Start of something good!

Boy, it sure felt good to be back into the running community. Alaska's largest running event, the Alaska Heart Run, was held yesterday and it was a grand event. About 6,500 runners and walkers participated in the event. Among the participants, and wearing bib #1, was a young boy named Shawn who received a heart transplant in summer 2008. My running the race was meager compared to Shawn's; however, this event marks the start of my official running comeback...hooray!

Marian and I joined Hannah and the other students and families from her school (the Huffman Huskies) who were running the race. We entered the non-timed event, which started 30 minutes after the timed event. Because I was a Mended Heart runner, I got a real cool Alaska Heart Institute cap.

It was amazing watching the real fast runners go by. The winning time was 15:25.5 (mens) and 18:25.8 (women). A few of my friends ran in the timed 5K event....Mark Carr's time was 20:11.3 (finished 55th for men); Ellyn Brown's time was 21:44.0 (finished 22nd for women); and Mark Schroeder's time was around 23:00.

The winning time of the Mended Heart Division was 20:15.3. Hannah tells me that she and her friend Anna ran the 5K in about 30 minutes...WOW! They finished before I did!

After finishing his timed run, my buddy Mark Schroeder (with cheese bagel in hand) joined Marian, Hannah, the Huffman School crowd and I at the start and ran along side me for the entire race. His companionship and encouragement along the way was really appreciated. Marian was running with us as well but we lost her when she stopped to pick up a little child who fell and was in danger of being trampled.

I'm really excited about getting back into running on the road and rubbing elbows with other runners...hopefully they won't run me over as they go by. I hope to train hard and run far real soon. Nike!

From Vienna to Boston

The last of the three European marathons I had hoped to run this spring occurred yesterday...nearly 20,000 runners participated in the running events surrounding the Vienna Marathon. Amazingly, I was able to watch the start of the marathon on the site's web page...(10 pm AK Time, 9 am Vienna time). It was a beautiful day for a marathon but somewhat warm (around 70 degrees). Oh how I wish I could have been there...maybe in 2010. Checking out the Marathon Tours web site, I learned that in 2010 the Rome Marathon will be March 21 and the Paris Marathon will be three weeks later on April 11. I'm guessing that Vienna's will be a week later on April 18.

With the Boston Marathon scheduled for tomorrow, I thought I'd post a few thoughts and photos from my experience with the marathon. In 2007, I ran it for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and in memory of many friends and family who are/were affected by cancer. I raised about $13,000 as one of 500 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge runners. My friends Bill Parady and John Clidas joined me and also ran the marathon. Bill was my running photo journalist and entire support team. The total experience was very emotional and moving but we also had a blast sharing a hotel room, attending the star-studded expo, attending Dana-Farber functions, and experiencing the wonders of Boston and the nor-easter that threatened to cancel the marathon. My Boston adventure was a very special one, one never to be forgotten. I hope to build on those memories the next time I run it...when, I don't know but it will happen!

Three months ago...

It has been three months since my heart operation on January 13, which is a milestone according to my two doctors Linda Ireland (cardiac specialist) and Gregory Misbach (cardiac surgeon). Both have told me that after three months I should be back doing what I was doing before the operation...they were kind of close. Both did give me a clean bill of health this last week but I'm still not "normally" healthy. I'm still limiting what weight I can safely lift and I have lingering soreness in my right side of my chest...nothing serious however. I'm told to be patient, it'll heal...sound familiar? So, there isn't too much medical drama left to report about my rehab or in my blog.

My weight is back to where it was before the operation...156, hooray! As for my running, I have a long way to go yet. I'm ready for the 5K Alaska Heart Association Run on April 25...it's the distance beyond that which is making me nervous. Now that I can run outside (because of 40+ temperatures and snow/ice-clear road shoulders and sidewalks) I should get back in shape sooner. Running on the treadmill and elliptical at cardiac rehab makes me sweat but it can't totally prepare me for running outside in the elements. I have about 5 weeks left in my rehab sessions...I know I'll miss them, the staff, and classmates when it's over.

I hope to soon be doing what I remind my fellow runners to do, that is Train hard...run far!

Odds-n-ends

I had a weird experience running at the Dome yesterday. Tuesday's Dome schedule (posted on their web site) showed no one using the track that day so I planned to have a nice relaxing run after work at 4 pm. You can imagine my surprise when I approached the Dome parking lot and saw three high school buses parked in a completely packed lot! What the hell!?!? People were flooding in and out of the place like honey bees leaving and entering their hive. Once inside I saw that the track was packed with 3 practicing high school track teams, hurdles thrown everywhere and the infield was being heavily used by countless baseball, soccer, and football teams. Garbage and athletic gear were thrown everywhere. Dino, the manager, greeted me and told me he saw all the Providence Hospital ads and tv commercials I have recently appeared in and asked me how I was doing. I filled him in and he told me that even with the chaos, the track is actually open for members use. I mentioned how the web site indicated that no one was suppose to be here...he said they screwed up royally. Anyway, I did dress out and ran through the gauntlet of harriers, but for only two miles. The place was very hot, dry, and noisy...way too many people in there. Lots of jerks running amok trying to impress girls and not leaving any room for me or anyone else using the track. Actually, it would have been fun to crack open a 6-pack, grab a chair, and watch the goings-on...I'm sure glad I'm not in high school anymore. My guess, however, is that I was probably as goofy and jerky when I ran high school track and cross-country. Say it ain't so!

The good old days!

Breaking the tape in first place, 1/2-mile, time 2:02.7

Wayne Valley HS, 1970.

P.S. The locker room was filled with a bunch of kids when I went to change. The boys were all talking about how they can't wait to get out of high school. I just had to say something to them, so I butted in and said, "Hey, don't rush things. Enjoy high school now because when you graduate you'll be thrown into reality and it's not necessarily fun out there." All I got were blank stares. The world is doomed!

Spring time in Paris...not!

I celebrated "not being in France today to run the Paris Marathon" by running 3 miles at the Dome. It was a lonely run but I ran well and took 2 minutes off my Friday 3-mile run. Check out the 2009 Paris Marathon at:

http://www.parismarathon.com/marathon/2009/us/index.html

I'm halfway through my cardiac rehab program and thoroughly thrilled with my progress. My weight training is steadily improving, my body weight is near pre-surgery numbers, and I'm ready to trot the 5K Alaska Heart Run on April 25.

Had a really nice weekend, Hannah's 11th birthday was Friday, it was sunny all weekend, and temperatures reached into the 40s. Life is good!