31 posts tagged “marathon”

6:08 finish at the 2007 ING New York City Marathon last November, my injury-plagued 26.2 mile debut.

5:21 finish today at the 2008 St. Louis Marathon on the hilliest/toughest course I know.

4:?? at the 2008 ING New York City Marathon on Nov. 2.

I am going to hire a research firm to see if they can detect a trend...

Loving every moment right now, have incredible pics of my weekend with my awesome crew including my 20-year-old son Matt and his girlfriend Amanda, my 16-year-old son Ben and his girlfriend Erica, and my 14-year-old son Josh. They were waiting at the finish line for me with cowbells and signs including "HEART OF A CHAMPION". They were my awesome 21.2 Pit Crew!

This was my second marathon, so this is my second marathon post. Here are the pictures and the words.

MARATHON EVE

With my 14-year-old Josh:

After picking up my registration stuff at the Marathon Expo. The Arch says it all...

Ben (16) with Winthorpe (now 11):

Ben and Erica below. He swiped the Sleep Number gift from my Expo bag -- a sleep mask!

The crew:

I am so proud of my boys, and nothing new when Matt opened a letter waiting for him at the house. It was welcoming him to a national scholastic excellence organization after he made the Dean’s List this semester at the University of Missouri’s School of Finance. I was so proud when he opened it. He came over just for this race and had two tests on Monday and one on Tuesday, so I know it was a big sacrifice for him, and that’s how much we all love each other. I also got to see him study for Accounting and Marketing tests and am blown away by how organized he is, with his meticulous notes printed out and put into a binder that he studies, etc. So far beyond what I was doing in college. Love my guys.

Here is my temporary tattoo with splits for a 5 Hour Pace. This was AMAZING. I got it at the expo. Better than a pace bracelet. I repeatedly looked down at my forearm after Mile 20, when I was on my own, to gauge how well I was keeping up with my pace.

My motel room the night before. I decided to go with the orange look:

We had our own Pasta Party at the boys’ house. I made fettuccini with alfredo sauce and bowtie pasta with red sauce, and everyone mixed and matched. Josh gave me the lowdown on Hakeem tha Dream and why I had to download THICK WIT IT from iTunes, so it was a powersong now, too. Here it is:

The pasta party was better than the official Pasta Party downtown. I went back to my motel room and got to sleep at 12:40 a.m.

THE MARATHON

Miles 1-16

I slept 4 hours, waking up at 4:40. I got down to the Union Station area at 6, and the race started at 7. I checked my bag with everyone else inside City Hall, an amazing scene of runners. Then I hit the portapotty and looked for Molly. She had been at the table at the Expo the day before, and I had signed up to be part of the 5 Hour Pace Group that she would be leading.

There were maybe 20 of us in that group. We started out great. It was an indescribably beautiful St. Louis spring day, as Mizzouri Governor Matt Blount -- who was running on a marathon relay team -- pronounced to runners. We ran toward the Arch and the sunrise, just gorgeous. Then we hung a right and proceeded South all the way to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. If you’ve ever been to St. Louis, you know what an institution this is. The huge BUDWEISER sign at the top tells you where the King of Beers is based. This is it. The greatest beer by sales and Super Bowl commercials. I will get way ahead of myself here and let you know that 200 meters before the finish, I was handed a beer by volunteers, who said, "Don’t worry, you will be fine. Drink it."

We then circled back north toward Market Street, and then came a long trek West. The course went through many iconic St. Louis areas, including the Purina HQ, Barnes Jewish Hospital, Washington University, and more. There were cowbells everywhere, and I had bought two for my crew. They were selling them at the Expo, at a booth called "26.2 Pit Crew." People: You HAVE to get some 26.2 Pit Crew stuff at your next Expo. Everytime I heard a cowbell, I remembered the Saturday Night Live skit and yelled, "More cowbell!" I cheered for other runners. I shouted repeatedly: "I LOVE HILLS!!!!" I was total energy man. That was for the first 15-16 miles, and that even included going through Forest Park, a 3 1/2-mile stretch that I had absolutely feared leading up to this event.

Here is a picture during the first half. That's Molly on the right. You can also get a good view of my pace tattoo! I look like hell, and I had halfway to go! But damn I felt great.

Miles 16-26

Molly said at one point, "I’m not letting you go." Our pace group had winnowed down to a handful halfway through. She was a couple of minutes ahead, and I had visions of a 4:58 or so. I was so psyched. She was doing a great job, and I appreciate pace runners because her PR is like 3:20. I am sorry to say that I lost sight of Molly and the rest of them once we got into Clayton. That is where the bubble burst on my 5 Hour time. That is where I realized that the second half of this marathon was the hilliest one I have heard about anywhere.

Once we were at the extreme edge of Clayton, I was the farthest away from the finish line at any point on the course, and I stared at this LONG and STEADY incline ahead of me on Delmar Boulevard, and my courage was tested right then and there. I tried to run. I got lightheaded. I stopped briefly at a med tent, and they let me sit there for a few minutes, gave me Gatorade, I stood up, lubed with vaseline on chest and thighs, tried to run, then got wicked right calf cramping. That was a hard mile or two of pure survival. I tried to run but it was heavy walk-run-walk. I lost 10 minutes in that area of the course.

It never got a whole lot easier. We ran through University City. I was in a battle of wills at that point. Spectators were few and far between. An occasional band. It was the opposite of the NYC Marathon with its 2 million spectators. After I lost the pace group, it was me against myself. Strike that: It was me supporting myself. I stayed positive.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A WALL!

Others have disagreed with me, but I have now said after both of my first two marathons that I think the term THE WALL is bullshit. The wall has nothing to do with it. I think it is a cop-out, even. It is about training, about building up quads, etc. My arms were getting tired, something I thought of often. I needed to do more arm work. If you are a positive person, there is no such thing as a wall.

The fact that I was battling had nothing to do with a wall. The hills were testing my leg power. I never had any doubt that I would get there, and my goal was seeing my kids at the finish line. I was thinking about that. I was thinking about what dance I should do across the finish line. I listened to my iPod for the back half but not the front half. I passed and was passed by and passed and was passed by various strangers who I gradually got to know and chat with. It was a battle of hills and a battle of wills. Guess what, I made it.

My Achilles tendon was perfect. The last 3 miles were straight uphill, staring at the Arch in the distance the whole way. Forever. I got to Mile 26, and all I could think of was seeing Matt, Ben and Josh. Then I did. First I saw Matt, then Josh, holding up the big white "HEART OF A CHAMPION" sign. Then I saw Amanda, then Ben with Erica. They were making cowbell music. Then I took a slight left turn that led us into a 20-yard run through the Finishing corral.

For that whole stretch, I danced to Nelly’s Heart of a Champion. I overdid it big time just because. The announcer said, "And here comes Mark Newman, from New York City!" THAT IMPRESSED ME! What other marathon does that for just some participant, spotting your bib number and looking you up and giving you that personal touch? As they said my name, I am jumping, pumping my fists in the air, dancing, hopping, doing Nelly right since he’s a St. Louis guy. I was "S-T-L Derrty." I was a soldja, I thought I toldja. I just ran 26.2 miles. I literally fly across the chip mat, hoping my chip was not too high from the mat to record my time. They put a medal around me, I reunited with my crew, life was great.

There is a funny story about one of the photographers toward the end. He stood in front of me and waited until the last split second to jump out of the way. I thought I was going to run him over, I swear. It was like I was Lance Armstrong and he was the motorcycle-cam right in front of him. Dude, I am not that fast!!! I'll bet you that will be an awesome running photo, though. If you like seeing death warmed over.

NUTRITION

Here is what I consumed during the course of my second marathon:

I had a banana and a few bites of bread two hours before the race. I had a bottled water and a bottled clear sport drink. Sipped from each up until the race. Portapotty 15 minutes before start.

At midnight before the race, I bought a bag of pretzels and saran wrap at a Walgreen's. I was going to crunch them up and wrap them and then safety-pin that to the side of my shorts like a woman taught me at the Nike Half last August, but it was too bulky. So I just crushed a bunch and stuffed them into my left pocket. I munched on those throughout the race for SALT.

I also brought five little salt packets with me, the typical kind at a deli. They were in my right pocket. Before the race I broke one open onto my tongue and washed it down with water. I used them all up during the race. So between those and pretzels I was covered.

I was hydrated perfectly, and I had water and Gatorade at each available stop -- in moderation.

I took GU at miles 7, 14, 19 and 23. I might have even snuck one in somewhere else on the back half, as they were distributed at miles 14 and 23.

POSTRACE

We took two cars back home, and Matt drove my rental SUV as I stretched out in the back and felt awesome.

I took an ice bath at the motel after dropping off the boys. I would appreciate it if someone can tell me how to really get through an ice bath. This time I lasted a little bit longer but it was quick. The first time I got in, I lasted one complete minute, counting every second to 60. Then I jumped out and the pain seared my legs. After a couple of minutes, I got back in. I lasted 20 seconds that time. So total 80 seconds. How do you last 5-10 minutes like they recommend? All I know is, it worked. It makes the soreness/inflammation less severe in recovery, so the following week is not as miserable. I noticed it right away.

Back at the boys’ house, I played basketball with my guys. "How are you running, Dad?" Josh asked me. I didn’t even know. I ran after loose balls. I tried to dunk on a goal dropped to 9 feet. I was loving life. We spent another great night together, and then I said goodbye to my dudes as Matt/Amanda headed back to college late that night and I went back to my motel for a Monday flight.

Next up for me, besides being the best I can be and even better at my awesome job in Major League Baseball, is putting together the proposal that is going to make my currently 255-page book manuscript an international best seller in every language and then screenplays and then me sailing around the world and living the largest life a man ever lived and being remembered. You can do anything. Just proved it again! You are whatever you think you are, you will be whatever you think you can be.

There were many times during these 26.2 miles when I looked down at my legs moving, and I thought to myself: How am I doing this? I never knew I could. There was a long and tortuous climb up Delmar Boulevard coming back from Clayton, and not only was the hill killing me, there was that calf cramp. Then the insides of both thighs just started doing something weird, twitching uncontrollably. I thought: What’s next? On that long stretch, I kept trying to put one leg in front of the other, walking, running, trying to run more, and eventually you are just continuing to run and you get back into a zone for a while and you aren’t really sure how your body keeps answering the call...but it does.

I love running. I am a multiple-marathoner now.

Only 39 days till the ING New York City Marathon. Plantar fasciitis in my right foot is the third consecutive injury I have dealt with in rapid-fire succession. Today was my fourth "rehab run" and after five miles the pain was too much to run through. Have decided to once again shut it down for a couple of weeks, and fortunately I will have access to hotel health clubs everywhere I go because . . . .

It's time for some October baseball! We're in the final days of deciding the postseason berths after the most historic, spectacular regular season in the history of Major League Baseball. (My MLB.com article here.). We have had more major milestones than ever (by a mile). There was even that day when Frank Thomas hit his 500th, followed at night by Craig Biggio's truly unforgettable 5-for-5 performance that included hit No. 3,000. Tom Glavine got his 300th win and Roger Clemens his 350th. A-Rod and Jim Thome joined the 500 HR Club. Sammy Sosa hit his 600th (Junior Griffey will do it next spring, when Manny gets his 500th). Trevor Hoffman became the first pitcher to reach 500 saves.

And, of course, there was the chase that resulted in a new home run king and a change of the guard for the most hallowed individual record in any sport, professional or amateur. Maybe you hated it, maybe you loved it, and maybe you tried to be indifferent. But you were probably watching when Barry Bonds cranked No. 756 in August, and when that classy video message from dethroned Hank Aaron came over the AT&T Park scoreboard.

Is there any doubt that October will likewise be something truly out of the ordinary? Could this be the year that the Chicago Cubs not only reach their first World Series since 1945 . . . but also WIN their first world championship since 1908? They still have to take care of business this week first. Will the Yankees finally regain their royalty and win No. 27? Will Cleveland win it all for the first time since 1948? How about a Mets-Red Sox reunion from 1986? And how about my Rockies? I predicted on MLB.com in March that they would go to the World Series. I am pretty sure I am about the only one who predicted that in the civilized world. To me, it was a great young core that was going to come together. They are sure doing that now. (For full disclosure, I also predicted they would face Texas.)

I'll be working the postseason, and as I said, fortunately I'll be able to use hotel health club facilities the whole time -- exercise bike, elliptical, swimming, etc. So I will shut down running for up to two weeks again and keep up my fitness. I am registered for the ING New York City Marathon 18-mile Tuneup this Sunday at Central Park, but it looks like I will just forfeit my $20 entry fee because it's just not that important as I listen to my body. My first marathon approaches fast, and fortunately we are up to $2,134 raised for TEAM FOR KIDS thanks to my friends here and elsewhere. Please click here if you would like to help me make a difference to give a running start to many needy children and donate to this very important cause (my entry number is 94714 and last name is Newman). Any amount is welcome, and maybe you would like to donate $1 per mile -- it would be $26.20 and I promise you would feel GREAT about it.

This is going to be one unbelievable, crowded, busy, amazing October, carrying right over to a November 4 date with destiny that I will somehow finish despite these injuries. And then after that, the completion of my work of a lifetime, "Trees and Numbers," providing a beginning and an ending to the current 210-page manuscript.

That's my life right now.

Yes, this is The Marathon Season.

That's how long until the ING New York City Marathon according to their website. I am in my own little private bootcamp now and Central Park is my private Olympic training center. After 11 days on the DL due to the lower right back/right hip injury caused two nights before the Nike Half, I cleared myself to resume training (three days before the doctor said OK) and am back "in the game." I ran six miles around the park on Saturday morning and was pain-free, which was a huge relief. I thought about entering that morning McDonald's Fitness 4M run with thousands of others, but instead I ran against the grain and watched them, focusing only on my marathon prep. I had some discomfort in my right arch area while running, as I was just unused to my Asics after 11 days off. That resulted in a bruised right arch, so I iced a lot, rested it Sunday, and then this morning I went back and ran five miles on the Lower 5 loop. It was OK, some pain in the last mile and kind of sore now. But compared to the back/hip injury, this is nothing. That's 11 miles in three days, which is a good start getting back on track. I have fallen behind quite a bit and the jury is out on whether I will enter Saturday's NYC Marathon Long Training Run #2 at Central Park, which is anywhere from 6 to 20 miles depending on your preference. My Team for Kids teammates will be running 18 at least. I won't be up for that yet, even though I ran a comfortable 16 a few weeks ago. Lost too much fitness in those 11 days. I'll get there. I am focused. My gameface is on. I'm doing ab work with an exercise ball at home, as well as on the grass off the running path, and I'm back to doing park bench push-ups front/reverse. Lots of stretching. Lots of sweating. Biggest obstacle is controlling my calorie intake, wanting to eat everything in sight because I am working up an appetite. Any members of the "Foodies" group here, I included this post because I welcome anyone's thoughts as I really need to guard myself against overeating and want to lose about 10. I'm drinking over 100 oz water a day, eating chicken, brown rice, too much pasta, too much buttered wheat bread, too many peanuts, etc. Some good, some bad. I'm glad I got the buzzcut, feels great to run and sweat and just pour water over my head and rub it off. Time to run.

Thanks to anyone who has chosen to donate to Team for Kids as a way of supporting my first marathon! I am up to $1,980 I believe, and my required fundraising total is $2500. So I'm getting there, and I am relying on my friends and family and colleagues to help that great cause and make a difference with me. I also encourage anyone who is in the New York City area on November 4 to come on out and cheer! It's going to be an unreal scene. I think about it all the time and keep looking at the course map and videos of past NYC Marathons and everything I am supposed to know. Meanwhile, I am baseball around the clock, and the most historic season in Major League Baseball history is about to have another unbelievably wild finish with a spectacular October. What a life right now...this is crazy.

Just don't let it be a World Series Game 7 on Nov. 1 in Anaheim! I'll need some rest!

Mark

UPDATED 9:50 A.M. ON SUNDAY, JULY 15: No wonder I almost passed out during the spectacular run I am about to describe. I just went to mapmyrun.com and discovered that it was 7 1/2 miles from our hotel to the Marin side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Throw in the tough hills, and I just (mostly) ran 15 miles (my longest was 13.1 three times) on a hard course with changing elevations. We had planned to run 9 or 10.

It was the best All-Star Game that has been played since I was a boy, when they were truly staged for pride and glory, and I can only describe my trip out to San Francisco from Saturday morning (7 a.m. flight on 7-7-7) through Wednesday night as UNFORGETTABLE. It was that in every way, from Sunday's future stars to our MLB.com party that night co-hosted by Alyssa Milano and Jose Reyes to Ichiro's inside-the-park homer to the Willie Mays pregame ceremony to the Barry Bonds crowd to the ninth-inning rally to my first visit to majestic AT&T Park with its View Level splendor looking out over the Bay. And you know what? The best part was saved for last.

After four days of working the All-Star week for MLB, I checked out of the truly unforgettable Hotel Nikko in San Francisco at 11:15 a.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday wearing my running gear with 2 GU packs and my Canon Powershot (which I killed on the Golden Gate Bridge) in the back pocket of my fuel belt. I checked three bags with the bellman, and was surprised to find that my colleague Jason, our guy with the Detroit Tigers, was waiting there in the lobby. I had mentioned I was going to run, and he was all ready to rumble, a past marathoner. So I had a running partner, and one who had run the San Francisco course before. We started running at 11:25, our baseball work behind us. It was everything I had hoped for and more when I planned to take a redeye flight out late just for this. Here we go:

We left Union Square and headed for Market Street, then over to The Embarcadero. Here is the first site from there: The Bay Bridge.

Here is the famous Coit Tower, decorated in our All-Star regalia just like me.

That's me and Jason, taken by a guy who was going to run the San Francisco Marathon later this month. Our course covered much of that layout. You also can see what my brand-new Nathan fuel belt looks like. It's twisted around in this pic because my ill-fated Powershot was in that big pocket on my left hip (it was in the middle of my lower back while I ran). I liked the Nathan better than the red/black Fuel Belt because of the sturdier holsters for the water bottles, so that they go in and out easier while you are running. There's the red do-rag I picked up at RonJon Shop on Cocoa Beach last month, and the Nike Sportband I got last month at Apple Store on Fifth Ave. to replace the one I left in the Florida taxi. It's funny when I look at these pics and see little stories of my running past.

Here are a couple of shots of the Aquarium area, first view of the Bay.

There's me about to be eaten by a Megaladon, the largest shark in the history of the world dating back 750 mabilliavajillion years ago. I gave him a tooth inspection and was flossing between his bicuspids. I think he will be happy even though he's about to eat me. I hope my BreatheRight strip will protect me.

Alcatraz.

This was a silver guy. I guess he was being a statue.

The guy making the sand sculpture looks friendly here to the passing Runner Tourist. But he was telling me here: "If you're going to take a free picture, it's at least 5 cents." Ha! Like I'm carrying any coins and what's he going to do, take back my digital picture? He looks like a nice tourist-loving guy but he was a jerk.

This was my favorite thing about San Francisco when I used to come here in the late '80s and when I lived here in 1990-92 (no, I never got near the Golden Gate Bridge back then because of work/whatever). It's Fisherman's Wharf, and even though it's real cheesy there, the crab is just awesome. I love it.

First sighting: Golden. Gate. Bridge. (You are about to see very much of her.) At this point we ran a long way through the Marina district, gorgeous homes. It was a really long straightaway, preparing me for what Fourth Avenue will be like in Brooklyn on Nov. 4. We went through a few really wicked hills, including one straight up. Then, suddenly, it is right there in front of you, the base of The Bridge. I refilled my four water bottles at the Golden Gate Gift Shop, and we each grabbed a Gatorade.

Meet Joseph B. Strauss, builder of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Guess what? We're on the Golden Gate Bridge. I was immediately surprised by how wide it is, how easy it is to run/bike over. It is six lanes wide, and plenty of rec-lane space. And flat.

I repeatedly stopped along the rail to just admire the most fabulous running scenery I have experienced. The panorama is just so beautiful. I love you, San Francisco.

We ran across the Golden Gate Bridge, which was just over 4,000 feet for the main span, and more than 6,000 from support to support. We reached Vista Point on the Marin side of the bridge, and then turned around and headed back. The wind started picking up on the bridge run back, the kind of chilly high wind we were expecting in the first place. That made it really hard to run. It was beautiful, and it was a superhuman workout as I expected. Here is the view heading back across from the Marin side.

After stopping again at the Golden Gate Gift Shop, to refill the four water bottles and to each hit the GU, we ran back to Marina and you would absolutely love this dirt running path that they maintain so beautifully. It takes you right along the marsh beach, and just an indescribably beautiful run back to the City. Alcatraz is right in the middle of the picture...you are running right at Alcatraz on the horizon. I even stopped along the beach to splash some water from the Bay onto my head. (Sorry, Asics.)

On a not-so-good note, when we got back to Fisherman's Wharf, right about then I started getting lightheaded. I walked a little, then started again, and it kept getting worse, like everything was really bright. I was starting to worry that I couldn't finish, realizing that seven months ago I was a pack-a-day smoker. Altitude? Long sleeves for 90-percent humidity? (Felt like 60s so it seemed appropriate.) Not enough hydrating? I was pounding liquids. Was it that condition when you have TOO MUCH fluid that I've heard about? Maybe someone can help me, because that worried me. Also on a not-so-good note, right about then I realized that the aperture was not opening on my Powershot. My experience with others is that once that happens (no warranty), it is toast. No more pics, and fortunately I had already taken all the pics/vids I needed.

After going it slow for a while, I started running again, and then I was fine for the most part. I made it all the way back to the hotel with Jason, working our way back along the sometimes-hilly downtown streets (we passed on the roller-coaster hills of Lombard, just too lethal for such a monster run). Back at the Hotel Nikko, we headed to the health club on the fifth floor and I hit the jacuzzi and the swimming pool. It felt good to do that and shower and clean up there, then I said later-days to Jason and thanked him for the run, and I jumped on the BART train (much better than NYC subways) and headed for the San Francisco Airport. Back to New York.

UNFORGETTABLE...
...from near or far...

Next stop, San Francisco! On a 7 am 757 on 7-7-7 from NY to San Fran for our MLB All-Star festivities, and after a busy work schedule through all of the activities including the Home Run Derby Monday night and the 78th All-Star Game on Tuesday night, I am especially looking forward to spending the entire day Wednesday running the hilly and legendary streets of San Francisco. I just have to catch a redeye flight at 11 that night, so I'll have time to figure out where to wash off before the flight, since I check out of my hotel by 1 that day. Airport bathroom if nothing else. Any suggestions welcomed! I will be very sweaty heading to the airport! Maybe a beach has an overhead spray or something and I pack a bar of soap to take with me on the run? Feel free to say hi during the All-Star events, I will be writing lots of articles for MLB.com and help facilitating sportsjunkie.tv among many other duties, and I also look forward to meeting with our partners here at Six Apart, creators of VOX. I am responsible for MLBlogs.com, where we are in our third year of partnering with Six Apart for that original Typepad platform (must grow to social network asap!), and here is my own MLBlog in case you are interested.

New York City Marathon training is going great, and I am enjoying the challenge of training with my Team for Kids partners that I have discussed in previous posts. Just received this weekly workout schedule from them, so you can see what I am trying to follow. Will be MUCH HARDER with the All-Star week, but I am determined to not sacrifice my running during out jewel events in Major League Baseball.

Recommended Training Schedule
Week of July 9

Monday: Rest or cross train with a bike, an easy 6-10 miles to loosen the legs

Tuesday: 6 miles – interval training

o        Start: easy mile and a half

o        2:00 minute pickup - aim for a faster pace but not ‘all out’ running

o        2:00 minute slower pace jog

o        2:00 minute pickup

o        2:00 minute slower pace jog

o        2:00 minute pickup

o        2:00 minute slower pace jog

o        2:00 minute pickup

o        2:00 minute slower pace jog

o        2:00 minute pickup

o        Finish: remainder of mileage at easy pace

The pickups and interval jogs should get you through about a mile and a half, but it is okay if you do a bit less or a bit more.  We want to have you start to get the sense of acceleration and quicker running.  Try to do this workout on a dirt trail or path.

Wednesday: 2 to 4 miles easy pace

Thursday: 5 miles easy pace

Friday:  Rest

Saturday: 8 to 10 miles with hills

Sunday: 3 to 5 miles easy pace

...keep in mind that the New York City Marathon is on Nov. 4, so it's now just about a 16-week training program.

As crushing as it was to see "NO" when I entered my name at noon today for the 2007 ING New York City Marathon entrant database, I decided that I am undaunted by the lottery result and will be running the event anyway on behalf of Team for Kids! Thank you to everyone who left me good-luck comments, I really appreciate that!

No, my name was not accepted out of the 98,000 applications from around the world, all vying for about 37,000 spots in the world's biggest marathon. Yes, first reaction was disbelief. But it's all good! You can still run it for charity if you're registered (I registered in February), and I had a lot of supportive MLB colleagues around me here at the offices to pick me up and reinforce that I will have no problem raising the required $2,500 in pledges by the Nov. 4 event. I will go directly from the World Series in some unknown city once I have washed the champagne out of my hair (I always get soaked in the clubhouse!) to a Sunday morning start on Staten Island and then run over the bridge to Brooklyn to Queens to The Bronx to Central Park and practically my front door at Tavern on the Green.

I LOVE RUNNING!

I ALSO LOVE KIDS!

This is perfect for me, and like I said, colleagues here at our MLB offices told me I definitely should do this so I did. And how cool that I just submitted my Team for Kids membership form on the week of Father's Day. It will be an even more fun way to share my first 26.2-mile journey with my three awesome boys, whose Dad will be wearing that bright green singlet within the same year as he quit smoking mainly for them.

So here's the deal, and there will be more details to follow with my fundraising form. Team for Kids raises critical funds for New York Road Runners Foundation youth programs. Team members are adult runners who pledge to raise funds for NYRRF as they train for and compete in premier NYRR races, including the ING New York City Marathon and the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE (which I am also going to be running on August 5!). Since 2002, Team for Kids members have raised more than $5 million for NYRRF and the children they serve.

Supported by the powerful outreach of Team for Kids members, more than 25,000 children a week in more than 150 schools and community centers now participate in NYRRF programs, where they learn critical skills to improve their physical health, emotional well-being, and capacity for personal achievement.

Last week, I received a letter from my Aunt Marti. Her brother, my father, passed away last year. I really miss my Dad. He had the heart of a lion. He would do anything for anyone. In the last year of his life while battling multiple myeloma, he volunteered to drive cancer patients to their chemo treatments. When he passed away, I had to stay around at the hospice to meet the University of Louisville people who had driven two hours to pick up my Dad, who donated his body to medical science there. He donated supplies constantly to a home of nuns in Eastern Kentucky, and all I ever remember most is his desire to make a difference. So that letter from my Aunt Marti read: "Your father's spirit of honesty and giving now lives in you." That felt like a lot to live up to. It was instilled by his mother, my grandmother, who would take me to the State Hospital as a boy just to be around mentally retarded children, and she would always say, "Mark, always remember other people." If I can be half the man my Dad was, I will die pretty happy one day. I have a ton of living to do first, and to live the right way.

Distance running is such an individual sport, with such a focus on ME such as my physique, my mileage, my nutrition, my course, my music while I run...it may be the most individual of athletic endeavors that there is. It is generally solitude, you and your thoughts. I have thought for these last six months about that, and I have been pleased that there are so many NYRR events that benefit worthy causes. In that small way, it feels like you are making a little difference. But I know there has to be much, much more. I never feel like I am doing nearly enough, and I suppose that is how one should feel. I am going to be very happy to start the Team for Kids fundraising.

Now I have something at stake in this that is not just me and my training. It feels like something more, even though I know I wanted to see a YES on that lottery acceptance form that everyone was checking today on the NYC Marathon site. Next year this is a moot point, because just a few weeks ago I qualified for the 2008 NYC Marathon by virtue of running the minimum nine NYRR scored qualifying races in 2007. I just know that within an hour of getting the lottery news, I went from "crushed" to "excited." Yes, everyone will be hearing from me. I won't mean to be a pest. But I now have a marathon to run and another reason to run it. It feels good to know it's all set finally.

This feels like a good time to post a photo I just found of my Dad, and I'm guessing it was sometime in the late '70s. There's also a shot of me and my own sons who I can't wait to spend time with this Father's Day weekend. I am going to be dedicating my first marathon to them, and running it for KIDS everywhere!

Just remember: NO MEANS YES!

Mark

What do you think of when you think of the Far East? I think of martial arts and the one thing I put most athletic training toward until I ever thought about marathoning. That taekwondo black belt is a reminder to me of all of the hours of roundhouses and sidekicks, the stretching, the complex forms, the Saturday testings, the one-sir-two-sir! to Master Rho, the hand techniques, the grappling/sparring...but most of all, the art form and the respect and the honor and the precision mental acuity that all goes into the pursuit of a black belt...which is only the beginning and never the end. It is not about pride, not ever about looking to use it. It is the appreciation of a tradition and a way of life, something that will always be in my head the rest of my life no matter where I go.

I was thinking about that a lot on this day, proclaimed the inaugural Japan Day @ Central Park. The Japan Day Festival was moving in many ways, and for me it was especially because of a karate demonstration by young and old, because of a Samurai Sword Soul play, because we were graced by an awesome culture that prompted these pics and videos below from my Canon PowerShot A540. The one thing I could not capture was the actual Japan Day 4M race, which is a shame because it was such a beautiful day to run. My race time was 37:01 and my pace was 9:15. The time was 7 seconds slower than my Mother's Day 4M time a few weeks ago, and the pace was 2 seconds slower. Thus did I just experience my first real taste of not getting a PR when you are expecting one, and even though my great runner friend George (that's her in the bottom picture here as we had our pics taken with a Geisha!) explained that times were also slower in the front of the field (thanks for trying to make me feel better!), I am just that much more driven to train this week!!! Here comes speedwork! And here is your multimedia presentation of Japan Day 2007:

You know you're a runner when...
It's Friday night and you post photos of your new shoes.
Bought tonight at Jackrabbit for $90 plus $35 inserts.
Video/treadmill test showed serious overpronation.
Very likely the cause of my nagging left shinsplint.
Now I have a six-month anniversary present for myself.
See my previous post and you will understand why.
The old Asics had 445.9 miles on them.
Not that I was counting or anything.
That is like me running to Kitty Hawk, N.C.
I decided it is fate and I am going to go there next.
To see where man first flew. I am flying, too.
I love my new Asics. Can't wait to run in them in the morning.
Seriously, though. I really am a normal, interesting man.
Maybe even a great husband to someone one day.
I can't help it, I just love running. These are my shoes.

So here we are. Today, June 1, marks six months to the day that my life changed.

I am going to try to recapture the incredible feelings and everything I have learned, month by month, as a new distance runner and an Upper West Sider in Manhattan. I am doing this mainly as a way that is helping me continue to record what has happened as I make final revisions on my "Trees and Numbers" book manuscript next winter, but I also want to share my excitement with others who love running as much (or more) as I do. I want to sincerely, most graciously thank everyone who has come into my life in that time and provided invaluable assistance, support and general friendship in this incredible half-year. I want to thank Kirk and Janice, who had lived in this new apartment before me and suggested distance running when I dropped in to first look at the place. And every friend. I have a long way to go with the first marathon looming ahead, but a lot to be thankful for.

DECEMBER
Moved from NJ to Upper West Side next to Central Park
Quit smoking cold turkey
Bought first pair of Asics at Foot Action in Times Square
Joined New York Road Runners
Bought "The Runner's Training Diary" as faithful daily log
Spent $200 on a bunch of arctic running gear
Started drinking 12 oz Accelerade before/after every run
Resumed this blog under new title to reflect baseball and running
Trailmix/celery/grapes/etc to fill smoking void, guzzled water
Debuted in Joe Kleinerman 10K on 12/10 (1:18.40/12:41 pace)
Ran Hot Chocolate 10M on 12/16 (2:07.07/12:42)
Wondered when I will stop looking fat
Eating oatmeal/fruit almost every morning, 80-90 oz H20/day
Bought Christmas tree for first time since 2000, suddenly happy
Ran 55.5 miles in my first month

JANUARY
Rang in 2007 in Times Square with my awesome boys
Walked past smoke-breakers at work and felt good
Running 20 miles a week, and completely around Central Park first time
Ran Fred Lebow 5M Classic on 1/7 (54:01/10:48)
Bought 6-foot tall Central Park print and framed it on wall
Breakthrough: On 1/8, ran 3 consecutive (hilly) miles first time
Learned how to eat GU while running
Week of 1/15 was first 20+ mileage week
Learned to stretch better -- and never stretch cold muscles
Carbo-loaded for first time
Ran Manhattan Half-Marathon on 1/21 (2:30.03/11:27)
Right arch began hurting after 3 days rest, fears of plantar fasciitis went away
Learned to blow snot while running
My boss gave me a NYC Marathon keychain for inspiration
I wrote a letter to my right foot
Started tanning
Ran 57.2 miles my second month

FEBRUARY
Bought Eric Harr's book "The Portable Personal Trainer" w/100 tips
Learned what it feels like to be in The Zone
Ran NYRR Gridiron Classic on Super Bowl Sunday (43:05/10:46)
On the 12th, I registered for 2007 ING New York City Marathon
Loaded tons of CDs into my Nano Red
Learned to wash technical gear after wearing it
Began doing park-bench pushups (front/reverse) before each run
Back in IND for grandpa's 90th birthday, ran 6 miles on desolate rural roads
On the 25th, I used Breathe-Right strip first time and shaved :45 off pace
Have lost 12 pounds at this point, when you're supposed to gain weight after smoking
Ran 62.3 miles in my third month

MARCH
Favorite song on Nano Red while running was "Reign O'er Me" by Pearl Jam
Ran Coogan's Salsa, Blues & Shamrocks 5K on 3/4 (30:17/9:46)
(My first time under a 10-minute pace! Big psychological boost)
Put Yankee rug on floor and started real CORE work first time
Ran first time with Powershot, giving video tour through Central Park
Ran Colon Cancer Challenge 15K on 3/11 (1:36.15/10:20). I WORE SHORTS!!!
Helping others through running: What a concept!!!
First experience with blisters and blister kit
Bought new box of clear Breathe-Right strips
Learned from Nathalie: You're only as good that day as your cooldown run
Ran NYRR8000 on ice on 3/18 despite "fun run" status due to overnight winter storm
Started dating again

APRIL
Ran Scotland Run 10K on 4/1 (1:01.17/9:53, disputed), and won raffle afterwards
First case of shinsplints, in left leg. Occasional problem even today
Started buying warm-weather gear; I only knew cold-weather running
Ran Brooklyn Half-Marathon on 4/14 (2:19.03/10:36), bad cramp in 12th mile
Learned not to eat so much before a race
Learned to use ice massage on shinsplints, RICEing like crazy
Ran Oklahoma City Half on 4/29 (2:19) while visiting top Texas Rangers prospect

MAY
Ran NY Junior League Mother's Day 4M (36:54/9:13)
Ran Healthy Kidney 10K on 5/19 (57:11/9:13) - another psyche boost
With that 9th NYRR finish of '07, I QUALIFIED FOR 2008 NYC MARATHON!
Amer. Heart Assn. Wall Street Run on 5/22 (27:51/9:17) - dumb event
On 5/30, bought new box of clear Breathe-Right strips
Having trouble getting to sleep early and not eating late
Never even a thought about smoking, seems weird now to think I smoked
Total miles so far on original Asics: 445.9 miles

JUNE
Time to go buy my second pair of shoes, probably from Jackrabbit (not Foot Action!)
Registered for Japan Day 4M race on 6/3
Headed for Disney World during the week to work our MLB Draft at ESPN Zone
Life is good and getting better every day

Thank you again to everyone who has been there along with me for my first true "HALF"! That's one half-year as a distance runner. I have sooooo much to learn and so many obstacles to conquer. I have a marathon coming this fall, and in mid-June I will find out via the lottery if that's NYC. I love being a runner and I love how it makes me feel. It's been one of the best half-years of my life. Keep running with me.

Here's a Before and After:

Last Saturday, I cut up a David Wright No. 5 Mets shirt in honor of that weekend's Interleague Play series between the two New York teams. I set a PR with a 57:11 time (9:13 pace) in that morning's Healthy Kidney 10K at Central Park, and Wright slugged two homers that day. Here are the pics that I just received from brightroom.com.