in May when I put on a robe and hat, and walked at the 2010 Webster University graduation ceremony. I had finished my bachelor’s degree in the fall of 2009 and walked with the School of Business and Technology at commencement, with departmental honors. This was significant in the fact that I had earned my college degree (16 years to finish), more significant in that this was the first time I had ever graduated from anything (8th grade flunkie, high school dropout). It was a beautiful day, filled with very supportive family and friends. It was also very cool for my kids to see firsthand; now they have a very clear picture of what it takes to work hard for something, succeed at it, and reap the benefits of it! Sadly, good times are often followed by bad. A month later the most memorable negative event of 2010 occurred.

In June of 2010, I asked my wife Shannon for a divorce. I won't go into great detail on this matter, but I will say that there were some great years of marriage, many happy times, and I will forever remember those years, as I have two great children from them. Despite our many differences, Shannon and I were able to work together with a mediator and finalize our divorce on March 9th, 2011. The kids now have two homes, and I get them 50% of the time, time that I cherish and try to make the most of. With only having my kids half the time, I was left with a lot of free time. I felt that the best way I could use that time, would be to build a better me!

With many nights and weekends available to run and workout, I signed up at Lifetime Fitness (LT). My plan was to start lifting again, get some swimming in, take up spin classes, and take my health to another level. I started up at LT with a fit test, and weighed in at 208lb's. My goal was to get down under 200lb's before GO. I worked with Michelle, a personal trainer, for two sessions and learned a lot about lifting, and the machines. She was very helpful and if you go to LT, I strongly suggest her. I now lift about two nights a week, spin once a week, run up to five times a week, and occasionally swim or use the elliptical. It's a lot of time to spend working out, but with my dietary changes the results have been immense!

My initial weight loss when I started four years ago had ups and downs. I went from 265lb's, down to 208lb's, back up to 230lb's, and then down again to 208lb's. The weight loss was mostly due to counting calories and eating somewhat healthy (exercise is always a factor, but diet is what makes the difference). I knew that to get below 200lb's, I couldn't just eat less, I needed to eat better. I started by cooking more and focusing on vegetables. I use to eat a turkey sandwich and a reasonable portion of chips as a dietary meal. Now I will eat a well seasoned breast of chicken, steamed vegetables, and maybe a little bit of rice or pasta. I have square plates and try to split it into a half and two quarters. Vegetables take up half, meat gets a quarter, and carbs get a quarter. I have also started eating Oatmeal on a daily basis. I don't like Oatmeal very much, but I have found it to be long lasting fuel; keeping me from starving before lunch time hits, and also as a great pre-run meal. With the exercise and better eating, I weighed in at 192lb's this morning. In addition to weighing 16lb's less since December, I'm much stronger, much faster, and I feel healthier than ever. Sadly though, being healthy doesn't always keep you from getting sick or dying.

As many of you know, on March 1st of 2010, I almost died from Exercise Induced Anaphylactic Shock. You can read more about it here: Runner Down. It was one of the scariest moments in my life; it was also one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced, one that I successfully beat. I was out of the hospital the day after it happened, and I was running the following day. It was a pretty emotional run. When I passed the two mile mark, the fateful distance that put me on an ambulance ride to the hospital just two nights prior, the urge to go faster came over me and I hammered down. I didn't want to let the event get to me, I didn't want it to define me, I just wanted to beat it down and leave it on the track, literally! I proceeded on with my Marathon training and ran 21 miles that Saturday. After one near death experience, personal highs and lows, miles of training, and 33lb's of weight loss, Marathon weekend is upon us once again.

The time since last year’s GO Marathon has been a lot like running Queeny Park, up and down, up and down. Fortunately I am a very positive person and I focus on the good things in life; dwelling on our mistakes or our failures, just keeps us from being successful. I attribute much of my ability to be positive, to my wonderful children, my strong family support, and the greatest friends a person could have. My kids make the greatest sacrifice, TIME. They don't seem to mind too much, as they like the fact that I am healthy and I think they realize giving up a few hours of time with me today, means gaining years later. They also enjoy spending time with other runners, to the point that Jazmine is doing No Boundaries 5K training this year! Jazmine made the decision to do NOBO on her own (proud dad), and since we are at the park every week, I am utilizing the time to help Garrett work on his running. He isn't happy about it, but with the food he eats and his ADHD, I think running will do great things for him. I love you Garrett and Jazmine!

I want to thank all of my friends that helped me get through the 30-40 miles a week, for the last 12+ weeks. Historically I have done most of my Marathon training by myself, but this year it was rare to be alone. Each and every one of you is amazing and I am a better person because of you! 

A very special thanks goes to Tracy Schmidt! Tracy and I have been friends for the last few years, but in December we started hitting the gym and the roads together. It's amazingly easier to wake up at 4:30AM for a 5:30AM spin class, when you have a great friend to ride with. Her time sacrifice, advice, friendship, and companionship through many miles of running, really shows what a selfless, giving person she is. Our friendship has grown immensely over the last four months, and I look forward to it getting even stronger as we take on new challenges. Thanks Tracy and see you at mile 21; lead me to the Promised Land girl!

I hope everyone has a great race on Sunday! I can't wait to see all of you! You are my inspiration and you’re all the reason I want to be better today than I was yesterday!

Runner DOWN!

I haven't blogged in quite a while, but it's not everyday that you get to write about almost dying!

Last night wasn't much different than most nights. I came home and walked the dog, then headed up to LifeTime Fitness for a Belay class (Rock Climbing). Following the class I went home and ate, with plans to do some speed work at 9:00 PM. I made a pretty simple salad for dinner. It included mixed greens, baco's, shredded cheese, mushrooms, scallions, creamy light Caesar dressing, and some leftover shrimp. I also heated up a few left-over bites of General TSO Chicken. I finished eating about 7:15 and it was pretty satisfying. I then digested till about 9:00 and headed to the track.

My plan was to run 3x2 Mile at 5K race pace or better, on the Lafayette HS Track. This was my first real opportunity to run outside in new racing flats. I started off with a warm up lap, and then started the clock. My first mile was at 7:19, which is right where I wanted to be, considering the plan was to get faster. I proceeded right into the second mile. Halfway through the third lap of mile 2, my feet started tingling slightly. As I kept going, the tingling increased and it started to feel more like running on a bed of nails. If you were to rate the pain, I was at a 7 out of 10. I finished the third lap and went for the fourth, with plans to stop at the mile mark (Just like a damn runner). The whole time I'm thinking, maybe I needed Saucony instead of the Asics?

I finished up the fourth lap, with a mile split of 7:31, not bad considering the pain. I immediately walked over to the fence and put on my flip flops (pain was at a 10 now). A cool down walk seemed in order, so I started, even though my legs and feet still hurt. Once I started walking I noticed my head was throbbing and my ears felt like they were going to explode. I immediately picked up my gear and headed for the car, I knew something wasn't right. By the time I got to the car, I felt that my lips, ears and head were all throbbing, not to mention the pain in my feet and legs. Now I knew I was having an allergic reaction to something, so I figured I better go get Benadryl.

I hopped in the car and started heading south on 109 to hit Walgreen's. As I started to drive, a whole new symptom creped up on me, I was starting to lose the ability to breath. It wasn't really all that gradual either; I went from normal breathing to barely being able to. Not being able to breath was bad enough, but it scared the crap out of me, as I now realized that the clock was ticking and I might not be able to breath at all soon. I approached highway 100 and made the judgment call; Die picking up Benadryl, or drive another 1/4 mile to the fire station.

I decided I would rather die at the Fire Station, where I could be resuscitated! The last 1/4 mile to the fire station required extreme focus on my part, as I was starting to lose it; little did I know, my blood pressure was dropping. I pulled up to the station and threw my car in park. I grabbed my phone and wallet, then jumped out of the car and buzzed their door, not even taking the time to close my car door. One of the fireman answered the door and asked if I needed help. This would be the first time I had to speak throughout the ordeal, and I was surprised at how hard it was to say "I can't breath".

The fireman took me in immediately and directed me through their hallways and into the garage where the Ambulance sat. In seconds, I had 4 fireman/EMT working on me and asking questions. These guys had their game face on (thank you Metro West)! I still felt like I was dying, but at least I was in good hands. They immediately put me on an I.V., gave me an epinephrine shot, and some Benadryl. After they finished asking questions, they put me on oxygen. Once they had completed what they could, the lights were turned on, and they scrambled me over to St. Lukes. In the 7+ years I have lived on 109, I have seen 100's of ambulances go up the street, but I never thought I would fly by my own house in one!

The ambulance ride was one of the lowest points for me. My blood pressure must have dropped again, as I was fighting to stay awake. I knew if I passed out, I couldn't answer questions, leaving the people trying to help me with no direction. I was having a horrible time breathing, and in an attempt to help with my situation, the EMT (Travis) raised my legs and dropped my head a bit. I started to shake from the Epi shot, and the circumstances caused me to freak out a bit, mentally that is. We arrived at St. Luke's pretty quickly and I was immediately taken to a room in the ER and switched over to a hospital bed.

The hospital staff proceeded to ask me numerous other questions, trying to determine what I was having an allergic reaction to. Once I said shrimp, we focused on that. It didn't make much sense, seeing as I had eaten the shrimp about two hours prior to running, and then ran for 15 minutes, but it was something to go with. Despite all the drugs given to me on the Ambulance, I was still in really bad shape. I was starting to get real dizzy, shaking like a blender, and I felt ready to faint at anytime. According to the nurse, my face and appendages were all red, I personally couldn't tell. I think my blood pressure also dropped again, so he called in the doctor. The doctor came in and prescribed another shot of epinephrine, steroids, and more Benadryl. They shot me up with the additional drugs, and asked some more questions. At some point in this process, I either fell asleep from the Benadryl, or passed out.

When I woke up, a very nice lady from the hospital was there to take me to my room. The doctor stated that due to the issues and more importantly the low blood pressure, I needed to be monitored for 24 hours. She carted me up to my room and at this point, I was feeling a bit better. If we were looking at a 1 to 10, I was at a 14 before waking up, and now I was at a 10. The nurses at my room gave me a nice boost, as they both agreed that I looked to fit to be there :). Nevertheless, I was still in pain, scared, and anxious to figure out what the hell happened.

After answering 100 more questions, and taking in more drugs, I fell a sleep. A few hours later I had a late night snack (Turkey Sandwich, no shrimp). I immediately fell a sleep again after eating, and proceeded to sleep every 15 minutes between getting my vitals checked, throughout most the night. In addition to more Benadryl and steroids, they started giving me Zantac and Pepcid. With all the Benadryl, I could barely stay awake. I was also on an I.V. so I was well hydrated.

By 7:00 this morning, I was finally starting to feel OK. Not great, but good enough to eat some breakfast, and smile at the people helping me. I was still on multiple drugs, so I slept most the morning. At around 11:30 I ordered lunch, and I was taken off all the drugs. I really started to feel like ME again, and was told that I would be able to leave soon. I had a conversation with the resident doctor and we both agreed that the cause of my allergic reaction was up in the air, so they are doing some blood work, and I need to see an Allergist for further testing. They gave me a prescription for an Epi shot and said to keep Benadryl on me.

Looking back on the whole ordeal, I feel pretty lucky. I was completely alone at the track, and could have really lost it there, if I hadn't decided to leave when I did. I also could have stalled my chances of getting help, if I hadn't gone straight to the fire station. Better decisions could have been made if I had known what these symptoms were going to result in; surely I would have just called 911 at the school, if I had known that 3 minutes later I wouldn't be able to breath, but I am not allergic to anything and have never been through any of this before. If it weren't for movies and TV shows, I would have never known that my symptoms were the result of an allergic reaction (thanks Hollywood). I kept it together throughout the ordeal, but I will say that I have never been more scared in my life!

I want to thank everyone that helped me in the last 24 hours:

• Metro West and especially Travis for keeping me alive.
• Staff at St. Lukes! Very impressive service there.
• Shannon for walking Copper late last night.
• Larry (boss) for walking Copper this morning and bringing me a phone charger. He also called the Fire Chief to make sure my car was cool there (that's thinking).
• Karen Sue (Great Friend) for picking me up, helping me run errands today, and taking me to my car. Thanks also to the others that offered!
• All my friends for their support and kind words.

One last thing, throughout the evening I had my Road-ID, so everyone working on me had the means to contact someone if I became incapacitated. If you don't have one, here is the 100th reason to get one. Fleet-Feet has samples and can help you order them if your interested: http://www.roadid.com/Common/default.asp