Complete a half marathon

How I did it: After suffering from a partial tear in my left quadricep, while serving overseas in the military, I was told I would never run again.  The doctors told me they could do surgery, but if they did, there was a 50% chance I would never walk again.  I told the doctors to go to Hades and offered to drive if they paid for gas!  The doctors said my only other hope was to self-rehabilitate but not to expect any major improvements.

I returned to the USA depressed and broken both physically and spiritually.  I had joined the military only 2 years before and was looking at a medical discharge...then after self-reflection, I realized this was only a minor setback, similar to others I had experienced before the military. (I realized that I started to reflect back on my life here and writing it down, and then realized it was secondary to the story.  Suffice it to say, I have had many more trying obstacles in my life, and I know I will face many more)

I made the decision to prove the doctors wrong, and began pushing myself to do more than just the minimum exercises I was doing in physical therapy, even though it hurt, much!  I would go to the gym every day after work and walk on the treadmill.  I did this for over 12 weeks (during which time, my physical therapist said the was no more they could do for me), pushing through the pain, because I had a goal of running again!

For the next 8-months, I virtually lived in the gym, walking, then jogging, and eventually running on the treadmill!  I read virtually every book and magazine I could find on personal development, healthy eating, and positive thinking!  I had started keeping a log of my body weight, what I ate, when, how much, what, how I felt before, during, and after, and made it a habit to drink 100-oz of water every day.  I had read in Shape, Muscle & Fitness, MuscleTech
and Ripped, numerous articles on circuit training, goal setting, and pushing yourself just a little bit further every day, and had devised a regiment that hit my quads from every angle.  I was teaching the other bands in the quadricep to make up for the weakened state of my left Rectus Femoris (functions to extend the knee but also acts as a hip flexor because it crosses the hip joint).  In the process of doing this, I had dropped my body weight from a lumbering 215lbs to a trim 185lbs.  I had focused so much on making my legs work, I didn't even realize I was getting in shape, until a powerlifter, who was aware of my injury and self-recovery, recommended full- and half-squats, straight-leg deadlifts, and good mornings. Add these to 1-legged calf-raises and leg extensions/contractions to muscle failure, and a 2x/week step aerobics class, and I was putting serious strength and endurance into my legs!  I began running a 6-mile loop at night (after work) with a 30lb ruck.  I had people ask if I was training for Special Forces, and were dumbfounded when I told them I was pushing myself to improve my endurance for running.

When I had my yearly physical, the doctors were speechless over the recovery I had made, and declared me fit for service and not a broken body like they thought!  I re-enlisted for another four year stint in the army, and received orders for Germany.  My First Sergeant (1SG), a multi-marathon runner, had mentioned that the RunTex 30K in Buda, TX was taking place in January 2000, and said if I was up for the challenge, he would be honored to have me along.  I now had a new goal:  2-months to prepare myself to run 18.6 miles when not 11 months before, the doctors had said I would never run again!  I began running day on, day off for 8-10 miles, with my long run of 12-miles on Sundays.

I wish I could tell you that I was able to blaze through the run, but that is not the case.  I remember arriving to the stadium, stretching, and seeing at least 1100 other people out there preparing to do the same thing.  Emotions were high, adrenaline was coursing through my system in anticipation of the run, when my 1SG told me to run my OWN pace, not the pace of other people out there.  He reminded me that it wasn't about winning, it was about finishing.  He said he would see me at the end, and departed, to move deeper into the crowd to the people in his speed category.  I had my Walkman (yea - aged myself, huh?) ready, with fresh batteries and the tape I had been training with for the last year - 'Running Cadences with the Airborne Rangers.'  The gun sounded and we were off!

The masses sorted themselves out within the first mile or so, and I fell into my comfortable pace I had learned, repeating out loud, the cadences I was hearing from my headphones.  Things were going fine until about the 5-mile mark, when horror-of-horrors!  It sounded like my tape was being eaten by my Walkman!  I continued running and inspected the tape...only to find there was nothing wrong with it...hmm...I hit play again and it sounded fine. <whew!>  I had run so often with this tape and these songs, that they were ingrained into my head and were to be my running companions on this long trial...and then it started again!  Again, i looked, but the tape was fine.  I took one ear bud out and hit play to see if I was imagining things.  No, everything was fine.  The tape played clean, so I again fell into the comfortable role of repeating the cadences I was listening to, out loud...and THAT is when I made a discovery that had me blushing from ear-to-ear...I had forgotten that there were other people running the same route as I was, and were utterly bored with themselves and were up for something new...they were repeating what I was singing out loud!  I had though the tape was being eaten, when in fact, what i was hearing was over several people repeating MY words while I was listening for the tape to say the next words!  No wonder it sounded garbled!  Recovering as gracefully as I could, I grinned to myself, turned off my tape player, removed my headphones, and started calling cadence...for over 2-dozen Civilians!!!

Now picture this:  The US Marines were pulling roadguard detail for the run, all out there in their Dress Blues, and here is this young man calling cadence for 30 civilians, all landing on the right foot, all in cadence, all having a blast, and loving every minute of it!  The Marines were bringing themselves to the position of 'Attention,' as we were passing, saluting me and bellowing out 'Hurrah! Marine Corps Sir!'  With much chagrine, I would huff back 'Hooah!US Army!' and return the salute.  This one Marine Colonel, asked me when I responded such, if the US Army was running today?  I told him 'no, but my First Sergeant and I were.' This Marine Colonel brought himself to 'Attention,' saluted me and bellowed out, over the sound of the civilians running in-step with my pace, 'Out Standing! Hurrah!'  I was on cloud nine...until the 10th mile.  

I was soon passed by everyone I had set pace for, for the last five miles or so, and each one thanked me for the fun they had.  They all had more experience in long-distance running than I did, and it was showing.  Soon, I was left to my own thoughts, and my Walkman.  I was fast (or slowly as it were) approaching the maximum distance I had ever run, and my energy levels were plummetting.  Looking ahead, I saw the masses of runners receiving sucrose, raisins, water, and gatorade from stands that had been scattered along the sides the road for the last 3 miles or so.  I was able to secure a bit for myself, and continued on...or so I thought.

The sign, 'Mile-14' loomed directly in fron t of me when nearly to the step, I hit 'The Wall!'  I was completely spent, had no energy, my feet were lead weights, and I knew I was dog-dead-last.  I looked ahead in the distance and could not even see the end of this torturous route I had set out on.  I looked behind me to see how far I had run, and discovered i was Not the last one!  There were at least 100 people behind me!  WoooHoo!  I had energy!  I was alive! I could do this! I took 6-paces and was spent!  Oh my god? What have I done?  I could barely move, let alone jog!  I must have looked like a puppet on a string caught by a cat, as I flailed and lurched down the open road.  My mind was numb, my feet were numb, my soul was numb....When people say they get high off running, I think I was there...I could barely think and only knew I had to keep going forward.  I could not stop, even though the ground looked oh-so-very-inviting! I was getting the 'wahhwahhs' in my hearing and would have sworn buzzards had started circling around my in eager anticipation for the meal they were about to receive, when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

There, standing fresh and chipper, was my First Sergeant, with a napkin filled with sucrose, raisins and M&M's.  He had me slowly  nibble on the energy foods, and encouraged me to run with him, as according to him 'we are almost to the Finish Line, where there was water and juice waiting for us.'  Looking around us, I could discerne only traces of the support teams that had left a while before (the stands had closed up by this time and only the occassional empty cup and filled trashbag marked the place where hours before, people had been there to support the runners.)  Energy hit me at about the same time I realized that my 1SG had already run his 18.6 miles and had headed back looking for me!  Charged with this realization, I found the will inside myself to push on.  I would not let him down!

Remember the civilians I had earlier?  Imagine, if you will, staggering outside the enterance to the stadium near the Finish Line, knowing I had 2-measly laps to run before I too could truly say I had run a 30K run, when all of a sudden, I hear a woman's melodious voice, cut though the cheers of the crowd.  She is yelling, 'when your left foot hits the ground, all I want to hear is that "Hooah" sound!'  Angels could not have lifted my spirit higher!  Moments ago, I was staggering beside my First Sergeant, and now other voices began picking up the same chant!  Top (my 1SG) looked at me puzzled, because he didn't understand what he was hearing....Pacing me for the last lap-and-a-half, were the 30 beautiful people I had previously encouraged to charge forward!  The thousands of spectators in the stadium dimmed from existence, as the voices of angels encouraged me to fly with them and finish what we had all started.  

When I crossed the Finish Line, tears of joy, shame, and love were streaming down my face.  I was speechless.  I was surrounded by people I had never met before, thanking me for encouraging them earlier in the day to reach inside of themselves and find a camaraderie with other people from different walks of life than their own.  They said they would never forget the fun they had making the Marines salute them and the friends they made on the run.  Returning the favor at the end of the line, was the least they could do.  My First Sergeant was shaking his head in disbelief when he heard of my escapades, because he had heard about some 'official dignitary' who had all the Marines locked up in the position of 'Attention,' and had the Marine Colonel locked up too!  He realized the stories got a little crossed and warped in the telling, but seeing and hearing with his own eyes and ears, the people in front of him calling out military cadence, he patted me on the back and told me 'good job!'  With a mischevious grin on his face, he looked around at the people in the stands, the runners still coming in, and the people standing around us and asked in a very serious voice...'Ready for a full Marathon?'

I have faced many obstacles in my life before and after then, but every time I think I can't go any further, I think back to Buda, Texas, the 30K run and the people whose lives were effected and had an effect on me.  Zig Ziglar wrote in 'See You at the Top,' "You can get anything that you want, if you help enough other people get what they want."  How very true!

Oh, bye the way, 4:05:15 was my time.  My 1SG says that is ultra-marathon time and he has no clue how I could continue running for so long.  How could I tell him angels picked me up?   ;)

I wish you well on your journey!

Lessons & tips: Run, Run, Run!

Reach for the stars...if you miss, angels will catch you in the clouds!

Believe in yourself!

Don't be afraid to be nice to the people you meet, you never know how it can influence their, and your, future!

Resources: 'Marathon, The Ultimate Training and Racing Guide,'  Hal Higdon, 1993 Rodale Press, Inc.


'See You at the Top', Zig Ziglar 
http://www.butler-bowdon.com/seeyouattop.htm

http://www.runningnetworkarchives.com/runnertriathletenews/gif/TX99116ETM.gif

http://www.fitstep.com/Advanced/Anatomy/Quadriceps.htm

http://www.runningnetworkarchives.com/runnertriathletenews/news/usatfmaps.htm

Oct 18, 2008, 04:55PM PDT | 3 comments | 2 cheers