I’m Batman.

Through the wonder of technology, (and the internet) I was able to track the swim time almost instantly. Under 50 minutes and we were rocking! Now off to the bike. The split time would come at 26 miles.

My parents, excited to see me run my first official Ironman event, had come to watch. I made sure that they were in a good safe place and I went to T2. When I got there it was empty of any bikes.

At two hours and thirty three minutes into the race, I watched pro triathlete Greg Bennett dismount his bike and enter T2 in first place.

The Relay Teams had a special rack just beside the Run Out gate. I organized my little bag which held bananas, Gels, and enough Gatorade to make King Kong pee, and I chatted with the other Relay Teams. Two girls who all knew each other were on two different teams. A girl I went to high school with was waiting on her husband. A very tall dark headed kid who had already done the swim, was waiting on his father to come in on the bike and then the son would do the run. A man with a handlebar mustache waited on his friend. Time passed and someone checked the Ironman Raleigh Athlete tracker… One of their friends was doing 24mph and soon came and they swapped their timing chip and were off! Another person checked and their biker was doing 21mph and a little later they came in! The son and father switched and then Mr. Moustache came and went. Soooo…. That left a short woman dressed in blue and me. As we looked around, the entire transition area was full. There were no athletes in the transition area. None. Just bikes. Our conversation was about how we hopped nothing was wrong, and that no one had gotten hurt. Then her rider came and she was gone. That left me in T2 by myself. I asked an official when the transition area would be closing and he said 1:48pm because it had to do with the time of the last person out of the water. It was now 1:30…1:35…I was preparing myself for the disappointment of not being able to run, while also visualizing being compassionate toward someone who had not been able to ride the bike as well as she had hopped….1:40…1:45…1:46…1:47

She rounded the corner. I ran to her and said in as a controlled and nice of a manor as I could muster…”We have SECONDS left! Gimmie the thing!”

The crowd of blue shirted volunteers who I had chatted with all afternoon were screaming at me “Go! Hurry! Go! Go! Go!”

BEEEEP! BEEEEP! HOORAY! YEA! A cheer with raised hands and smiles went up from the blue shirted volunteers! The timing mat chimed me in and I was the last person out of Transition Area 2 for the 2013 Ironman Raleigh 70.3.

I’m Batman.

I knew the course, having ran it multiple times over the last few months. It was a steady uphill for just over 5 miles followed by some crazy short steep hills, and then a nice gradual downhill sprint to the Finish Line.

The outside temperature was around 87f. This is easily 15 degrees hotter than it was just two days ago, or all year for that matter. I knew my time would be affected by the heat. With the delay n starting the run, I was now running during the hottest part of the day frustrated, and my adrenaline was pumping by the gallon.

It took two miles to get my heart rate back down to where it needed to be. I had to stop and affix the timing chip to my ankle. It only took a second, but it took my momentum away. I calmed my racing mind and got back to my center.

The run up Hillsboro Street felt good, but hot. The hills roll up and up and up until you get to Meredith Collage. A blue shirt volunteer wearing a Viking helmet gave me a drink of ice water. I laughed about her Viking attire for the next two miles. On the back side of Meredith the hills become wickedly sharp and test anyone’s resolve to keep pace.

Once at the Art Museum, I was to do two laps to make up the last mile. The Art Museum has some rather odd sculptures in its yard, one looking like a persons rear end and legs made of stone, another looks like fried onion rings and a third looks remarkably like a big turd. Yes a turd. It could be a big brown corn cob, but it’s not. At this point on the course there were water sprayers misting water on you as you ran by. A little girl shot me with a Super Soaker full of ice water. It all felt great. Aid stations were handing out cups of ice and I took advantage by grabbing three and stacking them on top of each other. They were small cups but had quite a bit of ice in them.

On my second pass I saw a hawk on the big turd. Then I saw an athlete wearing a red tri top, step off the course just yards away from an aid station to sit on a bench by the rock booty/leg thing. He was so cooked he was choosing to sit instead of go to the aid station. His face was as red as his top. I veered into the grass and without loosing step said “Hey Ironman…” I held out one of the ice cups and he took it. “Thank you.“ he called but I didn’t stop. At the aid station I saw an EMT guy walking and I said “There’s a guy who may have heat stroke over on that bench” The EMT held up his hand and moved toward the guy’s direction.

I’m Batman.

I was off the nasty little sharp hills again. They are not long, the are just steep and enough to really mess with you. I shortened my stride, but kept running.

Viking Girl yelled at me when I passed back by her.

The rest of the run was gradually rolling downhill. My system was grab two ice waters, dump one on my head and sip the other until the next aid station. My time picked up. There were lots of people walking. I ran by them saying things like “You got this, Ironman” and “Leave it all out here” and “Come on, let’s go.”

The ice lowered my temperature and I felt great. My gait increased and I was within a mile of the Finish Line. The last half mile is a long strait street with the picturesque Capital Building behind you and the Finish Line ahead of you. There were thousands of people lining the street, thousands. All cheering and yelling. I zipped my top up, and pressed on. I could see a runner about 50 yards ahead of me. It was a woman. An elderly woman. She would enter the Finish Chute before me. I learned a long time ago, pay attention to who you are near at the Finish Line, they will be in your photo forever. I slowed my pace. The announcer called her name and said that she was 79 years old. How can you not respect that? 79 year old chic running an Ironman. That’s pretty bad ass. I slowed even more and pointed at her with a big grin. The crowd went wild for her. I had my moment in on the Finish Line and busted a Blazeman Roll across. The two sisters were there, we all got pictures, and our medals. Mom and Dad came and we all had a lovely little moment.

Ironman Raleigh 70.3 was fantastic. It was put on well, organized to perfection and brought off without a hitch. While I did not PR, I did help those two girls get their medals. I feel good about how I felt during the entire run and was in good enough sorts during most of my time on that course to give words of encouragement to others. I feel good that I was in the right place at the right time for the guy in red. On my run I was able to pass 142 people. I bettered our teams Finish by passing three of the other Relay Teams. I ranked in at 524^th among the men. While it is not my best performance, I am glad to be able to have done it.

I am Ironman…and Batman.

Me: “I’m going to run 100 miles.”

Person X: “What do you mean you are going to run 100 miles?!?! Are you crazy?”

Me: “Yes, but it doesn’t bother me much.”

In the past I have lead advocacy and awareness programs about how cancer affects us all, and what we can do about it. This summer, I will be taking part in the Million Dollar Marathon which is being organized and presented by Above + Beyond Cancer. Above + Beyond is a public charity that was organized in 2011 to elevate the lives of those touched by cancer. In 2013, the organization is focused on reducing new cancer cases and cancer recurrence through programs that emphasis diet and vigorous physical exercise.

This marathon will involve 160 runners, each taking their turn as we run across the US 26.2 miles at a time.

My goal is to complete four consecutive marathons in a row. It is a total of 104.8 miles. I will be starting in the Washington DC area and running east late in July.

Now’s normally where the “That boy’s crazy” part comes in.

Cancer is no joke, and you do not have to be crazy in order to get it. Cancer does not care what colour your skin is, who you pray to or if you have plans for the rest of your life. Cancer is a bastard and I am going to run it back to hell. I only ask you show your support for the crazy running man on my donation page.

While I have chosen to push myself past my known limits, into what I am sure will be a challenge, my goal is to motivate someone into action toward their own goals.

Billy Joel said it best:

Please visit my donation page and show your support. No donation is too small and all are tax deductable.

http://coasttocoastforcancer.org/RoninSherpa/

Welcome, and thank you for visiting this blog. I’m Steve, the Ronin Sherpa and I live in Apex, NC.

This summer I am taking part in an event called The Million Dollar Marathon. It is an unprecedented event during which 160 runners will cross the United States, one after the other, each running a marathon. We will pass a baton of hope and raise money for cancer research programs that support cancer survivors and their families.

This event is the brain child of Steve Cannon who was the first human to run around Lake Michigan, averaging 40 marathons in 40 days.

Each team member is tasked with raising $7500.00 and then running a marathon. All told, we aim to raise a million dollars. Team members come from all walks of life. Some have family members who had cancer. Some are cancer survivors themselves. For some this will be their first marathon, and for others it will be one of many they run this summer.

A marathon is no easy task. Many who run aspire to finish one in their lifetime. Those of you who follow this space know I regularly run marathons. I am confident I can cover the distance of 26.2 miles. Being an event of this magnitude, and proportion, I feel the need to task myself and reach further than I have before.

If I am going to ask my friends and family members to dig into their pockets to give and support this cause, I feel it my responsibility to reach further than my current grasp and give more than I ask.

I will be running four consecutive marathons for a total of 104.8 miles. (168.7km) The run itself will take place in late July, and I will be running from Washington DC to Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Over the summer I will be posting my training results here, explaining the products I use and support and I will even have a few surprises for those who continue to follow my efforts.

Cancer is a bastard that steals beauty from peoples lives. Help me to run cancer into the damn ground.

My funding page is here. Please give and give generously. I hope my actions prove to you my dedication. Help support me with your dollars. 

Thank you for your time and attention. I love you all.

LIVESTRONG is about helping those with cancer, it is not about professional cycling. I shook Lance’s hand once and have spoken with him twice for no longer than a few minutes each time. The subject matter we spoke of had nothing to do with professional sports or cycling. I spoke with him about my Uncle Sid who was taken away from us by cancer. I shared Uncle Sid’s love for solving puzzles and how he built wooden wagons for children. I gave Lance my thanks for his part in creating an organization through which I could give sound to Uncle Sid’s now silent voice.

The snide media make their living with the sensationalism of kicking the great who fall. I do not fault them for their ignorant tirades, nor will I add logs to their pyre.

I support Lance Armstrong. I have said this many times and my feelings on the matter have not waned. Damn the torpedoes. Whether he did or did not use performance enhancing drugs is not my concern. I do not feel duped if he did, nor do I feel vindicated if he did not. The spectacle of professional cycling has little to do with the fact I like to ride a bicycle, and it has even less to do with the 28 million people and their families who are dealing with the issues cancer has brought into their lives, right now.

Lance stepped down as the Chairman of LIVESTRONG so that the focus could remain where it should be: on people dealing with cancer. Nike withdrew their personal sponsorship of Lance as an athlete. None of this is beyond what was expected. Lance is a big boy, he will be fine. I am not worried about him. He has homes all over the world, a super model girlfriend and a beautiful family. I’ll buy his next book, and you probably will too.

Now let us get back to work dealing with what is really important: cancer devastates the lives of people it touches. From the moment the doctor says “You have cancer” and the blackness fills your thoughts, LIVESTRONG gives you a path to run on and a lighted direction to go toward. My Uncle Sid is still helping people figure out that puzzle of ‘expert doctors’ and ‘proper insurance claim forms’ and government funded programs that help people with cancer screenings and treatments.

The work goes on…

http://blog.livestrong.org/2012/10/17/lance-armstrong-to-step-down-as-chairman-of-livestrong/

Chris Horner to coach: “I hurt my knee.”

Coach to Chris Horner: “Well don’t think about it.”

Just please be aware of cyclists, there are a lot of us out on the road.

Chrissie Wellington is the greatest triathlete on Earth. 13 times she has run an Iron distance triathlon, and 13 times she has won. On four separate occasions she has won the Ironman World Championship held in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii each year. She beat the standing speed for finishing time, a record which stood for fourteen years and she beat it time by more than 30 minutes. On a regular basis she finishes in front of professional male triathletes. This past year, Chrissie soundly won the Kona World Championship Ironman after a bike crash which would put most people out for months or years. She swam the 2.4 miles with a torn pictorial muscle, and the road rash scars she bore would make your skin crawl. Her determination and grit are unstoppable. Her dedication to her craft is a model of perfection.

How can you not want to read about this woman’s life?

Earlier this year Chrissie announced she would step away from Ironman for a bit, and this book is just one of the things she has on the slate. I was excited to read about Chrissie. I have viewed her as a hero for many years now, watching the Ironman coverage online and on NBC trying to catch a glimpse of her. As a triathlete, cyclist, runner and just as a person who tries to make himself better with each day, Chrissie’s accomplishments are awe inspiring. Each evening when I spend time on my bike in the trainer, I watch an Ironman DVD and in most of the modern ones, she is there motivating me.

I had to have this book.

Not to be released in the US until May, I called some friends in the UK and asked for a big favor… A few days later, and a few Euros in shipping, I now have a copy.

From her humble childhood, to University and wanting to become a lawyer, and from long distance cycling in Nepal to her first triathlon, this is the story of a girl who becomes a woman, and a woman who becomes a World Champion.

Chrissie’s story is one of success and failures, and learning how to deal with both. She remains one of my heroes and this book is one I will read again and again for inspiration.

giggle…

(After you are done cursing at me… Panama)

With that, the Atlas V Rocket  lifted off and began its 8 month journey to Mars.

The Atlas V rocket carrying the new Mars Rover named ‘Curiosity,’ screamed into the heavens beginning its 8 month trek the red planet. It was a fitting start to the Space Coast Marathon weekend. My vantage point for the launch was the front gate of the Kennedy Space Center where the Health and Fitness Expo was taking place.

This was the 40^th Space Coast Marathon, but my first time running it. I had visions of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, but I had a few complicating factors. Just one month ago I had run the Mount Lemmon Marathon in Tucson, AZ which is called “The Toughest Road Marathon in the World,” and I was still dealing with physical issues from it. I had suffered a nasty stress fracture in my left leg which had put a damper on my training, and my weight was up a few pounds. By “few” I mean 15. It is amazing that in 42 years I could not gain weight to save my life, but I quit running for a few weeks and gain 15 pounds with relative ease. Fuckin Domino’s pizza, right? But that’s another blog…

So I had doubts about achieving my High Goal of Boston. My Main Goal was to finish, and have fun doing it. As this was the 40^th running of the event, special finishers medals had been made. Medals are the ‘bling’ of the marathoners world.

On this trip I wasn’t alone, My friend and business partner, Megan G flew in from Utah to run her first half marathon. She and I met trough the fitness world a few years back. Megs has been a source of great inspiration for me because of her personal growth and dedication. I have witnessed her change from a very quiet, introverted and painfully shy person unhappy with who was in her mirror into a someone very self aware and physically confident with herself. We have both had the great fortune to meet with Jillian Michaels, but Megan has worked with Chalene Johnson, creator of Turbo Jam and Turbo Fire and Tony Horton Creator of P90X, P90X2 and 10 Minute Trainer. Megs and I opened a branch of the fitness company called Beachbody. It produces some of the most popular home fitness programs in the world: Turbo Jam, Turbo Fire, P90X, Insanity, and now the most anticipated program to come along in years, P90X2. But this blog is not a sales pitch for those products, we are talking about running 26.2 and 13.1 miles. I had bet Megs that she couldn’t finish her first half marathon in under 2:30 and she had come to Florida to kick my ass.

The Expo had all kinds of product demos. From a self massaging rolling pin called “The Stick,” to sunglasses and jewelry. Brooks Shoes were a major sponsor of the event and their booth was massive. Megs and I both got cool Brooks jackets embroidered with the special 40^th Space Coast Marathon logo. We hung out for a bit and then headed back to the Radisson to rest up.

Just a quick word about the Radisson at the Port: This is a lovely place. All inclusive, restaurant, pub, massive pool with a huge waterfall in the middle of it, and poolside live entertainment every night. There was even a great koi fish pond!

The Pasta Diner would bring us back to the Kennedy Space Center later that evening. From the front gate we marched over to the awaiting busses which took us out the Apollo/ Saturn V Complex. This complex is a celebration of mans journey into space and contains an actual Saturn V rocket and we ate our meal beneath it. The guest speaker was Kathrine Switzer: the first woman to ever complete the Boston Marathon. She told her harrowing tale of how the race director attacked her and tried to tear off her race number, but her boyfriend (a 260 pound Olympic hammer thrower) counter attacked the director and she was able to finish.

The story of the race into space, and Kathrine’s story of overcoming the odds both played well into the theme of running a marathon. There are endless obstacles to overcome to achieve the greatness of a Finish Line.

Both story lines tied well into the task of training endless hours, running in the rain, changing ones diet, time away from loved ones and everything else that goes into the prep work of running a marathon. You see the actual running of a marathon is the glory part, the icing on the cake. It has little to do with the work which has to take place in order to finish. Those endless hours running at 5:00am are the actual marathon. The event day is mainly the pomp and circumstance of your reward for doing the actual work.

Right. So 4:00am comes quickly and as per my normal marathon day routine I shower, dress and eat… oh crap. I forgot my normal eats of rice and eggs, so I wolfed down three chocolate energy bars. Hmmm. We will revisit this choice again in a bit.

The busses picked us up and delivered us to the Finish Line Village. Thousands of people wandered about. Hundreds waited in line at the port-o-potty. We wandered over to the Start Line and watched the video loop of Space Shuttles and Darth Vader music. (Very cool BTW.)

The Space Coast Marathon is in its 40^th year and they really have the event down to a science. I must say it is the most professional and well put on event I have ever attended. Around every corner there are a dozen things which you would only think of on a race day like placing the bag drop right between the Start and Finish line so little thought has to be put into where you need to go. Large friendly signs that point toward, well, everything you want: busses, port-o-pottys, food, Start and Finish Lines… etc, etc.

The Start Line had a super large HiDef TV with images from NASA and the space program flashing on it to Star Wars Music. Corrals were set up for different pace times with the faster runners up front. Like I said I wanted to qualify Boston with my run here.

Lets revisit that thought just for a minute. Qualifying for Boston is not an easy thing. If it were easy, everyone would do it. Two things had changed making the qualifications harder for this year:

First: Seconds do not count anymore. Before this year if you needed to run a 3:20 time and you Finished in 3:20:59, you still got in. Now if you need a 3:20 and you ran a 3:20:01 you were out. So that is almost an entire minute. So to compensate you have to give yourself that minute back by running a 3:19. Twice in training I have run a 3:19 marathon distance, so I know I have it in me.

Second: My age group qualifying time for Boston had been raised to 3:15. So now to give myself the minute padding, I have to run a 3:13 marathon. That is 6 minutes off of my time. Difficult? Yep. To be honest, it was playing heavy on my mind.

One of the reasons I had chosen the Space Coast Marathon was because they offered pacers who will run at the right pace to keep you on track for your goal. It is easier to run with someone and keep pace sometimes than run with yourself. At least that was my thought. However the fastest pacer they offered was a 3:20. I needed to run faster than most of this pack of 4000 people in order to achieve my goal. Heavy on my mind? Yeah. We are at Def Con Six, baby.

Megs and I sauntered over to the Starting line, wished each other well and I climbed up to the front of the pack.

The race is called the Space Coast and this was the 40^th running of it. It just so happens that 2011 was the final year of the Space Shuttle Program. In classic style, the countdown to our Start was on that huge TV screen with images of every sort of space ship NASA has ever launched. Classic.

“…3,2,1 Liftoff…”

I was running a marathon.

At first the Half Marathon and Marathon runners were together but soon we peeled off to run a 6.525 mile out and back loop then we would run the other 6.525 loop that was the Half Marathon loop to make up the other half.

We had bunches of turns and twists in the first mile, but then settled down to a nice straight course that took us along the Indian River. At 65f at the Starting Line, it was warm, humid and heating up fast.

The first three miles ticked off quickly. My head was in a good place, my legs were steady and I felt strong. It was just so damn hot. This first leg was an out and back course so going out for 6 miles the water would be on my right, and then coming back in the water would be on my left. At mile four I saw the storm coming in. The black cloud boiling in from the ocean, pouring rain down on us all. I didn’t mind a bit. The warm wind blew the cool rain over us in sheets. There were moments of concern when the wind whipped palm leaves down and across the group of runners in front of us, but thankfully they were only large leaves.

I ran by a woman walking her dog and said ‘good morning.’ She said it back.

I ran by a couple whose golden lab was holding a newspaper in his mouth. Good dog!

The first cramp hit me just before the turn around. Damn energy bars. I always wear my Fuel Belt with my super secret drink mix and I took a hit of it. The cramp past but I began to think about a port-o-potty. (aka The Little Blue Room.)

Quick note to those who are not runners or triathletes: The use of a port-o-potty is sub-optimal. The use of a port-o-potty in soaking wet spandex is below sub-optimal.

The cramps did not go away.

At this point I would like to give a loud and very heartfelt shout out to all the volunteers who all dressed up and manned the aid stations. Being a “Space” themed event there were the Buzz Lightyear, Star Wars, and Star Trek aid stations but my favorite one was Space Balls.

After a lengthy stop at a Little Blue Room’ I gathered my self, cranked up a little Fatboy Slim and began to work the math on what my pace had to be to salvage my Boston goal. The rain returned. It felt good.

I found it impossible to pass another Little Blue Room and had to make a second stop. My time clicked away.

I was not half way done yet and the cramps were still not going away.

By the time I came back through town, and crossed the Start Line area again to begin the second half, it was clear I was going to have to let go of achieving Boston this go around. I would have had to achieve a pace grater than 6.00 and I was not capable of it in my current state. Finishing became the order of the day. Having passed the halfway mark I was now encountering the half marathoners finishing their race. At mile 16 Megan appeared. She shrugged her shoulders as if to say “What happened?” I smiled and slapped her a high five. I knew she would hit 2:30 if she hustled.

Mile 17 brought a moment that was very cool. A man came beside me and said “Hey did you run Mount Lemmon?” “Yes I did.” “Hey man, we rode to the start line together on the bus.” It was very cool that I bumped into him again. I am so sorry that I do not remember his name. I was in the middle of bonking and trying to ignore it, but it was so cool to bump into him.

In every marathon I’ve run to date, at mile 13.1 I have taken two Advil. With trying to calculate my pace, and dealing with an upset stomach I had missed it this trip. At mile 18 the wheels came off. Try as I may, I could not keep things moving at the pace I wanted. Or any pace really. I was baked. I had changed things in my race day routine and I was paying for them now. At an aid station I got two Gu packs and hit them right away. My secret drink wasn’t doing what I wanted it to do and I was in a free fall of doubt.

At that moment I noticed the house I was running by. There was a man on a ladder working under the eve of the house. Another runner, a woman then ran into my field of vision. She was also looking at the ladder man. In a moment so clear I can still hear her voice she turned and looked me straight in the eye and said “Damn. That looks like REAL work” and she ran off. I became hysterical at the irony of a woman running a marathon calling what he was doing ‘work.’ I had to stop I was laughing so hard. Here I was tied up so far in my own head I had forgotten I was out here to have fun. I gathered myself and ran on.

I began to run along with a woman in a blue sports bra. We passed each other a number of times. There was a man in front of the two of us who pointed out into the water and said something. I was still in iPod land so I heard “whaal- whenns” I looked and saw a sailboat so I thought he said ‘sailboat.’ There were 4000 people running this thing, some of them could be from out west and had never seen a sailboat. Blue Bra woman smacked me and said “Dolphins!” I looked and sure enough there they were! Right at the end of one of the house docks, two dolphins! One of them had a small fish that he threw into the air! It was so surreal!

My body was spent and I still had three or four miles to go. Finishing became my goal. There are people out there who aspire to finish one marathon and this year I had run three of them, including one called “The Worlds Toughest Road Marathon.” I was not going to beat myself up about bonking out.

The Finish Line Pavilion brought me around the complex across a stage to my Finish Line where I gave a Blazeman roll in honor of Jon Blais. (www.waronals.com) These marathoners don’t know what a Blazeman roll is because some dude came running over to help me up. Back off runner boy, Triathlete coming through.

5:00:09. Hands down my slowest marathon time ever, but I finished and I am proud of my efforts. Some people would have ducked out and taken the DNF. Not me.

Megs hit her mark and ran a 2:23:17! Big props to Megan! It was her first Half Marathon and she did very well. I am very proud of her.

The festival went on into the afternoon with space creatures wondering about the Pavilion. I saw Jabba the Hut, a blue Avitar woman and Princess Leia in her metal bikini.

I did find out that only 14 of the 4000 runners finished with a 3:15 or better. It made me smile. While my performance was not on par with my efforts, or training level, I must say that this event was the most professionally run event I have ever attended anywhere. With NASA as their backdrop, and even having the luck of witnessing the launch of an interplanetary rocket,  The 40^th Space Coast Marathon was a fantastic event! While my goal now is to run a marathon in each of the 50 states, I will return to the Space Coast again for this event. My thanks to Race Director, Denise Piercy and her entire staff of volunteers for putting on the best marathon on Earth!