T- Minus 7 ½ Weeks
http://youtu.be/BoEKWtgJQAUEvening Everyone!Thank you all so much for your donations. We are close to $4,000 for Mission Possible: A World Without Cancer. I am still extremely hopefully that we will reach our $8,000 goal. I am still expecting a great showing from my friends in the Bronx; yes I am calling you all out. And I am still very hopefully that the rest of you who are reading this will contribute to Dana Farber.I always like to share information about Dana Farber and recent news and research in these emails. But I ask you all to go to Google and look up Dana Farber Cancer Institute and click news on the left. In the last week I believe there are 8 new articles. Everything from breast cancer advances, HPV advances, an 18-year-old running for DFMC, and the hospital expanding. Your donations are at work and there is visual proof. So please help us continue these fantastic news stories and donate to Dana Farber.
www.JohnnyMarathon.com
WOW I can’t believe that in 7 ½ weeks I am going to be an IRONMAN!!! And in 20 days I will be running my 10thmarathon, #5 with the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge.I had a chance to sit down with a great friend of mine this weekend, Howard and his wife. Howard has been a great influence, advisor, supporter and friend of mine over the last 9 years. Of course IRONMAN came up. And along with Howard and many of you, the question was asked, “Why am I doing this?” Not the Dana Farber part but why do I continue to put my body through such physical challenges. Why do I continue to spend so much of my very frugal income on these races? Why have I been living the last 7 years in a state of always “training” and not living? I am not 100% sure of how to answer these questions. But hopefully I can shed some light on these questions for all of you. And maybe than you will understand why I carry Dana Farber so close to my heart.My career is a failure, my social life is non existent, my love life, until recently, is empty and lonely. They say hard work pays off for those who put everything they have into it. Well not so much for me. My racing career defines me. In an age where anything can be bought, there is a short cut on every avenue, hard work doesn’t pay off, friendship comes and goes, and deception is common…I am choosing an avenue where only I can determine the outcome. I was given a gift to find a physical and mental limit and be able to push the human body and mind well beyond that into a state of pain and overcome come it. And I am good at it. And I am using this gift to benefit others less fortunate. I am sure that any patient at Dana Farber and every hospital wouldn’t give up anything to be able to live a “normal” life. So I am taking my “normal” life to give them all a fighting chance to live their “normal” life. And I can only do this with you, my support group.
My training is sub par. May 19th is going to be a tough day, I already know that. The good news is I should put down a solid time in Boston in 20 days. In the last few weeks I have done a 20k race (12.4 miles), 25K race (15.5 miles) and a 30K race (18.6 miles) running 7:05, 7:07, and 7:09 minute miles which mathematically would set me up for a solid 3:10/3:15 hour finish in Boston. Not to shabby considering I haven’t been running much. I am feeling more comfortable in the water. Slow as shit still but more relaxed. But that will all change once I hit the open water. I panic like a bitch in open water, so we will see. As for the bike, I need to get some long rides 80+ miles in. Unfortunately there are 7 weekends until IRONMAN and it looks like I will only have time on 3 of those weekends for such a ride.But when all is said and done this is something that I chose to do almost a year ago and what ever happens in 7 ½ weeks, I will have earned.
Marathon #5Boston Marathon April 20th 2009Weather I believe was in the high 40’s with an extremely strong head wind
This weekend was a whirlwind. Got to Boston, met with some teammates, had a friend fly in from Arizona, Red Sox game, forgot my socks, needed arm warmers, mom had to go home for work before the marathon, no Liz…just a lot of drama. But I did have a last minute savior. My coach Barbara was in town. I felt as though I had a cape on with her there and despite all the drama, everything was going to be ok.I remember being on the bus out to Hopkinton with my teammates. The only thought that ran through my head on this 40-minute bus ride is that the only way back to Boston was to run back. We were checking the weather report and it was cold that morning, real cold. We were all extremely worried about the headwinds. A headwind is a constant wind that blows at you, obviously making it harder to run, liking running head first into a wind tunnel. Ha and there was my boy Niall on the Newton Hills, what a surprise. The race went well. I didn’t run to my fullest potential but I did enjoy the day. The finish celebration at the Marriott was awesome. My dad, Barbara, Chrys, Niall, Big Mike, Corinne and baby Madison. It was awesome.
Finishing time; 3:31:32, personal best by almost 20 minutes
http://youtu.be/xmUZ6nCFNoU
Marathon #6Chicago Marathon October 11th 2009Weather did not break 30 degrees, friggen literally freezing
“The Greatest Day of My Life!”Of any marathon Chicago is a stamp on my brain; it was serious the greatest day of my life. I remember the entire weekend detail to detail, so much detail I can’t even begin to write. There was the support group that was there, 7 of us, first time to Chicago, the intense training that summer, the Yankees in the postseason, the Bean, the museums, Wrigley Field, the glass boxes 110 floors up in the Willis Tower, the ferris wheel, drinking in Wrigleyville…but most importantly my BQ. In weather that did not break 30 degrees I ran a perfect race. I was sub 7-minute miles up until around mile 20/21. The wall came but it was too late, I was on pace to qualify. I needed to finish in 3:10:59 or quicker. The last 2 miles were such a mind blow. I kept recalculating my time to see how slow I could run and still qualify. I made a right turn, saw my sister, a wall of red Bank of America banners, there was a slight incline over a little bridge, I needed the finish, I was running out of time and I knew it, I had no legs, I was grinding. I found that max limit of the human body and pressed so hard beyond that. And than one last left turn and almost immediately the finish line. I became a marathon runner on this day. I reached a level in this sport that so few can say they have. I didn’t just qualify for Boston, I qualified at the hardest time corral based on sex and age. I was among the elite, maybe even the super elite.October 11th 2009, the Greatest Day of My LifeFinishing Time: 3:08:20, personal best by 23 minutes
Thank you all again for being along on this journey. Please help my teammates and me as we take on Mission Possible: A World Without Cancer.As for me, well I am heading to Vegas this weekend to do what ever guy does on a bachelor party in Vegas…run 2 hours a day in the desert and sit by the pool with some daiquiris. Yeah Buddy!
www.JohnnyMarathon.com
Oh, PS: I got my swagger back….
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder