Boston Strong

I was around 9-10 years old when I first heard about the Boston Marathon. The very idea was preposterous- to run 26+ miles. It was insane, impossible, awe-inspiring. Who would be crazy enough to even think of such an undertaking? I was hooked. Something in my internal hardwiring found the idea irresistible and in a far flung corner of my mind the idea took hold- one day I would do this.

Fast forward a few decades. In 1980 I tried to train for the Avenue of the Giants in the redwood forests of northern California only to fail due to ignorance and overtraining, resulting in a severe case of chondromalacia patellae (softening of the cartilage behind the kneecap). I missed that marathon and, literally, could not run at all for 6 months. Fifteen years later, in 1995, I tried again. After a scary bout of right knee pain and one long run of 17 miles, I successfully completed my first marathon, the 2^nd Annual Walt Disney World Marathon, in a PR (which still stands) of 3 hours and 45 minutes. At the finish line, the emotion of the moment welled up from inside and I crossed the line with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. It was a defining moment in my life. Several more marathons followed, including a failed attempt to qualify for the 100^th running of Boston at the Cape Cod Marathon in 1996. I had to run a 3:20. I was on track to do this at the halfway point but tore off my big toenail on one of the downhill segments and hobbled in with a bloody shoe and a time of 4:20. (Even sending in a photo of my big toe to the Boston Marathon committee failed to garner any sympathy and an exemption to run. Go figure!)

Soon thereafter, I discovered that, as a physician, I could run Boston without having to qualify, by attending a sports medicine seminar put on by the American Medical Athletic Association. Membership in the AMAA and attendance at this seminar included entry into the Boston Marathon (some would say this isn’t fair, but hey, I figured I paid my dues with all those year of medical training- call it rationalizing. I don’t care). I signed up to run in 2005.

Boston was unlike any other marathon I had run. For one thing, the crowds were huge and so supportive, lining the entire 26.2 mile route and, yes, the coeds from Wellesley College were out in force, cheering on the runners. You could hear them from a mile away. For another, the race began around noon. On a warm day, this could pose some challenges to staying hydrated. For whatever reason, although I had never cramped before, I cramped badly in my legs and upper back. Heartbreak hill wasn’t a factor because I was broken long before. I walked the last 4-5 miles in a fog of agony, almost leaving the course several times. I could not quit, though. This was Boston, dammit, and I was going to finish whatever it took.

When I turned that final corner heading to the finish, the spectacle before me was incredible. It seemed that the entire city turned out to cheer the runners in. I wasn’t about to walk those last few hundred yards. I ran on pure emotion, crossing in 4:52:58. I was pale as a ghost and when the staff in the medical tent saw me, they rushed a chair over for me to sit. My blood pressure was 90/40, and I craved an ice cold Coke. You can be sure, however, that the first thing I did was put that finisher’s medal around my neck.

This is what made the Boston bombing personal to me. It was the memory of my lifelong dream, my elation as I covered those last few hundred yards; the crowd, including my wife and daughter, who were at the finish line; and the ambiance of celebration, festivity, joy, and warm embrace of the city which, it seemed, had run the marathon with me. To have this event literally blown apart by the actions of two misguided, hateful, and, yes, evil persons just provided further proof that we live in a very broken world populated by a small but disproportionately influential number of people who have seceded from the human race as most of us know it. How tragic. How sad.

The bright side of all this is the resilience of people in the face of unimaginable horror, the kindness of strangers when the chips are down, and the certainty that the Boston Marathon will be back next year to challenge a new generation of dreamers. Rather than bring a city to its knees, the bombers only succeeded in uniting its citizens more than ever. Boston Strong!

Florida Ironman Training Log (for 2 weeks):

Well, another busy two weeks. There are days when I cannot imagine that normal people actually train and do an ironman. The challenge seems to be not so much the training itself; it is finding the time and staying organized so the rest of your life doesn't get put on hold and fall hopelessly behind. Then, there are the special distractions- weekend travel, vacation, family events, and, yes, national news stories. The Boston Marathon bombing occupied much of my free time as I could not seem to get enough information on it. I made most of my training days but had one bad run and one bad swim. More on those later. All in all, though, I feel that I moved forward a little and progress is what its all about. I still have lots of time.........

(2) Weeks training summary”

Mon. 4/8- Swim: 1859 yds @ 2:42/100 yds, total time 50:07 minutes

                 Bike (trainer): Intervals, 3.49 mi, 13 mph ave., total time 35:03

Tue. 4/9- None

Wed.4/10- Run, cadence accel., 3.49 mi @ 8:38 min/mi ave., total time 30:09 min.

Thu. 4/11- Swim, 2550 yds @ 2:49/100 yd, total time 1:11:59

Fri. 4/12- Run, 6.48 mi. @ 9:56 min/mi., total time 1:04:24 hours

Sat. 4/13- Bike, 38.07 mi @ 16.5 mph ave., total time 2:18:48

Sun. 4/14- Rest day

Mon. 4/15- Swim (cut short), 925 yds. @ 2:33 min/100 yds., total time 23:33 min.

Tue. 4/16- Swim (master’s swim @ NTC, strength and flexibility training- 1 hour

Wed. 4/17- Run, 4.24 mi. @ 8:45 min/mi., total time 37:07 minutes

Thu. 4/18- Swim, 2750 yds in 1:12:00 hours. (No Garmin upload)

Fri. 4/19- None

Sat. 4/20- Bike, 105 mi., @ 15.1 mph ave., total time approx 7 hours

Sun. 4/21- Bike, 50.62 mi @ 15.3 mph ave., total time 3:18:25 hours