Deer,Fox and groundhog,oh my. September 30, 2006
Posted by anton in : Training , add a commentLast long run today before Marine corps Marathon. 22. Seneca Creek State Park. And,I mean the whole Park. Trails, roads
steps,hills,flats you name it…it’s here.
The best part of running here is the wildlife. Not the people mind you,though there is some of that,but the animals.
Today’s count, 22 deer (they’re like rats) a fox and one groundhog/woodchuck/whistlepig,depending on which part of the country you are from. A little Green Back Heron and two hawks. All this minutes from the Beltway and surrounded by a bizillion people. Beautiful.
Thought of all those folks at Chessieman today…It was raining here and hopefully they got off better although I’m sure it was just as chilly there.
What to say about along run. It’s Long…somewhat boring and tough to do alone. But that’s how I like my training. makes Race day with lots of people go REAL fast! That’s it…just can’t wax lyricle like some blogs I read.
You know what I’m talking about…” As I ran, the rain drops splattered against the road reminding me of the tears of angels falling from the sodden clouds.” (gag…retch) I made that up, but you get the point.
As my Running starts to wind down for MCM..I’ll start picking up the bike more in prep for IMLP but have to careful not to trash myself. Have been off the bike more than on and miss it.
Kudos to my two friends…John G and John M on their finishes of the Make a Wish Tri last weekend. John G’s first…We went to watch and cheer and ring cowbells…(you have to be a nordic skier to understand.)
Why I have an IM tat. September 12, 2006
Posted by anton in : Ironman , 1 comment so farAfter I did my first Ironman in 2003, I got an Ironman logo tattoo.
It was just a few days after and I fell asleep in the chair…
Some folks think I’m some bragging,self-focused type to have that thing on my calf. “Oh, look at me I’m IRONMAN!
Couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Getting the tat had NOTHING to do with finishing Ironman. It did have everything to do with getting to the start line in one piece and with some vestage of sanity. The previous ten years of my life had been tragic, and I mean that in the classic sense.
Tragedy,Noun: Dealing with a serious theme, typically that of a noble person whose character is flawed by a weakness which causes him to break moral precept and which inevitably leads to his down fall or destruction.
My Dad died and, for awhile I lost my moral compass. My marriage shattered, I ended up in a relationship I should have never been in, lost everything, including my self respect and almost didn’t make it. There were days I wanted to jump off of something really high.
Little by little I started to come back.
I started to train for IMLP in ‘02 but my Mom became ill and died. My sisters and I cared for her. It was ugly. With the help of family and a good therapist I was able to get righted and see my situation as it really was.
“Re-called to life” if you read Dickens.
I signed up for IMLP ‘03 and despite some brief mis-steps in my personal life was able to get back what I had lost.
My Dignity,self respect, and the goodness inside that had been lost too long under a bad influence.
Training was hard…There were days I didn’t want to get out of bed, but did, because Ironman was the path back to myself.
I stood there that morning on the shore of Mirror Lake and knew… The kid was alright.
The tat was a symbol of all that, of being back among the living.
My healing was not without mis-step. With friends, Family, and the finest person I have ever met, IMLP ‘07 will be a breeze!