Training Update #4!

It's been a while since I updated because these past couple of weeks have been chaotic to say the least!! It started off with a quick jaunt to Seattle for my buddy Nate's wedding. I was only there for 3ish days, so didn't have much time to explore the area, but the parts I did get to see were really nice. The wedding was lovely and I had a great time. I was happy to get home, however, to see my ladies, because that was the longest I had ever been away from them. When I got home, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law were here visiting for a week, which flew by. Then, after they left, my grandparents came in for Ella's birthday! They are leaving tomorrow - we will be sad to see them go. Oh, and we are trying to buy a house as well - went to see it the Sunday before I left for Seattle, had the offer accepted by the Wednesday, now still waiting for contract to be settled and signed.

So, to summarize, over the past 2 weeks, I have been across the country and back, had a house full of people, my daughter turned 2, we are in negotiations for our first house, and I am about to turn 32 on Saturday. Where does one find the time to train?!?!

I had to take a bit of a hiatus while in Seattle - there simply was no time. Once I got home, I was right back into it. I have been running 4x a week, with a long run once a week. My long run this past Sunday was 11 miles. Not too bad yet...I am dreading the 20 milers in a couple of months!! The biggest obstacle, really, is the weather. The humidity is stifling, more so than any summer in recent memory, which really hinders my performance. In order to avoid the excessive humidity and heat, I wake up very early and try and get out on the road by 6-630am. That way, the sun isnt very far up yet, and it is still relatively cool outside. Other times, when this isnt possible, I hit the treadmill at the air conditioned gym. This is fine for the shorter runs, but for the long ones....it is truly awful, so we try to avoid 10+ miles on the treadmill at all costs!

My article came out this week in the Long Beach Herald - quite a nice spread, I am on the cover as well as 2 pages inside! If you haven't seen it, I have scanned it onto my blog in full - quite a flattering piece, of course the author forgot to put in the website for donations....! I have emailed the editor, he said he will get it into next week's issue. I actually was contacted by one of my old middle school/high school teachers after seeing the article - he kept saying how proud of me he is, and how I am an inspiration to so many people. That sotr of thing will never get old, and is one of the reasons I keep going to the gym every day. Next up: Runner's World, November 2008 issue!! I can't wait!

The thing about running is that it gives you a lot of alone time with nothing to do but think. On one of my runs this past week, I started to think about motivation. Not the usual motivation stuff, i.e. staying trim and fit, running faster, making people proud of me, etc. What I started thinking about was the actual race itself - it is going to be a long, hard road, something that I have never done before, something that is going to put my body to quite a test, and I am sure I am going to be shattered well before the finish line. I want to have something to think of that is going to drive me to that finish line with determination, ferocity even. I don't know if it will be possible, after 26 miles, to have anything resembling ferocity left in me, but you get what I mean.

Of course, my wife and daughter serve as my inspiration daily for doing what I do. So do all of my family and friends, and the thought of them being proud of me for accomplishing what I have done and what I will continue to do. I am also motivated by everyone who has donated to Team for Kids in my name, whether they know me or not, because they are supporting my goal of finishing this race, but also are supporting my hope for the future, trying to eliminate obesity as one of the leading causes of preventable death.

These people motivate me daily, and will do so during the race. But one person keeps popping into my head. I flash back to the end of February this past year when I learned of my childhood friend Tara McConnach's death and I get chills down my spine every time - I know this will happen for the rest of my life. I think of how I felt when I realized that we hadn't seen each other in YEARS and how I would never see her again. I think of how devastating her wake was, seeing photographs of her smiling face everywhere. I think of how horrifying her funeral was, seeing this family I grew up with in absolute despair as her coffin was brought into the church. It shattered the innocence of my childhood, and these images will never ever leave me. Tara was a beautiful soul that left us too soon.

It is for these reasons that I decided to dedicate this race to Tara's memory, and the hope that the McConnach family can regain some happiness and normalcy in their lives.

Until next time,

Gotta run!

-B


To donate, please click the following link:

https://www.nyrrc.org/cgi-bin/start.cgi/mar-programs/nyrrf/team/2008/donations.htm

My Entry Number is 211355 – you will need to put this number and my last
name in the appropriate boxes in order to donate.