08.25.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:06 pm by Bobby
When it comes to talent, I don’t stack up against many runners. A great fiddle player was once asked why he played the fiddle. He simply replied, “Lack of talent.” That’s pretty much me, not that I play the fiddle, although I can play a pretty mean bass guitar. I’ve never been a very fast runner, so I very seldom take a place on the podium.
However, I think there is one thing that I can compete with almost anyone on - my passion for running. Running is my saving grace. It is there for me when I feel great, it greets me with a smile when I am feeling down, it is always unwavering in lifting my spirits no matter how low or how high they are.
Rona & Mikiele are always tops on my list of things that complete me. I would be lost without them. Running is that third thing in my life that allows me to escape into my on little world for a while. It is the part of my life that allows me to be selfish. If I never ran another step in my life it would not negatively impact anyone else, nor will my continuing to run impact anyone positively, other than hopefully inspiring others to lace up their kicks. With that, I run for me.
This was the year. Joan and I planned out my year down to almost every daily run. Without her help I could have never gotten as far as I did - a 50K in February, a 50 miler in April, a 54 miler in June. My plan simply fell into place & my fitness continued to increase at that slow rate that a distance runner wants.
But, sometimes you can have the best of plans and come up short. This happened to me this year in Leadville. Two weeks before the race my neck and lower back began to hurt. I had pulled a full day working the floor at the store, so I just chalked it up to being tired. However, when I awoke the next morning after a very restless night, the pain was still there - only worse. By the next afternoon I have a fever of 102, so I decided to visit my doctor the following morning. I get to his office and the next thing I knew I was on my way to the ER to rule out meningitis. What?! O.K., never go to the ER (but that is an entire blog in and of itself). I’m there for about 7 hours while they pumped me full of IVs, give me some pain meds and send me on my way. They rule out meningitis & diagnose me with either Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or a “non-descript” viral infection that has settled into my CNS. With that, I am to take antibiotics & pain meds. Oh yeah, I should be fine for the race. NOT!
Looking back I should have stayed at home, but damn it, I had trained so long for this race. All of my energy had been put towards this one goal. I ran a fever off an on the entire time I was in Colorado, but just kept taking pain meds & telling everyone that I was fine. Not a good idea. I weighed in the day before the race about 6 pounds light - not exactly where you want to be in a race where you need to consume 8000+ calories to stay upright. I ran a fever the night before the race, but still got up at 2 a.m. to get ready for a 4 a.m. start. I toed the line with all the other runners and actually felt pretty decent through mile 23-24 (the picture above). But then the wheels started to come off. All the pain meds that I had taken leading up to the race suddenly disappeared. With that, the pain in my neck and back returned, but felt even worse given that I was running at an average altitude of 11,000 feet. About 35 miles into the race I realized that my day was done - my year incomplete. I humbly made my way to the 40 mile aid station and bowed out. I sat there staring at my racer’s wrist band not wanting to take it off, but I knew I had to. The pain of pulling it off is still with me.
Looking back I know that dropping out was the right thing. My fever stayed with me through the following day and the pain in my neck and back began to radiate into my hands (my right hand is still somewhat numb). But knowing that I made the right decision doesn’t make me feel any better. I’m bummed, pissed, sad, mad, etc… But I know that I made the right decision.
So what is it about Leadville that makes me continue to try? How can a tiny town in the middle of nowhere steal someone’s heart the way Leadville has stolen mine? It is said that the Hawaiian Ironman is the triathlete’s holy grail. Perhaps Leadville is mine. With that, I may never truly get exactly what I am looking for there. I may never drink from that cup. But I’ll keep returning. I’ll keep searching. One year everything will line up & perhaps…perhaps, I’ll find my holy grail.
Until then I’ll run, because it is a part of who I am. A great friend has been quoted as saying, “Run for Joy.” For now, I think I’ll do that.
Peace,
Double B
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06.08.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:12 pm by Bobby
Rona & I leave tomorrow on a trip to South Africa. We are calling it our big adventure, as we have never been to Africa. With that, we are very excited. As Joan mentioned in her posting, we are going to run the Comrades Marathon. The distance varies from year to year due to road construction, etc…, but is generally thought of as an 89km race. This year’s official distance is 89.3km.
The route is a point-to-point & it switches direction each year - one year called the “Up Run” & the other called the “Down Run.” This is a down run, so the quads will be quivering over the last third of the race (at least I hope they don’t quiver before that point).
My training has gone exceptionally well leading up to this, so I do hope to have a great race, but the race is not really why we are going to South Africa. Our main reason for the trip is to visit the Ethembeni School for the physically disabled and visually impaired.
Established in 1984, Ethembeni School serves 300 physically disabled and visually impaired children from all over Kwazulu-Natal, Kingdom of the Zulu (South Africa), educating them to reach their highest potential and to become independent and responsible citizens of the community.
The name Ethembeni means “Place of Hope” and the motto Phila Ufunde– Live and Learn. At Ethembeni 300 beautiful children live, learn, and give us joy and hope.
The Fleet Feet family is working closely with our vendor partner, Balega, to raise enough funds this year to buy a bus for the school. We will have those funds by the start of their next school year, which is one of the things that I am most proud of in my life.
Visiting the kids of Ethembeni is the real reason we are going, but seeing them will also give us such inspiration to conquer Comrades. There is an old spiritual song that goes something like this:
- Rivers of joy flooding my soul
- Rivers of joy I can’t control
- Rivers of joy make me so happy
- I can’t explain these rivers of joy
That is what happens to me when I think about the kids of Ethembeni. I can’t wait to see them face to face.
Traveling to South Africa made me want to learn more about the culture, so I recently read the autobiography of Nelson Mandela, a man I have admired for many, many years. The last paragraph sums up our trip to South Africa & can also be used as a life anthem.
“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended.”-Nelson Mandela
We are all free, but what we do with that freedom is up to us?
Peace,
Double B
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05.05.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:19 pm by Bobby
If so, then don’t miss the 2007 Duke Asics Twilight Meet tomorrow evening, Sunday, May 6th.
Perennial local standout and Carrboro Athletics Club team member, John Hinton, will be going for a world record this Sunday evening when he steps up to the starting line of the men’s 1500 meter run.
John turned 45 on May 1st and will be running to break the world record for the 45-49 age group. The current record is 3:58, which John destroyed three weeks ago running a very impressive 3:53. What made that time even more impressive was the fact that he beat a field of collegiate athletes half his age while doing it.
Come cheer John on and bring your cow bells (we need more cow bell), your loud voices, all your friends and family. Let’s all join together to chant John’s names as he goes after the mark. I call him Hinton Dog, but perhaps we should just chant, “Hinton, Hinton, Hinton.”
The field events start at 2 p.m. with the track events getting under way at 5 p.m. John’s race is currently scheduled to go off at 7:50. If you come, plan to arrive around 7:15. Look for the blue Fleet Feet Sports flag and come set in a big group.
This should be a very exciting event. Don’t miss it!
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05.04.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:47 am by Bobby
First off, let me tell the world how thrilled I am to be a part of this. My wildest dreams never put an Elite Olympic Development Club in Carrboro. Joan truly is the driving force behind this. Her enthusiasm and love for running can even make an old slow ultra guy like me want to run faster - I even think I am.
Now to the Boss. John Hinton is known as “Hinton Dog” & I found out yesterday that he gives others nicknames as well. I learned that after my visit to the track session on Wednesday I had a new name - Bobby Soprano. Then yesterday that grew into “The Boss.” I already have a nickname - Double B. Perhaps that changes to Triple B or Double B the Boss. Given that Hinton Dog gave me the name I humbly accept it, but I don’t plan on whacking anyone anytime soon.
And back to running. I am the lone ultra runner on the team and that is by default. I’ve never been fast like all the speed demons on the team, so I just try to run for a really, really long time. Although I can’t explain the joy that I get from being on the trail mile after mile, I can say that it is an invaluable part of my life. I often ask myself, “What would you do if you couldn’t run?” That is a question that I hope to never have to actually answer. Given more time there are other things that I could have as hobbies - golf, playing music, fishing. But none of them could ever replace the joy I receive each time I lace up my shoes and hit the trails. There are no bad runs, just some that aren’t as good as the others.
Even in its infancy, CAC makes running even more enjoyable, even more important. Thanks Joan for having the vision.
Peace,
Double B (aka The Boss)
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