Martin's Marathon

Well, here we are. New Year’s Eve, 2005 and I promised myself that I would write the last entry of my blog before the end of the year. I thought long and hard about what I would write in this final entry. Something profound about that one thing I learned throughout my training? Some life-changing pieces of advise for you all? You know, I don’t have much of that. The truth is, I don’t feel like this is the end and so I don’t really have very many concluding thoughts. This was merely the start.

You know that corny saying “today is the first day of the rest of your life”? Well, that’s how I feel tonight. That’s how I’ve felt ever since I finished that marathon. I guess that is what I’ve gotten from this whole experience. I do have a few parting thoughts I guess. First, I’ll start with a few thank you.

Thank YOU, my faithful readers. You were my cheering section. You spanned the globe and made me feel like a rock star. This has been the period of my life that I have felt the most supported. That support spurred me on, on a daily basis and helped me in ways I could never describe.

Thanks to all the professionals who fixed me up every time I fell. Thanks to my massage therapist, Laurie. Thanks to Mark at the sports medical institute. Thanks to my podiatrist, Bill Hopkins, fellow marathoner who managed to get me custom orthotic and have my insurance pay every cent! Thanks to Dr. Rasi, the orthopedic surgeon who shot my knee with cortisone… the miracle drug.

Thanks to the Team in Training coaches and mentors. Our head coach Ed who did not, for one second, have ANY doubt that I would cross that finish line, my main mentor Jake and all of the other mentors, Joe (who is doing great and is recovering well), Joy, Sarah, Nicole and last but not least Cristina. Cristina is one of those people who are absolutely dependable in a way that you hope to be like them as much as you can. An inspiration. Thanks also to Martha and all of the rest of the TNT staff. You were all fantastic!

Thanks to the honorees. You guys had the hardest job of all. You’ve either gone or are going through blood cancer treatments that make all of this pale in comparison. You were my inspiration during the training and you will continue to be for the rest of my life. It was an honor knowing you.

Thanks to my Team. You are the first bunch of athletes I’ve ever known that did not look down on losers like me. Now, I don’t actually think of myself as a loser any more, but that’s because I’ve never been made feel like one by my teammates. You have all been NOTHING BUT supportive. That support made a huge difference. You all made me part of YOUR team and made me feel like it was OUR team.

Special thanks to Luis. My brother in arms. We went through hell and back together, starting from pretty much the same place and ending EXACTLY at the same place, with arms raised, at the finish line of the 2005 Honolulu Marathon. You have inspired me to be a better person in all aspects of my life.

EXTRA special thanks to Stacy. The love of my life and my best friend. Don’t worry, I won’t get all soppy on you (or is it too late?). Stacy has sacrificed a LOT over the past few months as I’ve been running or at track or stretching or reading about running or doing my core exercises or… I really appreciate the fact that, although you didn’t understand WHY I was doing all of this, you never complained about it and you did your best to participate by going out and volunteering at water stops or whatever else you needed to do to show your support. I know that you finally GOT what all of this was about while we were in Hawaii. For that, I love you all the more. Okay soppy stuff over now.

Will I ever do this again? Simple answer. Yes. I have a long term plan to participate in a triathlon in about two years time. Why two years? Well, a triathlon consists of a swim, a bike ride and a run. I don’t know how to swim. But I do know that I am capable of doing things I am currently unable to do. So, I’ll learn to swim. And I’ll practice until I can swim for a mile or more. And I’ll eventually be good enough for a triathlon. Will I run again? Yes. I’ve already signed up for a 10K run in February. Will I run another marathon? Good question. I actually WANT to. I WANT to run one, and I mean RUN one. Get a finish time of five or six hours. BUT, based on the experiences of the past few months and the professional advise of many, I need to assess whether I’ll mess my legs up by doing so. They whole idea is that I’ll be fit enough to keep up with Ronan as he grows up. If I wreck my knees that is not going to happen.

In closing, all of this reminds me of the time I won my very first medal and how I felt upon receiving it. I was a late bloomer and while most of the other kids in my class had medals from sprints or long distance or some egg-and-spoon race or three-legged race they did with their friend, a medal seemed to pass me by. Probably had a lot to do with that lack of participation thing. Anyway, the date that I did receive that first medal will ALWAYS stay with me. It was December 11th, 2005.

Thanks for your money.
Thanks for your readership.
Thanks for your support.

It was a privileged to have you on this journey with me and have a great 2006!

Martin