Oops, I did it again, (Didn’t Britney Spears have a song that started like that?)
Those of you that know me well know I do not communicate some of my personal calamities (outside of my blog) to too many people…. Even my family has been significantly frustrated by that. I am pretty tough-minded (stubborn), don’t like to trouble people and am generally very private (stupid in some eyes). Frankly, I like it that way. Sorry if that may aggravate some of you at times, but it is who I am and I am not going to change.
Well, to cut to the chase, I had another lower back surgery on Wednesday evening, about 5pm. It was a “borderline emergency” or at least, from my point of view, a DEMAND surgery.
After running the San Francisco Half Marathon on July 25th, I returned to Denver with a bit more soreness on the LEFT side of my body and started to experience the same sciatica pain down my left side that I had had on my right side in November and December of this last year. As you know, I had a very successful surgery on December 29th and was a new man within days. I ran my first half marathon after surgery in April in Oklahoma and felt pretty good. I ran three more after that which included the San Francisco. I have completed 38 of these wonderful races.
Upon returning to Denver, I started helping Morgan and Amanda paint their new home and get some things moved in (plus, I am moving into their condo until it sells) but the sciatica pain started to increase. My doctor made the wise decision to have another MRI taken this last Friday. I was to receive results on Monday, but ended up in the ER Sunday morning with more pain than normal. That Doctor increased my meds but was also able to get his hands on my MRI results and I was made aware of the fact that I had herniated the left side of Lumbar 2/3 (the first injury was at 4/5). So, I was destined for therapy or another surgery. Being in the “superb” shape that I am in for a 60+year old stud, I took a few more drugs and just pressed on waiting for the process to play its self out.
Well……. Wednesday morning (about 2am) I had gotten up to get an ice pack for my hip/leg. I laid on that ice pack for probably an hour and proceeded to fall asleep upon it. At what I think was about 4am, I woke to pain in my leg that was the worst I had ever felt in my entire life. I tried to rub it out to no avail. I ended up calling an ambulance (NO ONE COULD HAVE GOTTEN ME DOWN THE STAIRS AND INTO A CAR) and had them transport me (with TWO morphine injections) to the hospital where my neurosurgeon works hoping he might take me into surgery that day!!!! As it turned out (yes, there is a God), his associate took me as his last surgery for the day at 5pm. I am sorry that I did not notify anyone except my dear friend Holly Hensey who lives about four miles from the hospital and knows how to interpret my morphine laden instructions. Calling just about anyone else at four in the morning seemed stupid especially when you consider how far St. Joseph’s Medical center is from the suburbs. It was kind of fun waking Hensey up in the middle of the night anyway.
I was released to the Department of Corrections by noon, yesterday (Thursday)and I am proud to say I am moving around fine, don’t need anything and am just about ready to move into my new digs at Morgan and Amanda’s condo. I am moving a little bit slower than the previous surgery but not by much. This one was a little more complicated. I have already made trips to the store, had a coffee at my favorite coffee house and plan on a normal weekend (except I will miss an Eagle Scout Court of Honor I was to speak at but have sent the script to be read my someone else). Bottom-line, I am just Ducky!!!
My future marathon career is certainly in doubt, but I am going on record that I will complete at least 50 within the next year or two, even if I have to walk or crawl them. The 100 mark may have to go by the wayside, but I do have a few creative ideas on a new quest of competing to complete 50 of SOMETHING whether it be 50 mini-triathlons, 50-fifty mile bike races (which would be kind of equivalent to a half marathon), or just get out and walk 655 miles (50 X 13.1= 655 miles) over a 30 day vacation and raise money for research on deranged Lebanese men over 60 with apparent death wishes!!! I don’t know….. But stay tuned. Once the back is really healed, the quest will begin.
Thanks for all your support over the last four years and 38 completed halves. Also, thank you for trying to understanding my lunacy and privacy, as strange as it all sounds. Hey, I am almost 61 years old and I am just going to have to do it “MY WAY.”
Mikie (in recuperation stage) Marathoner
San Francisco Half Marathon, July 25, 2010, San Francisco, California
Race Number 38
My life as an evangelist for running half marathons began three years ago, when I ran this particular half marathon, in foggy and misty San Francisco. I stood in my starting wave, getting ready to start my ninth half marathon with no specific goal in mind as to how many marathons I might run in my lifetime. My-o-my, how things changed that day.
As I lined up for the race today, with 20,000 other runners, I reflected back to that event of three years ago.... there I was, trying to warm myself in the cold San Francisco air, standing in front of two men chatting with one another. Both men were excited about the race but one of the men was expressing his phobia of BRIDGES. That period of ease-dropping plus a deep belly laugh in the hotel room with my son, Cameron, (we had just returned from touring a few wineries in Napa Valley), birthed this blog you have been subjected to for the last three years. You may enjoy reading part of my post of that special day, again. I have conveniently linked part of the July 2007 post onto a page that can be retrieved by hitting the link above this post entitled "An Exert from my blog post, July 2007...." I am ashamed to say, I made tragic fun of this poor man's phobia.... but, oh it was soooooo fun!!!
Running in San Francisco is special, without a doubt. The mere mention of San Francisco tends to make most of us imagine a special destination. It is often spoken of as one of the most charming cities in the world. I certainly experienced that on this trip. I spent part of my day at the Farmer's Market on the Embarcadero, listening to a variety of languages, sampling unusual foods (including, of course, oysters, some fine chocolate and exquisite jams) and listening to musicians play many different instruments including the oboe, the violin, kettle drums, ukuleles, guitars and the saxophone. My dinner was taken at the La Fitte Restaurant where I was expertly served by three beautiful waitresses (maybe they felt sorry for the charming Lebanese man who dined alone). I ordered an unusual pasta dish: It was Roasted Spaghetti in a Olive Oil Nettle sauce (it was green...seriously) with a mushroom, that I was unfamiliar with and had at least 15 letters in its name. I finished my pre-race meal with a wonderful Peach Tart and some French-pressed coffee. OH MY! Add to that, my table allowed me to view Coit Tower, the San Francisco Bay and a tremendous amount of foot traffic that made the people watching aspect of this adventure intriguing.
The race itself was wonderful. The weather was overcast, in the high 50's with very little wind. I ran very strong up to mile ten. The course turned into a leg shredder at that point with the last three miles comprised of 5% rolling hills.
Even with this special experience in San Francisco, Shakespeare's Macbeth may have had it right after all: Is life a tale "told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing?" Well, enter stage right, the Idiot, Mikie Marathoner, with lots of sound and fury in his impetuous blog trying to accomplish a goal that, in the long run, probably means nothing.... except for the shiny medals and the resident pain in the legs, feet and especially the lower back. It may be time for this old man to reconsider his goal, or at least modify it. Ten half marathons a year may be more than I can bear without proper training (which has been limited in the last six months), weekly massages (which I never do) and sponsorship from Nike, Fed-Ex or whomever (which will NEVER happen). Maybe 100 marathons by my Seventieth birthday would be more sane. Or..... I might strike it lucky - ("lucky" here is defined as "uncharacteristically strong, no pain, with carefree abandon and a super positive attitude") and be able to recover better in the future and accomplish my original goal. We shall see.
Time: 2:24:05
Prayer List: Miles 1-3: Two-year old, Shelby Griffin, who has returned home after three and a half months in the hospital. Miles 4-6: Fred Sanders, my step-father. He is battling cancer with the attitude of a true Marine! Miles 7-9: My brother, John who is still trying to recover from three years of disease in his colon. Miles 10-13: Mike Nolan, the Interim Principal at my beloved Jefferson Academy. Mike took the leadership responsibilities for "my" school and I have prayed that his learning curve would be smooth and blessed as he serves a very special community that I miss, very, very, very much.
My life as an evangelist for running half marathons began three years ago, when I ran this particular half marathon, in foggy and misty San Francisco. I stood in my starting wave, getting ready to start my ninth half marathon with no specific goal in mind as to how many marathons I might run in my lifetime. My-o-my, how things changed that day.
As I lined up for the race today, with 20,000 other runners, I reflected back to that event of three years ago.... there I was, trying to warm myself in the cold San Francisco air, standing in front of two men chatting with one another. Both men were excited about the race but one of the men was expressing his phobia of BRIDGES. That period of ease-dropping plus a deep belly laugh in the hotel room with my son, Cameron, (we had just returned from touring a few wineries in Napa Valley), birthed this blog you have been subjected to for the last three years. You may enjoy reading part of my post of that special day, again. I have conveniently linked part of the July 2007 post onto a page that can be retrieved by hitting the link above this post entitled "An Exert from my blog post, July 2007...." I am ashamed to say, I made tragic fun of this poor man's phobia.... but, oh it was soooooo fun!!!
Running in San Francisco is special, without a doubt. The mere mention of San Francisco tends to make most of us imagine a special destination. It is often spoken of as one of the most charming cities in the world. I certainly experienced that on this trip. I spent part of my day at the Farmer's Market on the Embarcadero, listening to a variety of languages, sampling unusual foods (including, of course, oysters, some fine chocolate and exquisite jams) and listening to musicians play many different instruments including the oboe, the violin, kettle drums, ukuleles, guitars and the saxophone. My dinner was taken at the La Fitte Restaurant where I was expertly served by three beautiful waitresses (maybe they felt sorry for the charming Lebanese man who dined alone). I ordered an unusual pasta dish: It was Roasted Spaghetti in a Olive Oil Nettle sauce (it was green...seriously) with a mushroom, that I was unfamiliar with and had at least 15 letters in its name. I finished my pre-race meal with a wonderful Peach Tart and some French-pressed coffee. OH MY! Add to that, my table allowed me to view Coit Tower, the San Francisco Bay and a tremendous amount of foot traffic that made the people watching aspect of this adventure intriguing.
The race itself was wonderful. The weather was overcast, in the high 50's with very little wind. I ran very strong up to mile ten. The course turned into a leg shredder at that point with the last three miles comprised of 5% rolling hills.
Even with this special experience in San Francisco, Shakespeare's Macbeth may have had it right after all: Is life a tale "told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing?" Well, enter stage right, the Idiot, Mikie Marathoner, with lots of sound and fury in his impetuous blog trying to accomplish a goal that, in the long run, probably means nothing.... except for the shiny medals and the resident pain in the legs, feet and especially the lower back. It may be time for this old man to reconsider his goal, or at least modify it. Ten half marathons a year may be more than I can bear without proper training (which has been limited in the last six months), weekly massages (which I never do) and sponsorship from Nike, Fed-Ex or whomever (which will NEVER happen). Maybe 100 marathons by my Seventieth birthday would be more sane. Or..... I might strike it lucky - ("lucky" here is defined as "uncharacteristically strong, no pain, with carefree abandon and a super positive attitude") and be able to recover better in the future and accomplish my original goal. We shall see.
Time: 2:24:05
Prayer List: Miles 1-3: Two-year old, Shelby Griffin, who has returned home after three and a half months in the hospital. Miles 4-6: Fred Sanders, my step-father. He is battling cancer with the attitude of a true Marine! Miles 7-9: My brother, John who is still trying to recover from three years of disease in his colon. Miles 10-13: Mike Nolan, the Interim Principal at my beloved Jefferson Academy. Mike took the leadership responsibilities for "my" school and I have prayed that his learning curve would be smooth and blessed as he serves a very special community that I miss, very, very, very much.
Slacker Half Marathon, Georgetown, Colorado, June 27, 2010
Race Number 37
This may make you vomit, but I could not stop my psychotic thought process. I took off on the Dos Equis beer commercial....... now you are going to meet ........
Time: 2:30:30. Lactic acid built up early at 10,000+ feet. No legs at the end.
Prayer List: Miles: 1-3: All my new friends at the Colorado League of Charter Schools. Twenty dedicated professionals working hard to support the 160+ charter schools in our state. Mikes 4-6: Jeff Johnson as he mourns the loss of his father. Miles 7-9: Marco Rafanelli as he serves in Kenya, Africa for the month of July bringing water to a poor community. Miles 10-13: Shelby Griffin... two years old, recovering from seizures and still in the hospital after three months.
This may make you vomit, but I could not stop my psychotic thought process. I took off on the Dos Equis beer commercial....... now you are going to meet ........
"The Most Interesting Runner in the World."
- When it is raining, it is because he is sweating heavily from a training run.
- When he ran the Slacker Half at 10,850 feet this weekend, .............angels appeared.
- When he was racing at the Slacker Half, he secreted pheromones. It was said it effected all the runners around him.
- He has been known to cure runner's knee by just walking into a room.
- His organ donation card also lists his feet, his calves and his hip flexors.
- His charm and running enthusiasm is so contagious, vaccines have been made to fend against it.
- Proper race bib placement does not apply to him.
- His blood smells like fragrant massage oil.
- At the Slacker Half Marathon, his legend proceeded him..... like lightening before thunder. There were ooooo's and aaaah's.
- If he were to race a letter mailed from Denver to Newport Beach, he would beat the letter by a full day.
MIKIE MARATHONER....... IS ........ THE MOST INTERESTING RUNNER in the WORLD!
"I do not always run in races to punish myself for being soooo egocentric, but when I do, I prefer running in half marathons. Keep running my friends!" (and keep reading this blog for those moments when you need to purge).
Time: 2:30:30. Lactic acid built up early at 10,000+ feet. No legs at the end.
Prayer List: Miles: 1-3: All my new friends at the Colorado League of Charter Schools. Twenty dedicated professionals working hard to support the 160+ charter schools in our state. Mikes 4-6: Jeff Johnson as he mourns the loss of his father. Miles 7-9: Marco Rafanelli as he serves in Kenya, Africa for the month of July bringing water to a poor community. Miles 10-13: Shelby Griffin... two years old, recovering from seizures and still in the hospital after three months.
Estes Park Half Marathon, Estes Park, Colorado. June 13, 2010
Race Number 36 (pic on right is from the Colfax)
Ok, reader……It is time to exercise your mind….I exercised my finely tuned body today….. so YOU can at least bear with me as we address this race in High Elizabethan discourse…..
I relate this dreary anecdote only to acquaint the person who partakes of this treatise with the type of person’s that may be encountered in a footrace not unlike the one doth called the Estes Park Half Marathon effected at 7,700 feet of elevation and torrents of rain.
I ran, nearly the whole footrace behind a wretched man of advanced age. I assure you, I will prejudice you against him. We will call him Mr. W (for Wretched, of course) It must be said that Mr. W made of himself a most vexing presence, and it is in this particular that the author is compelled to manifest his grievances against him in the interest of compatibilities and harmonies, for it is said of the company running in footraces of distance together, that “Tis agreeable to slander thy mate, but not to lay thy hand, in closed fashion, upon his face.” Thus, I resort to lexis.
He (Mr. W) finds pleasant that most noxious habit of spitting and farting while running, and doth contrive to pollute the air and surface wheresoever he runs. This very morning I was running pleasantly along the trail at this Half Marathon of Estes Park, when Mr. W appeared by my side at mile four and without so much as a by-your-leave, plunked his person beside me, matching my foot strikes. It was the work of moments to convert my quiet running area into a ghetto dwelling of odors, sounds and wrenchings which doth were produced from this man whoest was far along in age.
He had come, I said to myself, to trouble my quietude. Why doth you not repair to some other part of the course whereth you may contrive your animal-sty or whicheversoever environment you pleaseth?
Of course, he made no answer to my entreaty (because I did not asketh him), but continued his farting and spitting, shortly followed be great braying and imprecating against our Maker for making of the cold and heavy rain that falleth upon us. So self-absorbed did he becometh in his conundrum with his jarring, that he payeth no mind to where his gaseous expellations flieth, to wit, into various of my tender membranes, such as the eyes, nose and mouth. When one had asked if he might trouble to cause this detritus to be positioned elsewhere, he makes no sign of comprehending, and continueth with his measures.
It was not long before I found that Mr. W possesseth a genius for causing a bruit without acquainting himself with its results. Whilst running through the station for water, he leaped across my person to procure the object relating to this station, (thus sayeth…. Gatorade); in doing so, he brushed against my person, stepping upon my forefoot, causing me to stumble. I gnashed my teeth and made a great keening to make manifest my pain. Yet he remarked not one iota on my consternation, and merely continued his plodding.
Not two miles later, another disaster befell me thanks to his agency. At the next station to procure refreshment, I had taken a cup of cool Gatorade with a plump slice of orange to ward off the scurvy. The cup, I had placed along my side, buttressed against my loins by means of my arm so that I might partake of the luscious slice of orange. It wanted no small amount of ingenuity to consternate the precious Gatorade, but hark, here comes Mr. W, and mark, soon my painstakingly prepared beverage was a chaos of orange splotches which coursed from one end of my suit of running, like the River Lethe, a torrent of sugary substance that staineth and corrodeth everything in its path.
Every man hath his limits, and after what seemed a fortnight of enduring these and other affronts which shall go unmentioned, I resolved that to keep murder out of my heart, I would mount counter-vexations! Thereupon I seized the opportunity to fill my mouth with a congeal of liquids made available by the maidens at the next station for refreshment. He noticed not the thievery and I began to suppose him oblivious to the greater part of that which taketh place around him—indeed, he went on with his way whilst I ran before him. The dark thought loomed not distantly in my cerebellum that he might falleth upon the cobblestones due to the onset of all matter of liquid come pouring from my mouth and he would dodge and be stumbled down by the derbies of my mouth, thus, serving him in the office of "road kill" as he lay splattered on the ground.
Perhaps I rageth out of proportion to the crime. Certainly I did not desireth that Mr. W be hurteth or maimed. He may be, in many respects, an excellent fellow (even a father of grand, like me), and he may knoweth a great quantity of celebrities with whom might pursue me to do me harm. But he had continueth in his ways, making serpentine progress while running near me, causing me to jibe and folk and to be pitched from mine intended course and making his copious nuisances upon my company. So then, I was resolved to put him at bay, leaving him to wonder at the mysterious liquid which emanateth from my mouth and thus caused him to fall.
I prayed, meanwhile, as I left the scene, I would not be provoked to any other such extremity of retaliation for it appeared that my manifestations had succeeded. I completed the race without concern again for Mr. W. The vexations had worked and the airs were clear and the path not covered in spittle from mile numbered ten and on. The rain was bad enough.
Ok, reader……It is time to exercise your mind….I exercised my finely tuned body today….. so YOU can at least bear with me as we address this race in High Elizabethan discourse…..
I relate this dreary anecdote only to acquaint the person who partakes of this treatise with the type of person’s that may be encountered in a footrace not unlike the one doth called the Estes Park Half Marathon effected at 7,700 feet of elevation and torrents of rain.
I ran, nearly the whole footrace behind a wretched man of advanced age. I assure you, I will prejudice you against him. We will call him Mr. W (for Wretched, of course) It must be said that Mr. W made of himself a most vexing presence, and it is in this particular that the author is compelled to manifest his grievances against him in the interest of compatibilities and harmonies, for it is said of the company running in footraces of distance together, that “Tis agreeable to slander thy mate, but not to lay thy hand, in closed fashion, upon his face.” Thus, I resort to lexis.
He (Mr. W) finds pleasant that most noxious habit of spitting and farting while running, and doth contrive to pollute the air and surface wheresoever he runs. This very morning I was running pleasantly along the trail at this Half Marathon of Estes Park, when Mr. W appeared by my side at mile four and without so much as a by-your-leave, plunked his person beside me, matching my foot strikes. It was the work of moments to convert my quiet running area into a ghetto dwelling of odors, sounds and wrenchings which doth were produced from this man whoest was far along in age.
He had come, I said to myself, to trouble my quietude. Why doth you not repair to some other part of the course whereth you may contrive your animal-sty or whicheversoever environment you pleaseth?
Of course, he made no answer to my entreaty (because I did not asketh him), but continued his farting and spitting, shortly followed be great braying and imprecating against our Maker for making of the cold and heavy rain that falleth upon us. So self-absorbed did he becometh in his conundrum with his jarring, that he payeth no mind to where his gaseous expellations flieth, to wit, into various of my tender membranes, such as the eyes, nose and mouth. When one had asked if he might trouble to cause this detritus to be positioned elsewhere, he makes no sign of comprehending, and continueth with his measures.
It was not long before I found that Mr. W possesseth a genius for causing a bruit without acquainting himself with its results. Whilst running through the station for water, he leaped across my person to procure the object relating to this station, (thus sayeth…. Gatorade); in doing so, he brushed against my person, stepping upon my forefoot, causing me to stumble. I gnashed my teeth and made a great keening to make manifest my pain. Yet he remarked not one iota on my consternation, and merely continued his plodding.
Not two miles later, another disaster befell me thanks to his agency. At the next station to procure refreshment, I had taken a cup of cool Gatorade with a plump slice of orange to ward off the scurvy. The cup, I had placed along my side, buttressed against my loins by means of my arm so that I might partake of the luscious slice of orange. It wanted no small amount of ingenuity to consternate the precious Gatorade, but hark, here comes Mr. W, and mark, soon my painstakingly prepared beverage was a chaos of orange splotches which coursed from one end of my suit of running, like the River Lethe, a torrent of sugary substance that staineth and corrodeth everything in its path.
Every man hath his limits, and after what seemed a fortnight of enduring these and other affronts which shall go unmentioned, I resolved that to keep murder out of my heart, I would mount counter-vexations! Thereupon I seized the opportunity to fill my mouth with a congeal of liquids made available by the maidens at the next station for refreshment. He noticed not the thievery and I began to suppose him oblivious to the greater part of that which taketh place around him—indeed, he went on with his way whilst I ran before him. The dark thought loomed not distantly in my cerebellum that he might falleth upon the cobblestones due to the onset of all matter of liquid come pouring from my mouth and he would dodge and be stumbled down by the derbies of my mouth, thus, serving him in the office of "road kill" as he lay splattered on the ground.
Perhaps I rageth out of proportion to the crime. Certainly I did not desireth that Mr. W be hurteth or maimed. He may be, in many respects, an excellent fellow (even a father of grand, like me), and he may knoweth a great quantity of celebrities with whom might pursue me to do me harm. But he had continueth in his ways, making serpentine progress while running near me, causing me to jibe and folk and to be pitched from mine intended course and making his copious nuisances upon my company. So then, I was resolved to put him at bay, leaving him to wonder at the mysterious liquid which emanateth from my mouth and thus caused him to fall.
I prayed, meanwhile, as I left the scene, I would not be provoked to any other such extremity of retaliation for it appeared that my manifestations had succeeded. I completed the race without concern again for Mr. W. The vexations had worked and the airs were clear and the path not covered in spittle from mile numbered ten and on. The rain was bad enough.
Long live the King and clear air.
In God’s name, Your servant,
Sir Mikie
Time: A spittle and rain laden 2:40-something. This was a most difficult course at 7,700 feet with hills at 2-3% elevation and the rain and cold was hard on the body. My running gear collected FOUR POUNDS of water. Lancelot’s horse would have had been vexed.
Prayer List: Mr. W and myself. Mr. W, for his injuries and me for my sins of the heart, mind and soul (seriously). Also, I prayeth for myself to be successful at my new venture as the Vice President of Finance and Strategy at the Colorado League of Charter Schools. Sir Mikie is anxious but confident.
Colfax Half Marathon, Denver, Colorado, May 16, 2010
Race Number 35
THIS RACE WAS DEDICATED TO THE FAMILIES, STUDENTS, STAFF AND BOARD OF JEFFERSON ACADEMY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Since my last blog entry, there have been a lot of changes and personal stress points in my life. Training has been quite sporadic and has taken a back seat to life’s changes and events. I really was not that excited about writing about this race, (or running it, for that matter) because I was feeling a bit up and down. My last Colfax Half was a thirteen mile run honoring my boys. It was very emotional for me. This race was not much different.
So… with that in mind, I decided to link this blog entry with a letter I wrote to my Jefferson Academy families and staff. The letter will explain why I dedicated this entire race to my school…..the place where I have found more love, care, appreciation and honor than any person could possibly enjoy. It has been the most wonderful career experience anyone could ask for. I am confident the letter will explain……that is, IF you should decide to hit the link to the left of this post, right above Nurse Ratched's nicely starched cap.
The personal challenges over the last few of weeks (which I will not detail here) have worked their way into my psyche and I am doing my best to work through them. I have a lot ahead of me and I need to be prepared and fresh for the journey. I learned for the one thousandth time that ethics, integrity and honesty are critical elements of my character that those who I call my friends and colleagues have learned to accept of me. If they cannot, it does make it difficult to "commune" together. Occasionally the evangelist in me will push aside the impacted despair of a generation of trying to convey this, and I will just say, “By God, this is who I am…..I suppose we can blame God!” Yet, that does not always allow things to end as nicely as we would like....(deep sigh....with a few tears...). Today’s race found me running like hell to get the agony over with, externally and internally.
At times, running long distances mimics life. Life can have its episodes of minimal excitement and a majority of slog and drudge. Today’s race was a bit like that. Yet, I must say, most of my life and running experiences have been more excitement and blessing than slog and drudge. I hope your life and career is always full of lots of excitement and very little drudge. My sixteen years of association with Jefferson Academy has been very exciting. Thank you to all those who "ran" along side of me (or in most cases...ahead of me) and trusted me. Thank you for leading this poor soul through the maze. I am and will be forever grateful. WE have developed one of the finest schools in the state! I am so very proud to have been associated with this "ministry."
Time: 2:26:03 I was generally pleased with this time because my pace and cadence matched my conditioning. I actually felt strong throughout the race. Maybe I am starting to figure these races out after running 35 of them!
Prayer List: All thirteen miles, I prayed for "my" school. I prayed that it stays true to the mission and vision we established over 16 years ago which included rigorous academics but with extreme sensitivity to the children who do not learn like the majority. We did our best to serve EVERY child that came through our doors, no matter what their station was in their academic and developmental life. With that philosophy, we have still been in the TOP 15% (and better in most years) of ALL the 1,462 elementary schools in the state of Colorado. Want my spiritual opinion on it?..... I think we have always had God's covering and I think that has allowed us to succeed!
I am going to miss JA very much but I am very excited about my new challenge!
THIS RACE WAS DEDICATED TO THE FAMILIES, STUDENTS, STAFF AND BOARD OF JEFFERSON ACADEMY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Since my last blog entry, there have been a lot of changes and personal stress points in my life. Training has been quite sporadic and has taken a back seat to life’s changes and events. I really was not that excited about writing about this race, (or running it, for that matter) because I was feeling a bit up and down. My last Colfax Half was a thirteen mile run honoring my boys. It was very emotional for me. This race was not much different.
So… with that in mind, I decided to link this blog entry with a letter I wrote to my Jefferson Academy families and staff. The letter will explain why I dedicated this entire race to my school…..the place where I have found more love, care, appreciation and honor than any person could possibly enjoy. It has been the most wonderful career experience anyone could ask for. I am confident the letter will explain……that is, IF you should decide to hit the link to the left of this post, right above Nurse Ratched's nicely starched cap.
The personal challenges over the last few of weeks (which I will not detail here) have worked their way into my psyche and I am doing my best to work through them. I have a lot ahead of me and I need to be prepared and fresh for the journey. I learned for the one thousandth time that ethics, integrity and honesty are critical elements of my character that those who I call my friends and colleagues have learned to accept of me. If they cannot, it does make it difficult to "commune" together. Occasionally the evangelist in me will push aside the impacted despair of a generation of trying to convey this, and I will just say, “By God, this is who I am…..I suppose we can blame God!” Yet, that does not always allow things to end as nicely as we would like....(deep sigh....with a few tears...). Today’s race found me running like hell to get the agony over with, externally and internally.
At times, running long distances mimics life. Life can have its episodes of minimal excitement and a majority of slog and drudge. Today’s race was a bit like that. Yet, I must say, most of my life and running experiences have been more excitement and blessing than slog and drudge. I hope your life and career is always full of lots of excitement and very little drudge. My sixteen years of association with Jefferson Academy has been very exciting. Thank you to all those who "ran" along side of me (or in most cases...ahead of me) and trusted me. Thank you for leading this poor soul through the maze. I am and will be forever grateful. WE have developed one of the finest schools in the state! I am so very proud to have been associated with this "ministry."
Time: 2:26:03 I was generally pleased with this time because my pace and cadence matched my conditioning. I actually felt strong throughout the race. Maybe I am starting to figure these races out after running 35 of them!
Prayer List: All thirteen miles, I prayed for "my" school. I prayed that it stays true to the mission and vision we established over 16 years ago which included rigorous academics but with extreme sensitivity to the children who do not learn like the majority. We did our best to serve EVERY child that came through our doors, no matter what their station was in their academic and developmental life. With that philosophy, we have still been in the TOP 15% (and better in most years) of ALL the 1,462 elementary schools in the state of Colorado. Want my spiritual opinion on it?..... I think we have always had God's covering and I think that has allowed us to succeed!
I am going to miss JA very much but I am very excited about my new challenge!
Platte River Half Marathon, Littleton, Colorado, April 11, 2010
Race Number 34“In running, it is man against himself, the cruelest of opponents. The other runners are not the real enemies. His adversary lies within him, in his ability with brain and heart to master himself and his emotions.” Glenn Cunningham
“Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. The body will always give up.” General George Patton
“What counts in battle is what you do once the pain sets in.” John Short
Interesting thoughts. Three warriors, with three similar perspectives. I DO get it (I am not as dumb as I look!). I have experienced Mind over Body, albeit in a game of chess or shuffleboard. Nevertheless, my compulsion as a member of genus Americanus is to focus automatically, and unthinkingly, on the shortest distant between two points, not the battle from within. So… today’s race was a painful battle and I am ashamed to say, I think the body ruled my mind, …..again. All I could think of was trying to find ways to eliminate a couple of extra steps so that I could relieve myself of the pain I was experiencing. The pain was really bad today! According to the three authors above, I misplaced my energies and the result was probably affecting my performance.
I struggled to regain my composure, realizing that I was making General Patton and all the Greek gods quite angry. I found my “second wind” (which is really just a call from the mind to the body to start converting stored fat, which I have plenty of, into an energy source) and then a curious Old Testament feeling came upon me: a sense of retribution, a sense of awful judgment and awful punishment. Well……. it was not all that dramatic, but I did find myself running harder and a little more effectively towards the finish line to escape desolation by the hand of God Almighty. I finished the race with one of my slowest times ever, 2:33:33. I may be overdoing it on my newly repaired back, though. It is quite sore right now.
In retrospect, the race went quickly. On the other hand, I am quite sure the warriors above would note that war battles pass quickly. I am not sure I would have made them proud. Yet, I did learn a bit more about trying to master the mind (albeit my mind is the size of a pea...can you really call that “mastering?”). I guess I will find out more as I prepare for race number 35 in May, the dreaded Colfax Half Marathon in Denver.
Prayer List: Miles 1-3: Chuck Smith, Sr. : recovering from a mild stroke. Miles 4-6: Cheryl Atencio, Board President at JA as she faces hip replacement surgery on May 14th. Miles 7-9: Shelby Griffin, two years old, suffering from seizures. Miles 10 & 11: Jake Talley, fifth grade student at JA, battling MS. Miles 12 &13: Jan Huffman, Food Service Manager at JA…Jan is retiring from JA after sixteen years of service. She has been the Ultimate Lunch Lady (emphasis on ULTIMATE and LADY)!
In retrospect, the race went quickly. On the other hand, I am quite sure the warriors above would note that war battles pass quickly. I am not sure I would have made them proud. Yet, I did learn a bit more about trying to master the mind (albeit my mind is the size of a pea...can you really call that “mastering?”). I guess I will find out more as I prepare for race number 35 in May, the dreaded Colfax Half Marathon in Denver.
Prayer List: Miles 1-3: Chuck Smith, Sr. : recovering from a mild stroke. Miles 4-6: Cheryl Atencio, Board President at JA as she faces hip replacement surgery on May 14th. Miles 7-9: Shelby Griffin, two years old, suffering from seizures. Miles 10 & 11: Jake Talley, fifth grade student at JA, battling MS. Miles 12 &13: Jan Huffman, Food Service Manager at JA…Jan is retiring from JA after sixteen years of service. She has been the Ultimate Lunch Lady (emphasis on ULTIMATE and LADY)!
A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Half Marathon, Ardmore, Oklahoma, March 27, 2010
Race Number 33, State Number 9
I am not sure exactly when liking to run became longing to run…..when wanting to run became needing to run. I only know that, as there once were roads that HAD to be driven in my new 1967 Tan Volkswagen Beetle when I was seventeen, there are now roads, trails and courses that must be run in my sixties. When I injured my back in November, I was certainly afraid that my shoe strikes on the ground were short-lived. The universe was not making much sense to me, especially after I had come so far.
So far from what, you may ask (or you may not ask…so stop reading)? The answer: The fear of running. Yep, I knew what it felt like to fail at running based on previous attempts in my life to get into running shape. Yet, my return to running in 2005 has been a lot of fun. Notwithstanding, the fear of running was nothing, though, compared with the fear I was concerned most about facing; that is, the fear of WATCHING. As I contemplated what my doctor communicated to me in the middle of December, I could hear my heart pounding and feel my palms sweating, wondering, if, I might have to give up my present-day passion. Could this really be happening?
As it turns out, though, I am almost good as new. On December 29th, Dr. Blatt removed some vertebrae and some herniated disc (he also liposuctioned my expanding waist area….just kidding ...about the liposuction, not the expanding waist) and within two days of surgery, I was on my feet and walking four miles! In fact, I walked 3-4 miles almost everyday for the five weeks after going under the stiletto and started low-impact training and some jogging six weeks out from surgery.
A friend asserted the other day, “You know.....your running may have caused the problem that your fall from the ladder aggravated?” That is an assertion I would not deny. However, I will probably leave this planet before discovering whether it is true, because I never intend to explore the question. Running will be MY adventuresome agony!
So….. I flew to Oklahoma this last weekend ( I am writing this from sunny California as I enjoy spring break...tough life right now) and ran in the “A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Half Marathon” with the largest ear-to-ear grin amongst the 450+ competitors. I ran, with an almost psychotic disdain for safety, finishing with a slow, but respectable 2:28:10 time. That is at least ten-twelve minutes off my normal finishing time as I was being careful not to pound my back too hard. The weather was perfect except for 30 knot gusts of wind.
Therefore, it appears I have returned and unless you obliterate my notification e-mails in the future, you will be subject to me setting about (industriously, btw) to document, yet again, (and maybe everlastingly), my lack of athletic talent.
Talk to you again after my next race on April 11th. Mikie it back!!
Prayer List: Miles 1 & 2: Pat Caudill: Recovering from cancer surgery. See P.S. at the bottom of this post regarding Pat and me. Miles 3 & 4: Tami Kanary: Recovering from breast cancer. Miles 5 & 6: Janelle Bratten: Recovering from breast cancer. Miles 7 & 8: The Happs family: Grieving over the loss of mom/grandmother to cancer. Miles 9 & 10: Jim Prichard and family over the loss of the very first teacher hired at Jefferson Academy. Karen was our special education teacher until her retirement in 2003. She set the theme for what kind of school we were going to be….especially to those children with special needs or struggles. Miles 11 & 12: The Gunter family, grieving the loss of father and grandfather. Mile 13: Joe and Carrie Mott...I officiated their wedding the night before flying out to OK. Carrie is one of our teachers at JA.
PS. Pat Caudill and I attended high school and some college together in California. We are still the best of friends! Coincidentally, we had beds next to each other in pre-op when I went in for my back surgery. That produced some problems for the operating room staff. As Pat and I answered all the pre-op questions that nurses and doctors are obligated to ask, we each kept pulling the curtain partition back, (that separated our “privacy”…ha) to chime in on each others conversations so that we might correct the information that the other was giving to the attending nurse. I sincerely felt obligated to correct Pat as he tried to impress the VERY attractive young nurse with his manly prowess and his particular need to lie about things like…. weight (OMG), height, muscle mass and especially his IQ. Of course, he also corrected the information I was dispensing to the staff about my days, as a pro surfer in California, with surfer girls hanging ALL over me. My 63 year old nurse thought I was pretty cool until Pat shattered all that with his hyperbolic stew. I am not sure Saint Joseph Medical Center will EVER be graced with another set of 60 year old GOLDEN boys like Pat and I…..unless, of course, we both get hurt at the same time, body surfing 15 foot waves at “The Wedge” in Newport Beach. In that case, we would probably both be in the morgue anyway….with little to say…. except maybe a final “I love you, man!”
I am not sure exactly when liking to run became longing to run…..when wanting to run became needing to run. I only know that, as there once were roads that HAD to be driven in my new 1967 Tan Volkswagen Beetle when I was seventeen, there are now roads, trails and courses that must be run in my sixties. When I injured my back in November, I was certainly afraid that my shoe strikes on the ground were short-lived. The universe was not making much sense to me, especially after I had come so far.
So far from what, you may ask (or you may not ask…so stop reading)? The answer: The fear of running. Yep, I knew what it felt like to fail at running based on previous attempts in my life to get into running shape. Yet, my return to running in 2005 has been a lot of fun. Notwithstanding, the fear of running was nothing, though, compared with the fear I was concerned most about facing; that is, the fear of WATCHING. As I contemplated what my doctor communicated to me in the middle of December, I could hear my heart pounding and feel my palms sweating, wondering, if, I might have to give up my present-day passion. Could this really be happening?
As it turns out, though, I am almost good as new. On December 29th, Dr. Blatt removed some vertebrae and some herniated disc (he also liposuctioned my expanding waist area….just kidding ...about the liposuction, not the expanding waist) and within two days of surgery, I was on my feet and walking four miles! In fact, I walked 3-4 miles almost everyday for the five weeks after going under the stiletto and started low-impact training and some jogging six weeks out from surgery.
A friend asserted the other day, “You know.....your running may have caused the problem that your fall from the ladder aggravated?” That is an assertion I would not deny. However, I will probably leave this planet before discovering whether it is true, because I never intend to explore the question. Running will be MY adventuresome agony!
So….. I flew to Oklahoma this last weekend ( I am writing this from sunny California as I enjoy spring break...tough life right now) and ran in the “A2A Arbuckles to Ardmore Half Marathon” with the largest ear-to-ear grin amongst the 450+ competitors. I ran, with an almost psychotic disdain for safety, finishing with a slow, but respectable 2:28:10 time. That is at least ten-twelve minutes off my normal finishing time as I was being careful not to pound my back too hard. The weather was perfect except for 30 knot gusts of wind.
Therefore, it appears I have returned and unless you obliterate my notification e-mails in the future, you will be subject to me setting about (industriously, btw) to document, yet again, (and maybe everlastingly), my lack of athletic talent.
Talk to you again after my next race on April 11th. Mikie it back!!
Prayer List: Miles 1 & 2: Pat Caudill: Recovering from cancer surgery. See P.S. at the bottom of this post regarding Pat and me. Miles 3 & 4: Tami Kanary: Recovering from breast cancer. Miles 5 & 6: Janelle Bratten: Recovering from breast cancer. Miles 7 & 8: The Happs family: Grieving over the loss of mom/grandmother to cancer. Miles 9 & 10: Jim Prichard and family over the loss of the very first teacher hired at Jefferson Academy. Karen was our special education teacher until her retirement in 2003. She set the theme for what kind of school we were going to be….especially to those children with special needs or struggles. Miles 11 & 12: The Gunter family, grieving the loss of father and grandfather. Mile 13: Joe and Carrie Mott...I officiated their wedding the night before flying out to OK. Carrie is one of our teachers at JA.
PS. Pat Caudill and I attended high school and some college together in California. We are still the best of friends! Coincidentally, we had beds next to each other in pre-op when I went in for my back surgery. That produced some problems for the operating room staff. As Pat and I answered all the pre-op questions that nurses and doctors are obligated to ask, we each kept pulling the curtain partition back, (that separated our “privacy”…ha) to chime in on each others conversations so that we might correct the information that the other was giving to the attending nurse. I sincerely felt obligated to correct Pat as he tried to impress the VERY attractive young nurse with his manly prowess and his particular need to lie about things like…. weight (OMG), height, muscle mass and especially his IQ. Of course, he also corrected the information I was dispensing to the staff about my days, as a pro surfer in California, with surfer girls hanging ALL over me. My 63 year old nurse thought I was pretty cool until Pat shattered all that with his hyperbolic stew. I am not sure Saint Joseph Medical Center will EVER be graced with another set of 60 year old GOLDEN boys like Pat and I…..unless, of course, we both get hurt at the same time, body surfing 15 foot waves at “The Wedge” in Newport Beach. In that case, we would probably both be in the morgue anyway….with little to say…. except maybe a final “I love you, man!”
You won’t be hearing from Mikie Marathoner for a while
Yep, it is going to be a while before I run another race. The day before Thanksgiving, I fell off a ladder, and landed on my ankle and back. When I got up, I noticed my ankle hurting quite a bit. I iced it and woke the next morning feeling pretty good. My oldest son (Cameron) and I were running in a 5K Turkey Trot in Boulder to raise money and food for those less fortunate. As I warmed up, I noticed that my ankle felt fine but my back was very tight and sore. Well, being a good soldier, I ran the race and as the day wore on, my back seized up into full spasms. At the beginning of this month, I started having severe sciatica pain down to my ankle. Well, it is now December 16th and I am not much better. Why, because it turns out that I have herniated a disc in my back severely compressing my 4th lumbar nerve root. It appears I will be going in for back surgery over the break to repair this problem. I consulted with the neurosurgeon today and I am on “roids” for a while and then surgery on December 29th.
So…. It appears that after 32 half marathons, my goal of running 100 half marathons by my 67th birthday will have to be put on hold for a period of time. What is even more disappointing to me is to have to stop our “Running to Raise Riches” program for my school. We have raised over $4,200 in just three races!!!. Running on behalf of our school has inspired me to work hard and to stay the course. But it is what it is.
As I headed to the surgeon’s office today, you might imagine my greatest fear: I do not want to hear the words that I should never run again. For an obsessive-compulsive person like me, that would be devastating. Thank goodness, he did not say that but I am not to run for at least three months.
Gary Player, the great golfer, once said, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” Well, that is what I am going to do and hope will occur. I have had my pity party (last night), now it is time to move on. Each of us must have a mountain to climb, so my new one is before me. I simply must stay the course and stay focused on the short-term realities to meet the long-term objectives. In addition, and most important, I must stay confident. I know that if I think I can (The Little Engine that Could), I can.
Thank you for your support and prayers!
So…. It appears that after 32 half marathons, my goal of running 100 half marathons by my 67th birthday will have to be put on hold for a period of time. What is even more disappointing to me is to have to stop our “Running to Raise Riches” program for my school. We have raised over $4,200 in just three races!!!. Running on behalf of our school has inspired me to work hard and to stay the course. But it is what it is.
As I headed to the surgeon’s office today, you might imagine my greatest fear: I do not want to hear the words that I should never run again. For an obsessive-compulsive person like me, that would be devastating. Thank goodness, he did not say that but I am not to run for at least three months.
Gary Player, the great golfer, once said, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” Well, that is what I am going to do and hope will occur. I have had my pity party (last night), now it is time to move on. Each of us must have a mountain to climb, so my new one is before me. I simply must stay the course and stay focused on the short-term realities to meet the long-term objectives. In addition, and most important, I must stay confident. I know that if I think I can (The Little Engine that Could), I can.
Thank you for your support and prayers!
Mesquite Bi-State Half Marathon, Mesquite, Nevada, November 21, 2009
Race #32, State Number 8, Arizona (Running to Raise Riches Race #3)
Below is a transcript from an interview by Jay Leno with half marathoner, Mikie Munier. The interview took place after Mikie completed the Mesquite Half Marathon that actually started in Arizona (State number 8) and finished in Nevada. The interview was generated by speculation that Mikie is “cheating” when running at SEA LEVEL! Mikie placed fourth in his age division!
Leno: Mr. Munier, there has been widespread speculation that you have performed well in this race due to blood-packing, the use of performance enhancing drugs and overdosing on Hostess cherry pies. What is your response to these incredible allegations?
Mikie: Hey, I am a clean runner, Jaw, I mean Jay. Just because I train at 5,280 feet does not mean I cheat. Go ahead and test me for positive EPO or elevated levels of testosterone or blood-packing. I will pass the test. If you had paid attention in your seventh grade science class, you would know that the air pressure is better at sea level!! You would also know your new show is a bust!
Leno: Well, you are quite the smart-alec, Mikie.
Mikie: I have to be! Have you met any of my staff at Jefferson Academy, especially Mrs. Grant and Ms. Watanabe?
Leno: Good point. Well, this must be a very proud day for you. It appears you have lost 30% of your body mass during the event. You are really a skinny little twerp. Toppling after finishing the race and having oxygen administered would suggest you went out a bit too hard for this race.
Mikie: Well, Dopey Car Collector, just because I was fed intravenously and injected with adrenaline by attending medical staff should not give you reason to criticizes my performance.
Leno: True….it is hard enough to compete in a half marathon while shot full of human growth hormone, erythropoietin, testosterone, glucocorticosteroids, synthetic testosterone, anabolic steroids, amphetamines, and one’s own pre-packed oxygen-rich red blood cells. To run as you have on water, bananas and Quaker Oatmeal (plain and unflavored, of course) is almost heroic, if not STUPID!
At this point in the interview, Mikie got glassy-eyed and collapsed. He was rushed to Mesquite Community Hospital. Mikie remains in critical condition in the PSYCH WARD, where he was placed in a medically induced coma to aid in his recovery from exhaustion, malnutrition, and loss of bone density. Attending physicians say he is expected to return to his running because he promised the parents and kids at his school that he would run nine races to raise money for the classrooms. It appears the psych ward is the appropriate place for Mikie.
Time: 2:16:42. As noted above, I placed FOURTH in the 60+ group (small group of 16 guys), missing third place (and a medal) by THREE SECONDS. Some "old" guy ran past me in the last 100 yards and stole my glory. I attempted to drown him in the hot tub at the hotel but security got involved and ripped me off of him. Boy, was he a lucky man!
BTW: The "Running to Raise Riches" program for Jefferson Academy has raised over $4,200 in just three races! Is that not COOL!!! Our families are incredible!!
Prayer List: Miles 1-3: Ken Garcia, former building engineer at JA is recovering from back surgery. Miles 4-6: My Uncle Joe as he continues to heal from a heart attack. Miles 7-9: Holly Hensey, principal colleague and dear friend is recovering from a stress fracture in her foot after running her first half marathon in Texas. Miles 10-13: Riley, fiancé of Justin Watanabe. maintenance man at JA: Riley experienced the trauma of being robbed at gun point at her job at a bank.
Below is a transcript from an interview by Jay Leno with half marathoner, Mikie Munier. The interview took place after Mikie completed the Mesquite Half Marathon that actually started in Arizona (State number 8) and finished in Nevada. The interview was generated by speculation that Mikie is “cheating” when running at SEA LEVEL! Mikie placed fourth in his age division!
Leno: Mr. Munier, there has been widespread speculation that you have performed well in this race due to blood-packing, the use of performance enhancing drugs and overdosing on Hostess cherry pies. What is your response to these incredible allegations?
Mikie: Hey, I am a clean runner, Jaw, I mean Jay. Just because I train at 5,280 feet does not mean I cheat. Go ahead and test me for positive EPO or elevated levels of testosterone or blood-packing. I will pass the test. If you had paid attention in your seventh grade science class, you would know that the air pressure is better at sea level!! You would also know your new show is a bust!
Leno: Well, you are quite the smart-alec, Mikie.
Mikie: I have to be! Have you met any of my staff at Jefferson Academy, especially Mrs. Grant and Ms. Watanabe?
Leno: Good point. Well, this must be a very proud day for you. It appears you have lost 30% of your body mass during the event. You are really a skinny little twerp. Toppling after finishing the race and having oxygen administered would suggest you went out a bit too hard for this race.
Mikie: Well, Dopey Car Collector, just because I was fed intravenously and injected with adrenaline by attending medical staff should not give you reason to criticizes my performance.
Leno: True….it is hard enough to compete in a half marathon while shot full of human growth hormone, erythropoietin, testosterone, glucocorticosteroids, synthetic testosterone, anabolic steroids, amphetamines, and one’s own pre-packed oxygen-rich red blood cells. To run as you have on water, bananas and Quaker Oatmeal (plain and unflavored, of course) is almost heroic, if not STUPID!
At this point in the interview, Mikie got glassy-eyed and collapsed. He was rushed to Mesquite Community Hospital. Mikie remains in critical condition in the PSYCH WARD, where he was placed in a medically induced coma to aid in his recovery from exhaustion, malnutrition, and loss of bone density. Attending physicians say he is expected to return to his running because he promised the parents and kids at his school that he would run nine races to raise money for the classrooms. It appears the psych ward is the appropriate place for Mikie.
Time: 2:16:42. As noted above, I placed FOURTH in the 60+ group (small group of 16 guys), missing third place (and a medal) by THREE SECONDS. Some "old" guy ran past me in the last 100 yards and stole my glory. I attempted to drown him in the hot tub at the hotel but security got involved and ripped me off of him. Boy, was he a lucky man!
BTW: The "Running to Raise Riches" program for Jefferson Academy has raised over $4,200 in just three races! Is that not COOL!!! Our families are incredible!!
Prayer List: Miles 1-3: Ken Garcia, former building engineer at JA is recovering from back surgery. Miles 4-6: My Uncle Joe as he continues to heal from a heart attack. Miles 7-9: Holly Hensey, principal colleague and dear friend is recovering from a stress fracture in her foot after running her first half marathon in Texas. Miles 10-13: Riley, fiancé of Justin Watanabe. maintenance man at JA: Riley experienced the trauma of being robbed at gun point at her job at a bank.
Denver Half Marathon, Denver, Colorado, October 18, 2009
Race Number 31 (Race #2 in the “Run to Raise Riches” program)
For this blog entry, I thought I would just include the letter I wrote to my parents who pledged their support in our “Run to Raise Riches for Jefferson Academy” program. We have raised over $3,150 for our classrooms in just two races through this program.
My Dear October Donors to Running to Raise Riches,
Preparation is so important in everything we do. Teachers understand that as well as anyone. Go into the classroom unprepared, and within minutes, your students will have it figured out and you can plan to have a difficult day.
Running a half marathon is not much different. As most of you know, I had been battling the pain and anguish of an abscessed wisdom tooth for the last 4-5 weeks. I “happily” ran with this ailing tooth at the Boulder Back Roads Marathon with the aid of medication (ok, happy pills). It continued to plague me and it got to the point of crippling my training and me. It is amazing to me that a spot no larger than the tip of your finger can bring you to your knees and disrupt almost every aspect of your life. I had that annoying tooth removed on October 1st. Recovery has been interesting. Add to that, four days at Outdoor Education Lab with our wonderful (and I mean that) sixth graders and you can probably guess that I was not prepared for this race through the streets of Denver (I literally ran only five times in the last four weeks).
Yet, nothing started, nothing experienced, and certainly, nothing finished. Starting lines are one of the most important stations in our lives. We need not avoid them (although I wanted to avoid this one today). We need to seek them out. So…. I ventured to the start line and started the process of pain, anguish and blessing.
Moreover, my saga through the streets of Denver had the same story line as most stories do. Things are good, then something awful happens, then a great battle must be fought. Then, at just the right moment (or at the last moment,) a hero comes and sets things right and life is peachy keen again. Well, that occurred in classic form today. Steinbeck would have been inspired. Each of those tenets was played out in the following way:
“Things are good”……It was a brisk morning….perfect for a long race.
“Something awful happens”….to even think that providence might clear its throat and cause me to enjoy a fine race without appropriate training was probably too much to ask. As sure as shoot’ in, by mile five, not even at the half way point of the race, my legs started to throb. Such a development could only be compared to the Last Days of Pompeii. I was beginning to feel doomed!
“A great battle is fought”…..The battle was between the pavement and me. I felt like the pavement was pounding me vs. me pounding the pavement. Yet, my relaxed attitude started to engender triumphant feelings! I continued to battle and was beginning to win that battle with minimal whimpering.
“A hero comes and sets things right”….. All right, here comes the vain part. Somewhere between miles nine and eleven, as I was really beginning to struggle, I looked to the right and I realized I could see myself in the big picture windows of some of the businesses along that portion of the route. To my surprise, I looked like a runner. Not a very good runner, but a runner nonetheless. I had decent posture, my stride was not bad, and my foot strike looked good. My hands and arms were about where they should be. Like a real runner! I got excited and felt inspired, albeit, by myself! Ok, now you can gag and throw up!
“Things are peachy keen”…..Only because I finished the race without waking up in the morgue (is that possible?) and ended up at a good restaurant on Broadway ordering French toast and peppered bacon. Yum!
So…. I finished, and I was inspired by each of you! I sincerely thank you for pledging to this race. We rose over $1,400 for our classrooms, which brings our total for the first two races to over $3,150!!!! Cool, huh!!!
With buckets of thankfulness and sweat, (signed) Mikie Marathoner
Time: 2:24:42. Slow but respectable considering my lack of training. Next race is at sea level!!!
Prayer List: Miles 1-3: Cindy Happs (one of our 1st grade aides) and family: They are mourning the loss of Cindy’s father. Miles 4-6: Gayle Brodie’s (our P.E. teacher) sister is recovering from a heart attack. Miles 7-9: The students at JA: They are valiantly fighting off the flu. Miles 10-13: Evalyn Schamaun, mother of our playground supervisor. She is dealing with dementia.
For this blog entry, I thought I would just include the letter I wrote to my parents who pledged their support in our “Run to Raise Riches for Jefferson Academy” program. We have raised over $3,150 for our classrooms in just two races through this program.
My Dear October Donors to Running to Raise Riches,
Preparation is so important in everything we do. Teachers understand that as well as anyone. Go into the classroom unprepared, and within minutes, your students will have it figured out and you can plan to have a difficult day.
Running a half marathon is not much different. As most of you know, I had been battling the pain and anguish of an abscessed wisdom tooth for the last 4-5 weeks. I “happily” ran with this ailing tooth at the Boulder Back Roads Marathon with the aid of medication (ok, happy pills). It continued to plague me and it got to the point of crippling my training and me. It is amazing to me that a spot no larger than the tip of your finger can bring you to your knees and disrupt almost every aspect of your life. I had that annoying tooth removed on October 1st. Recovery has been interesting. Add to that, four days at Outdoor Education Lab with our wonderful (and I mean that) sixth graders and you can probably guess that I was not prepared for this race through the streets of Denver (I literally ran only five times in the last four weeks).
Yet, nothing started, nothing experienced, and certainly, nothing finished. Starting lines are one of the most important stations in our lives. We need not avoid them (although I wanted to avoid this one today). We need to seek them out. So…. I ventured to the start line and started the process of pain, anguish and blessing.
Moreover, my saga through the streets of Denver had the same story line as most stories do. Things are good, then something awful happens, then a great battle must be fought. Then, at just the right moment (or at the last moment,) a hero comes and sets things right and life is peachy keen again. Well, that occurred in classic form today. Steinbeck would have been inspired. Each of those tenets was played out in the following way:
“Things are good”……It was a brisk morning….perfect for a long race.
“Something awful happens”….to even think that providence might clear its throat and cause me to enjoy a fine race without appropriate training was probably too much to ask. As sure as shoot’ in, by mile five, not even at the half way point of the race, my legs started to throb. Such a development could only be compared to the Last Days of Pompeii. I was beginning to feel doomed!
“A great battle is fought”…..The battle was between the pavement and me. I felt like the pavement was pounding me vs. me pounding the pavement. Yet, my relaxed attitude started to engender triumphant feelings! I continued to battle and was beginning to win that battle with minimal whimpering.
“A hero comes and sets things right”….. All right, here comes the vain part. Somewhere between miles nine and eleven, as I was really beginning to struggle, I looked to the right and I realized I could see myself in the big picture windows of some of the businesses along that portion of the route. To my surprise, I looked like a runner. Not a very good runner, but a runner nonetheless. I had decent posture, my stride was not bad, and my foot strike looked good. My hands and arms were about where they should be. Like a real runner! I got excited and felt inspired, albeit, by myself! Ok, now you can gag and throw up!
“Things are peachy keen”…..Only because I finished the race without waking up in the morgue (is that possible?) and ended up at a good restaurant on Broadway ordering French toast and peppered bacon. Yum!
So…. I finished, and I was inspired by each of you! I sincerely thank you for pledging to this race. We rose over $1,400 for our classrooms, which brings our total for the first two races to over $3,150!!!! Cool, huh!!!
With buckets of thankfulness and sweat, (signed) Mikie Marathoner
Time: 2:24:42. Slow but respectable considering my lack of training. Next race is at sea level!!!
Prayer List: Miles 1-3: Cindy Happs (one of our 1st grade aides) and family: They are mourning the loss of Cindy’s father. Miles 4-6: Gayle Brodie’s (our P.E. teacher) sister is recovering from a heart attack. Miles 7-9: The students at JA: They are valiantly fighting off the flu. Miles 10-13: Evalyn Schamaun, mother of our playground supervisor. She is dealing with dementia.
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