Husband, Father, Athlete, Runner, Marathoner, Mental Health Warrior

    Well, I am about 36 hours removed from crossing the Starting Line, and I am still sore, but I have so much flowing through my head about this race. I am still emotional about yesterday for soon-to-be explained reasons.     Let’s start with beginning of race week. I was an emotional wreck. Race Week is normally up and down for me, but with this being my 2nd Anniversary as a runner, and running my 2nd Kentucky Derby Marathon, every positive and negative thought ran through my head. Plus it seemed like 98% of all of my friends, whether on DailyMile, Facebook or Twitter were lining up to run the Half, for some reason, I felt very much alone like I had no business attempting a marathon. Luckily, a dear friend of mine (Hi, Melodie!!) talked me down off the proverbial ledge.           Now, I am not one to believe in signs, or be superstitious, but Friday, packet pickup day, the only mail we received was my copy of ...

So here I am, 13 days out from running The Kentucky Derby Marathon (my 2nd Marathon , and 2nd time running this one) and I notice a change in my attitude and overall demeanor. This is probably the only time I allow myself to be a little selfish with my thoughts. For that 1% of the 1% of the U.S. Population who has completed a Marathon , you know what I mean. For the majority, let me explain…See, when you run any race, 5K, 10K, 5 Miler, 10 Miler, Half Marathon, Marathon, Ultra Marathon, etc, there is a certain amount of violence your body goes through, plain and simple. When you get up in the miles for your race, that violence translates into things the average person doesn’t realize a Marathoner has to deal with: HEAVY drop in immune system during the race (it is not uncommon for people to have sudden colds/cold like symptoms once the race is over); the muscles that tear (yes, they will repair themselves with proper rest and recovery) in the over 58,000 steps taken; the constant balanc...

So this was my off week for working Friday overnights, which meant I would get a full nights sleep before a race, for the first time since last year's Warrior Dash (July, for those keeping score). It was kind of foreign for me, but I embraced it quickly. So I woke up and stepped outside and realized it was a bit chilly. Who would think the coldest race I would run wouldn't take place until April!?!?! So I came back inside and woke up Damary and told her to stay home with the girls. There would be no reason for them to stand around getting cold and possibly getting sick. So I got dressed, and I was sporting my special Black Superman shirt, because I figured dealing with Zombies called for special Superman attire. I headed out the door down to the Rugby Field at Cherokee Park! As I parked, I immediately saw a pickup truck full of Zombies and knew this was GOING TO BE FUN!! So I got to the starting line area and picked up my flags. See, we all got 3 flags which represented our ...

Well, this race was the last leg on the Louisville Triple Crown of Running, so I wanted to see if I could extend my trend of PR-ing and PB-ing. Also, like the Anthem 5k and the Rodes 10K, this race, the Papa John’s 10 Miler, would occur right after me working a 12 hour overnight shift and later on working another 12 hour shift. So as I went to bed Thursday night, I realized that I wouldn’t sleep again Monday, and that meant this was my last bit of sleep until the race 2 days later. Friday, the day before, had me going non-stop, including Race Packet Pickup. So all of a sudden, it was time for me to head into work. Which was hectic, but suddenly it was time to get home and change into my Race Gear and head out. So as I lined up at the starting line, I ran (pun intended) into 2 coworkers and whether they realized it or not, helped calm myself before the race. Next thing I knew, it was time to start. So off I was, armed with my game plan. Now, the lesson I had learned from the previous 2 ...