Inspiration from Team Hoyt

Some of you may have never heard of Dick and Rick Hoyt , but they are famous in Boston and among the marathoning community. Below is an exerpt from a Sports Illustrated story written by Rick Reilly and a short video clip of Team Hoyt. Even if you don't take the time to read the story, please watch the video. They are truly two of the most amazing and inspiring people and I often think about them when I am dragging during a run or thinking about skipping my workout.

Eighty-five times Dick has pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day. Yes, they have completed what many would call the world's hardest task -- Ironman Hawaii.

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life. This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs. "He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life'' Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.'' "Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!''

And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want to do that.'' Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described porker who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore for two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon. ``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then they found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.

26.2 miles doesn't seem that hard anymore.....and what do I have to complain about anyway?? I try to keep these thoughts in my mind when running and think about Rick Hoyt and how he would give anything to be the one pushing his dad for once.

I think winter is here!!

I know, I know.....you get what you ask for, right?? I asked for winter -- I asked for the cold weather, the snow, all of it. Well, its here and I am still running through it! On Saturday, our team met at Fitcorp for a 10.5 mile run from Woodland T stop in Newton back into Beacon Hill. Shouldn't be too hard considering I did 14.5 miles last weekend. Unfortunately, there was about 2" of ice and snow that was frozen to the sidewalks and some of the roads. This made what should have been an easy, step-back week of running into a slippery, icy, salty mess. We maneuvered our way through the ice and up the hills of Newton without too many problems. Of course it was at the first water stop that I stepped on some ice and almost fell!!! Luckily I caught myself, but I never would have lived that one down -- injured at a water stop, not while actually running!

As Janette and I headed back up Beacon Hill, we pushed past some other runners and finished our run strong. Back inside the gym, one of the guys on our team said to us "man.....you two were really booking it up that hill! I was trying hard just to keep up with you!" Little comments like that make me feel good about myself. Plus we averaged an 8:58 min/mile pace which is the fastest we've done on a long run....not bad at all considering the icy roads!!!

Today was another story. The temperatures were in the single digits with wind chills never getting above zero. I brought my running clothes to work with me like I do everyday with the plan to do a hill repeat workout. Well, after almost everyone at work told me I was crazy for even considering running in such conditions, I conceded and took my run indoors on the dreadmill....I mean treadmill. It was probably a good idea as I only saw one person along the river running when I drove home. Tomorrow its supposed to be a little warmer and not as windy (wind chills are going to be above zero!!) so I will do my hills then.

I know I asked for it and to tell you the truth, I'm still glad I did!!

Inspiration From The Ultramarathon Man

I just finished reading a really inspiring and amazing book called "The Ultramarathon Man" by Dean Karnazes. This man is truly a remarkable (some would call him insane!) endurance runner and has completed many of the hardest races in the world including 130 mile run through Death Valley in the summer, the first ever South Pole Marathon, and 200+ miles of continuous running. He has gained popularity over the last year by running 50 in 50 in 50......50 marathons in all 50 states in 50 days -- yes, he ran a marathon a day for 50 days and flew all over the US!!

Anyway I wanted to share an excerpt from his book when he talks about why he does what he does. I think it sums up what a lot of runners feel and is a great answer to this question of why???

"I run to see how far I can go. I run because it's my way of giving back to the world by doing the one thing I do best.

I run because if I didn't, I'd be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch. I run to breath the fresh air. I run to explore. I run to escape the ordinary.

I run to unite my family. I run because it keeps me humble. I run for the finish line and to savor the trip along the way. I run to help those who can't. I run because walking takes too long, and I'd like to get a few things done in this lifetime.

I run because long after my footprints fade away, maybe I will have inspired a few to reject the easy path, hit the trails, put one foot in front of the other, and come to the same conclusion I did: I run because it always takes me where I want to go."

Up to 14.5 miles and feeling good!

Yesterday my team ran 14.5 miles for training. This is the longest I have ever run in my life....ever!!! And it actually felt really good! When we left Beacon Hill, it was about 16 degrees out but at least there wasn't much wind. We ran out Beacon St. and up behind Boston College to Newton Center where we cut over to Comm Ave. and ran back along the marathon course. I summited Heartbreak Hill for the 3rd time in my training and it seems to be getting a little easier (as is Beacon Hill at the end) so I think the hill repeats are really working. It was pretty cold during the run -- my GU packet was almost frozen from being in my pocket and the Gatorade at the last water stop was more like a frozen slushy -- but after about a mile or two I was warmed up and felt comfortable. Although I was happy to be finished, I felt like I could have continued running so I think that's a really good sign. After a nice hot shower to warm me up (I actually had ice formed in my ponytail during the run!) I spent the day just relaxing and then went out to dinner with Bryan (yummy Mexican and margaritas!!)

Its a cool feeling to know that every other week from now until the marathon I will be setting a new distance PR (personal record).....I will be running the longest I have ever run in my life every other week! Obviously 26.2 miles is the ultimate goal, but its really motivating and awesome to have these mini-goals and to set PRs every other week during my training.

This morning I am feeling good......a little stiff but overall I feel great. I can't even imagine what its going to feel like after running 20 miles, but I'm excited to find out! Its one of those good kind of sore feelings. It was nice to finally sleep in this morning and to just relax this weekend. I am going to go for a 3.5 mile recovery run this afternoon with Bryan. I usually don't like to run the day after a long run but its just so nice outside today (sunny and 35 degrees) plus I haven't gotten to run with Bryan in a while so I am looking forward to it. Next week is a stepback week and I'll be back out for another trip up Heartbreak Hill....looking forward to it!

10.5 miles + day of skiing + 5 hill repeats = 1 tired Sarah

On Saturday I woke up at 6:30am to run 10.5 miles with the team and my running buddy. The same route as two weeks ago (see "where the heck is winter" post) and this time it felt great! Then on Sunday I woke up at 6:15am to go skiing for the day with Bryan. I was tired and a little sore, but overall felt okay and was happy to be out. Plus skiing is good crosstraining for the legs. If that didn't leave me tired and sore, today I did a hill repeat workout and upped the number from 4 to 5 repeats up and down the hill......what was I thinking?!?!? Now I am really tired and my legs are getting a little stiff. I guess I should have pushed the hills off for another day, but at least I got them over with first thing in the week. In addition to the long runs, the hill repeats are probably the second most imporant aspect of my training so I am glad I got them done.

I know I really should go to yoga tonight and stretch out my body and relax, but all I can think about is sitting on the couch for the night, eating dinner, and watching 24. Why does my favorite yoga class have to be at 8pm.......don't they know how hard it is to motivate that late on a Monday night?

3 Months and Counting.....

Its 1:30pm on Tuesday, January 16th and I just got back from my lunchtime run. Today was hill repeat day and as I was running up Beacon Hill for the 4th time, I realized something -- at this exact time 3 months from now I will be running the Boston Marathon!!!!! Hopefully on that day at 1:30pm I will be coming through Newton and heading towards Heartbreak Hill. I used this exciting and scary thought as motivation to push even faster and harder up the hill.

Three months is an odd amount of time -- its not really all that long, but its still a ways away. When you think of it in terms of marathon training, it seems a lot shorter. My last long run will be on March 24th (a 21 miler...aahhh!) and then I will taper my running for the next three weeks until the marathon. Thinking about it that way, there's really only 2 months of real training left.......wow!!! I know at times its going to go by so fast (the last few months sure have) and at times it will seem like April 16th is years away. It sometimes feels so surreal that I am going to be running the Boston Marathon!!!

So in three months and about 6 hours from now I hope to be sitting on my couch with a cold beer in one hand, probably an icepack in the other, and my Boston Marathon medal around my neck!!!

Where the Heck is Winter??

When I decided to run Boston, I was most worried about training through the subzero temperatures in feet of snow that New England winters are known for. I never expected to be running in shorts on January 6th....and to be hot!!! Yes, it was 65 degrees this morning when I went out for our team run. Call it el nino, global warming, or whatever.....I don't like it one bit! So many people have commented to me about how great the weather is for running -- I'll tell you what, I'd rather have 25 degrees than 65 degrees! First reason -- I have so many new cold weather running clothes that I haven't gotten to wear yet (hey.....running clothes are part of fashion!!) Second reason -- its just plain hard to run when its hot and sticky!!!

Today we were running 10.5 miles. We took the T out to Newton and ran back into Boston along the marathon route. I got to run the infamous "Hills of Newton" including the big one....Heartbreak Hill. I was pleasantly surprised that Heartbreak Hill wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I'm sure it will seem worse after running the first 20 miles of the course, but I have plenty of time to worry about that! Actually, it was the first of the 3 Comm. Ave hills that threw me for a loop. I guess it just caught me by surprise because wasn't expecting it so quickly. The heat and hills definitely made the whole run feel a lot longer than 10 miles. I just kept trying to imagine Marathon Monday with all the people lining the streets and cheering the runners on.

I made it through and back up Beacon Hill (way worse than Heartbreak Hill if you ask me)! Was it a great run.....definitely not, but I made it and that's all that really matters. Next week is another team run and I'll be back out for another 12 miler. Sorry to disappoint you all, but I am hoping that winter shows up in time!!!