If you read my blog on Friday, you know I ran race No. 4 of Operation Jack with a heavy heart. Last Tuesday, a man I knew passed away suddenly. We weren’t best friends or anything like that, but I had met him enough times and his daughter has been in my son Ben’s class the past two years and this really shook me up.
This race was dedicated to him. He really liked what I was doing with Operation Jack and I wanted to make him proud. I really wanted to go back down into the sub-3:10 range, but my body is still adapting to this schedule. This was my fourth all-out marathon in 17 days, so I’m not fresh. My goal was to run hard, stay at the right heart rate and not go easy at all when it got tough. There’s no going back on this race and I wanted to make it count.
I started off fine, running within myself the way I wanted to. I wanted to keep my heart rate between 170 and 173, not letting it slip when I fatigued as I’ve been doing lately. Unfortunately, I could tell by about two miles in that my legs hated me. It’s not like there’s no good reason for me to feel fatigue that early, but it was pretty startling nonetheless. I knew right then it was going to be a long, painful day.
I kept pounding out the miles and fighting to keep my heart rate high enough. The problem with fatigue is that it’s just too painful to run hard enough to get that heart rate up. But I kept pressing and pressing because I had to. I was actually pretty happy with how I was doing. It was a very uncomfortable run, but I felt like I was doing a good job accomplishing my goal, which was to put forth an effort that would make Peter proud.
As the miles ticked off, I feel like I did a decent job fighting through fatigue. I also dealt with side stitches on-and-off from mile 7 until well into the 20s. I’ve been getting those a lot lately, so I’m getting kind of used to them. I don’t know if that’s a good thing, but at least they didn’t wreck me like they have in the past. I hit the half right around 1:35:10 or so and for as lousy as I felt, I was pretty happy about that.
I held strong for quite a while, running pretty good miles. I was just on the outside of 3:10 looking in, maintaining a 7:18 average pace (3:10 requires a 7:16 or something like that) through the high teens.
But I started to slow a bit at around 21. I was getting pain all up and down the back of both legs, and really feeling beat down. I don’t think any of my miles were slower than 8:00, but some of them crept up there pretty close to 7:50. Once the race starts hitting 18 or 19, I can tell what my time range is going to be. I thought I was looking at a 3:12 for a while, but that gradually crept up to a 3:16 or so. I knew I wouldn’t hit the 3:10, but I wanted a Boston qualifier (3:15:59) and I really wanted to beat my fastest time of the year, 3:13:58.
Between 22 and 25, I wasn’t happy with how hard I was running. My heart rate slipped into the low 160s and I was really struggling to turn the wheels. But right before I crossed the 25-mile marker, I decided I was going all-out and giving it everything I could. I was pretty happy with how I’d run for Peter to that point, but that last mile was for him.
I got the heart rate up into the 180s and went crazy hard. My legs hurt, I was totally toast, and my breathing was pretty labored. I was almost wondering if I was going too hard. But I didn’t worry about it. I just went. I started picking off people, one after another, so I started counting. Oh, and just so you know, in a race like this at the pace I run, there aren’t a ton of people around me when I run. They probably average 20-30 yards apart. Occasionally there are a few nearby each other, but typically they’re pretty spread out.
The more people I passed, the more I didn’t want anybody to return the favor, and I know that when you pass somebody near the end, it makes you a target. Well, I passed 27 people in that final mile. Nobody passed me. It was a good mile, and a great way to end the race. I went 3:13:56, beating my best Operation Jack time (so far) by two seconds. I was very happy with how I ran and battled through pain to get it done. My speed isn’t all there and I’m obviously not 100 percent, but I’m actually pretty happy with how I ran. I’m sure Peter is, too.
4 down, 56 to go!
Brian Thompson says
Great job Sam! You were missed last night at the Train 4 Autism awards but everyone is totally “Jacked” with excitement by your efforts!
Ben Fesagaiga says
Great Job Sam!
Molly Rearick says
Congratulations!
RuthE Levy says
Good work, Sam! I wake up on race days thinking about you, watching the clock and wondering how you’re doing. I pray that each race will go well and that you will be able to get through all 60 with heart, body and spirit in tact. And now I would like to address the issue brought up earlier in the week in “I Knew This Was Coming.”
Sam was born while his father was in law school. He went to classes three nights a week and/or Sundays for the first three years of Sam’s life and studied for the Bar Exam for another year. This took countless hours, but I told him he’d better study hard to pass the bar to make it all worth it. No one ever said “You’re taking too much time away from your children,” because they knew that he was making an investment for the benefit of his family.
Of the twelve years I spent in the Air Force, I spent nine being separated from Sam and Josh by 2000 – 10,000 miles. I was dedicated to the service of my country as well as my family. The separation was hard, but I knew that I had to do everything I could to maintain that relationship with quality time, and I did. You wouldn’t say to a service man or woman, “You could be spending more time with your kids.” You’d say, “Thank you for your service.”
Sam has learned about dedication and commitment and hard work…and yes, sacrifice, and he is applying those qualities, not only for his own family, but for families everywhere who struggle with autistic children. So to Sam we say, “Thank you for your service, for your dedication, and your commitment to help make the world a better place.”
Anyone who has been around Sam at home knows that he is dedicated to his family. And you’ve never seen anything sweeter than when he packs Jack into the truck and takes him on “Me-‘n-Jack” trips or walks hand in hand with him at the park, just Big Sam and Little Jack.
adair renning says
Way to go Sam!! That’s just amazing!
Sherry Pratt says
Great job Sam. God is looking down and smiling on you !!!
Rebecca Rona-Tuttle says
Wow, Sam! What an incredible marathon you ran in Arizona! Your strength, determination and love are just amazing! This is the first time I’ve read your blog, and I’m so impressed. I read the lovely post you wrote about Tiffany. Yes, you’re so lucky to have her, and she’s lucky to have a wonderful husband who appreciates all she does for you and the children. Good luck with the next marathon! Love, Aunt Rebecca
Todd Zankich says
That’s great! I struggle to get down to 10 mins per mile, but doubt I could even maintain that for more than 6-8 miles. On my last jog, two guys passed me, and I don’t think I’ve *ever* passed anyone!
Sonja Wieck says
Yea Sam! Awesome work. I posted a blog post about you today at http://www.gosonja.com
Man, you are gutsy. Hey, how is your potassium? Bananas? Lack of potassium is often a cause of side stitches. Also, are you drinking a recovery drink after your marathons? And compression socks? Did you get some? If “no” on any of these questions, then I’m sending you a care package.
Ally Phillips says
Way to go on passing people at the end! And running through the pain and the fatigue. You’re pretty much a rockstar in my book.
In other news, I do laugh out loud a little bit when you say ” I don’t think any of my miles were slower than 8:00, but some of them crept up there pretty close to 7:50″ because to me, that is CRAZY FAST–and, not so secretly, I’m a little jealous.
Hope you’re having a great day today!
Kerry Rocchi says
I ran last Sunday too…not as far as you did, but I ran. 🙂 And, I thought of you and of Peter, and it made me run harder and farther than I have before. I’m new to running and I know that, at some point this year, I will run a race for Operation Jack! Thanks for your inspiration!
Kathy Yu says
Ahhh that’s amazing, Sam! Glad you powered through it. I hope you recover well – I know one of your races is postponed so take advantage! Take care<3