Keep Going Strong

The following email was received today by all Charlotte Team-in-Training participants from our local TNT hero, Mark Bachman. It helps to have this type of encouragement, and it serves as a reminder as to why I am doing this.

It seems like just yesterday that we kicked off your training efforts for the Team In Training. I know everyone has been working out, building endurance and enjoying carbo loading over the holidays (I sure did...). Your events are drawing closer and you have so much to look forward to when you cross the finish line (especially given the wonderful locations, does anyone need a bag boy for Kiawah?). Please know how much I appreciate your efforts to connect friends, family and neighbors to this worthwhile opportunity. Your commitment and fundraising achievements will be a blessing for a lot of people in the years ahead. Keep pushing on, riding further and getting fit...it is the journey that makes life more sweet...have a great day...

Mark T. Bachman

Time to bring this journey to and end

Hours of training, eating different foods to create a healthy body, wearing new clothes to impress partners, finding shoes that don't cause blisters, and opening yourself up to the world to bring transparency to the effort. And today it comes to a screeching halt. There is no tomorrow.

My season of carefully analyzing the nuances of the sport needs to end as of tonight. I have seen great legs, a slimmer physique, and how to play to the crowd. Lets award a winner now.

No, I am not ending my running journey today. Why would you have that impression?

Rather, season 5 of Dancing With The Stars will crown a new winner this evening and award the glitzy ball trophy! Are you as sad as I am? Our options are the Spice Girl from England (Scary), the Indy driver from Brazil (Slick), or one of the Osmonds (Stiff). Let's get real for just a minute is this phoniness of reality TV. Marie should have been voted off weeks ago! If this was a marathon, she would have pulled over at the 5k mark! Or the Chicago Marathon race officials would have closed the course to her after 16 miles (so glad I chose Disney). Fan favorite or not, she should not win. My vote (if I voted 33 million times) would go out to Helio and Julianne. Energy. Smiles. Good looks!

But like all of you who religiously visit my blog each and every day in anticipation of a new entry, I will firmly plant myself this Tuesday night in front of the TV until 11 pm, with a box of tissues at my side (I have a cold - really!), and enjoy some quality reality television, while anxiously awaiting the verdict.

This gets me to thinking though (which I do periodically on a good day). I bet I could be a candidate for a reality show on running....Running With The Stars...oh, the options are endless. After I am done taunting the Osmonds, I could break into a full sprint....they would never catch me...and I'd have Julianne as my partner (just thinking out loud here)...

Things I Am Thankful For...and then some

On this national day of giving thanks, I would like to acknowledge, and give thanks, to the many things that are allowing me to have a successful "run" at completing the 39.3 miles in January. It is easy to get caught up in my own little world and think nothing but run, run, run. But it has been so much more than that. For instance, this effort wouldn't be possible without a supportive family. Erika and Ryan don't understand the magnitude of the Goofy Challenge, but instead simply say, "Daddy's going on a run." A lot. This means the lion's share of handling family obligations has fallen on my wife, Brenda, who has been holding down the fort the past few months when I head out on mornings, or weekends, for longer runs. Of course, this is no different than when I did weekend bike rides for 2 - 4 hours each Saturday and Sunday during the summer. She would be the unsung, behind-the-scenes hero, although some of you have pointed out to me she must be a saint for letting me travel so much during the week, only to then take 5 days vacation and go to the beach to run some more. To you I say, pipe down. I don't want to take any more grief than I already do!

So, I have established that a cooperative family is essential to the success of any athletic endeavor requiring a large amount of training time. And I have it, and say thanks to those that share the house with me. But there is more that has the stars aligning in my favor.

• Terrific individual donors - thanks for helping me surpass my fundraising goal, and strive for more! And for keeping me inspired by asking about the training. I won't let you down.


• Thanks to Kelly, who donated all the proceeds from her recent Southern Living show, hosted by Brenda, to the Leukemia Society. A selfless act.


• The weather gods - thanks for not raining when I run, and keeping the overall temperature to above freezing. I sure would appreciate a record breaking December.


• Anti-chaffing stuff. Oh, you don't how a little glide stick can be your best friend until you do 10 miles in the wrong clothes.
• GU -I am really thankful for this sugary substance that is supposed to provide extra energy during long runs. Don't know if it works or not, but for a chocolate lover, it is a great high every 45 minutes or so, and sustains me until I can get into the Oreo jar at home.


• Thanks to Team-In-Training, for providing a outstanding forum for success. From the TNT staff, to the coaches, to the other participants - the whole experience has been one of smiles and encouragement. They treat the runners exceptionally well!


• Dunkin' Donuts on Kings Blvd. Nothing is better after a long run than a morning pick me up - medium coffee with cream ($1.83). And if I have been extra good during the week (meaning I laid off the chocolate), two healthy jelly filled donuts to wash the coffee down with. That would be Combo #1 on the menu if you happen to stop by.


• Brenda - did I mention her already? She gave me the kick in the pants 8 years ago to stop talking about running a marathon, and to start to do something about it. That has set me on a path of running ever since. Should I thank her, or give her a kick in the pants???


• Bob and Sheri - radio personalities on 107.9 The Link. Gotta have something to listen to on the runs. During the week, it is Bob and Sheri, and on the weekend - any mind drivel music that will keep me from thinking about how many miles I have left. Maybe they'll give me a shout out someday!


• My health - without it, I would not be able to accomplish something special for my 40th, and to benefit a great cause like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

If you are also a runner, you too have many things to be thankful for that you may not have thought about previously. So just for you, I have a Christmas wish...

May all of your runs be uphill, and the wind be in your face...it builds character.

You can thank me the next time you see me.

Boston Marathon Qualifier!!!

Yes! I am thrilled to announce that the Disney Marathon on January 13, 2008 is a course sanctioned by some proper governing body as one where participants can qualify for the Boston Marathon! A time of 3:15 or better is needed for men in the 35 - 39 age bracket.

I won't qualify given my pace, but I thought you might like to know.

Ah, Houston? We Have A Problem!

Murphy's Law. It was bound to happen. Everything was going along too well in my training. Spirits - great! Training plan - great! Legs - great! Diet - great (if you consider chocolate a diet plan)! Then something happened that couldn't be predicted. It started as a slight soreness about 3 weeks ago. Just a little stiffness on the inside of my left ankle during long runs. Nothing to worry about. During a 10 miler two weeks ago, the same soreness appeared near the end of the run. And then during last week's 1/2 marathon, it returned yet again, and this time was more persistent from about mile 4 on. The stubbornness in me said I could work through it. The smart runner in me looked at the big picture and I took a week off - hence the lower mileage this week - and wrapped the ankle each day. Yesterday our team went 14 miles. Legs were great, but the soreness appeared from about 4 miles on again. A self-diagnosis indicates the start of ankle tendinitis. Caught early enough, it can be treated properly. Time isn't on my side however, and I can't afford to take 3 weeks off only 9 weeks before the Goofy Challenge. Instead, I need to be smart, and follow the plan for treating such an injury - RICE. Reach, Imbibe, Consume, Evaluate the need for another. Whoops - wrong RICE plan. Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate. Silly me.

This morning I felt fine again and I tried 4 miles on the treadmill with a taped foot. No pain. My weekly mileage may become limited, and the long Saturday runs are going to need to be evaluated week-to-week. Much like was said in the move Apollo 13 (besides when the title to this blog was uttered), "Failure is not an option". I am so pumped to see through to completion what I have started, that someone is going to need to cut my tendon to stop my from participating.

So say a few prayers for me in the upcoming weeks. It is less than 63 days until race day - and like the elite runners in the field - I plan to toe the starting line and bump elbows with the best before the gun goes off!

Then they can blow me away and I can hobble through 39.3 miles...

Too Much Time On My Hands?

Time - there is only a finite amount of it each day, week and month. How we choose to use it is generally determined before the day begins. Between sleep, work and commuting, whatever little bit of time remains must be used wisely. Committing nearly 5 months to train for the Goofy Challenge has required me to prioritize how I use my time, and to make sacrifices. Sleep time has been reduced each day, due to early morning runs. As a religious reader of the newspaper each day for many years, I have found that there isn't enough time for a thorough read lately. TV? Thank goodness for TIVO (one of life's greatest inventions!). What hasn't changed - time spent reading Nancy Drew books each night to my daughter.

Having been a runner for the past 8 years, I have always taken a watch with me. Usually it has been to track progress and improvement. Other times it has been to measure splits for each mile, or to stick to a personal schedule. As a competitor, I have always striven to improve. It has paid off in past 1/2 marathons, improving from my first 1/2 marathon time of 2:03, to a personal best of 1:43. Yet, training these past few months has been a different experience. While I have time goals in the back of my mind for the 2 races comprising the Goofy Challenge, I am also realistic in knowing that this effort is quite different from my previous events. 39.3 miles over two days is not a race based on speed, but rather endurance, commitment and heart. Therefore, I am enjoying my training like never before. And I think it could be due to the fact that I haven't always taken my watch with me. I run for the satisfaction of knowing what I am doing is benefiting others. I run to put in miles at a steady pace, rather than to race against the clock to complete the workout. Time has mattered little. I know this to be true based on two separate situations this past week.

The first was Tuesday morning when I put in 6 miles, in complete darkness, while on a trip to Minnesota. 3 laps around a lake path near my hotel, when I was barely able to see the ground in front of me. "Mr. Golden Sun" (as my son calls it), wasn't about to guide me on this day. The clock may have said it was 5:45 am, but my body said it was just another training run, no matter the venue. Sleep was sacrificed to further the cause. The time of day didn't matter.

The second was yesterday, when I "competed" in a local half-marathon in Charlotte. For me, it was an opportunity to get in a 13 mile training run, while surrounded by other runners. That makes for easy motivation. I had no goal for a finishing time, and merely took with my watch to measure my splits to ensure I was doing a steady pace mile-by-mile. I know time didn't matter, because when I crossed the finish line, and actually forgot to stop my watch, or look up at the chip-time clock to see when I crossed. Only later did I realize that I did a negative split - running the last 1/2 of the race quicker than the first 1/2. Not bad. Finished in 1:54 for an 8:43/mile pace (not that I am keeping track - this is to for official documentation purposes!)

However, I have to admit, I did let my competitive side get the best of me. Nearing the finish line, the sun was at my back, and the crowd was cheering on the runners. On the ground ahead of me, I was able to see my shadow, and that of another runner closing in on me in the last 100 meters. WHAT??? WAS HE/SHE TRYING TO PASS ME AT THE END??? NO WAY!!! Without turning around to give my best "what are you trying to do" stare, I shifted into another gear and cruised across the finish line ahead of the other runner. Now that was a good time!!!