Last Cake??? and an Update on the 35....

It's almost been a month since, I first posted about the ING NYC Marathon, and a lot has happened in that time..The Summer officially started, the family went to London, and training finally kicked into gear...The Big Running training begins next week, but the eating right and the diligent training has began.

Also in this period of time, I received some humbling and inspiring news which I will be sharing at a later time with a little help from an AMAZING friend.

Then there was the article by the USO Blog.  I am so very thankful to all of those that entrusted me with their Birthdays, Baby Showers, Farewells, etc. and donated to such a good cause...Speaking of the cakes...Below you will find what may be the last one before the race.  I am now only doing cakes for those that are willing to donate a minimum of $100 to the USO through my link.  The cake below was the hardest I have done.  Not because it was hard to decorate, rather because it was the first one that I could not lick the beaters, the bowl or the frosting....Staying strong.

Speaking of staying Strong, you will see my NYC Poster now has some X's through it.  Today was the 2nd weigh in.  I am happy with my number...Would have liked to have seen it a little lower and a few more X's, but have to remind myself that I had some pretty good fish and chips(and a few frappacinos) while in London.  For you that took the 35 pound bet, it was an official weigh in by a friend.

So it has been about 3 weeks since I have had a soda, energy drink, beer, glass of wine, or cigar...and boy do I miss it.  But as you will find out in an upcoming blog, my inspiration at this time is not something I am willing to sacrifice these things for.  Granted it would have been nice to have a Beer with my Friend in London and my Brother while here is here visiting.  It will make it even more amazing on November 4th when I have a Drink or 100 :)

Finally, I invite those that may have not donated to the link below, you still can....

Love you all...

Chris


Link to the USO Story:

http://blog.uso.org/2012/06/25/cake-decorator-raises-dough-for-uso/

Link to Donate:

www.teamuso.org/2011/christopherkasparek

6 Down, 29 to go....

Last Cake???

ING NYC Marathon or BUST!!!!

On November 4th, 2011, I will be running the ING NYC for the USO...Many of you already know this, as I have spent the last two months raising the required funds for the USO.  This was done through Baking and Decorating Cakes as well as soliciting donations.  That goal was reached, and now Goal #2 begins tomorrow.

It is no secret that since HS I have fought this battle that is called weight...Weight goes up, weight goes down.  I get into a disciplined period and rock, and then I let myself go...Right now I find myself at a crossroads...I have to make a decision and I have to stay the course..So tomorrow, June 18th, I start my training for November 4th.  The diet will change, not a diet, but the diet will change and the work-outs will intensify.  This happened back in 2009 when I trained for the Marine Corps Marathon and got in the best shape of my life.

The goal this time is simple....40 pounds...40 pounds by Race Day...40 Pounds by November 4th.  I owe it to myself, my family and our Men and Women around the globe that I will be representing when I run those 26.2 miles for the USO.  At this time, I do not have a GOAL time, instead, my goal is to stay healthy, disciplined and on TASK.

Attached is a poster that is hanging in my office door and in our house...I will see it everyday when I wall into my office and I will see it everyday when I walk down our house stairs in the morning.  Each Picture represents one pound...Pictures that I will cross off the board as I knock them out of the park.  The poster will also have a thermometer that represents the 40 pounds....

At work all of my colleagues know what is going on, and will be making sure I do not stray.  My families and friends are aware, just as they were in Washington....It never hurts to have additional help.

So as I embark on what feels like the 15,000th adventure, I re-start this BLOG with a new title and a new goal...This BLOG Will be that JOURNEY....Welcome Aboard!!!!

and REMEMBER you can still DONATE!!!!

www.teamuso.org/2011/christopherkasparek

A Little Mental Toughness....

On Saturday, I set out with a few goals in mind...Well actually one goal and one default goal....Goal #1 was to set a PR in the Half-Marathon(1:47) and Default Goal was to set a PR for the Rock N Roll Seattle Half Course in case I did not set a PR for the day...

The day started out rough...4:15 a.m. Wake-up, get ready for the race, load up the family with the help of Vanessa and head over to Seattle...From 4:15-6:15 it was SMOOOOOOTH, then we got to the drop-off area...actually 15 blocks from the drop-off area...It was here that I had to get out...otherwise Vanessa and the kids would be in traffic for the next hour....I already made her get up at the butt crack of down, this may be pushing it.

So I got out and started walking with Hundreds of my closest friends to the Starting Line....2 Miles later, I was there....Let me think, the last thing I was to do before a Half Marathon is walk two miles...

It was now 6:45 a.m. and the race start was in 15 minutes..."Well, I had better start my watch"  Sometimes it takes a few minutes to pick up the satellites...Wanted it to be ready for the start..This is how I pace, how I motivate, how I stay on track.....HOLY SHIT!!!!!  That's right, it did not turn on...NOOOOOOOOOO, this could not happen...I already hurt, I was mentally tired...I needed it...I actually tried the damn thing for the next 5 minutes, to no avail, and with every failed start the SHITS, F#$%s etc. got louder...Now what?? Well I had to pee, and I had to pee bad...Have you ever been too a race with 27,000 people?  Well it seems as if all of them have to go to the bathroom at the same time...So after waiting in line for 9 minutes, It was time to get into my corral for the start...

How was I going to meet my goals...I have not run WITHOUT a watch in a race for over 2 years....First thing I did was look at my playlist...Memorized the order of the last 5 songs and told myself, when they start, I will have to be at mile 11+ or else....Then the gun went off, and we started to slowly progress to the starting line...When it was my turn, my corral was 9 minutes behind the start of the clock....and then it hit me, that will be my clock....

So for the next 13.1 miles, I would look at the time and subtract 7-9 minutes dependent on how I wanted to feel...and it worked...

It all worked, my music cues and the clocks...enough so that when I crossed the finish line at 1:54:23 I still had songs remaining and I had set a PR for the Rock n Roll Course...LAst year I ran it in 2:06...12 minutes better...I will take it....I missed a PR in the half by 6 minutes...so there is another goal.

So what did this race teach me...I have a little mental toughness....and I am going to need it as I move forward with my training for the Portland Marathon in October...My goal is to get back down under 200 by the start of the race, and to set a new PR for the Marathon...so for those of you keeping track, I will need to get a 3:58.....

Enjoy the pics...and thank you to all of you who read this and comment...I appreciate all of you....

Love

Chris

Thank you I-Pod....

The last month has been pretty brutal for my training...Why?  Well I never really took a break after the marathon...Instead I immediately jumped into the maintaining my miles for the next marathon on June 26th...So my feet have hurt, my achilles have hurt etc.  What did I do...Nothing, just have kept running...

Then today happened...I was supposed to do a 20 miler...supposed to do...That sounds so funny...Like anything less would be a failure...NOT...This 20 was already starting off bad, I had a great late night last night catching up with an old college friend...So I was a little tired this morning...

So I started out the run with all of the usual suspects, the water, jelly beans etc.  and of course my I-pod...The first 8 miles were great....then it happened...the I-pod died....actually the battery did...and I immediately felt the pain, tiredness and lack of energy kick in as I struggled through the next 2 miles...but what I did not know was that it would be the best two miles mentally that I had experienced in quite some time.

Rewind 3 years ago...the day after the Super Bowl in 2007....This was the day that I changed my life...Yes, I know that I have told this story before, but this time is different...The reason I changed my life originally was because I had a fear that I was going to die before ever seeing my children grow old, walk down the aisle, be a grandpa, celebrate my 10th, 15th, 20th etc.  Wedding Anniversary with Vanessa.... Yes, I know that anything can happen, but I had control of this...I had control of my weight, so that is why I started Running, and Running and Running...

Today though I realized that in running, running and running some more I have started to now jeopardize being able to do those things again...I have stopped listing to my injuries and have for reasons yet to be determined started to compete, compete and compete again with myself...I have always thrived on competition, loved competition and still do...but I have to remember to keep it in perspective, and make sure that my priorities are right....and no I have not been neglecting my family, but I do not want to start to or cause myself to by taking unnecessary risks...

That being said, I am going to switch my entry for the Marathon at the end of the month to a Half-Marathon entry....Why?  Because my body is telling me so...if I limp while running I am going to limp while playing with the kids etc.  So instead of running two marathons in two months I am going to go for setting two PB's in 2 months...a Marathon PB and a Half-Marathon PB...More Realistic?? Of Course??  But will it also allow my body to heal? Yes... Allow me more time with the family?? Yes...Which was why I started this journey in the first place...

So as I look forward to the year in advance and what races I will be competing in, I am changing my goals....Goal #1: Remember why I started this in the first place..#2: Spend more time with family #3: Set a PB on June 26th in the Half Marathon...#4: Set a PB in the Marathon in October at the Portland Marathon....

So thank you I-Pod for giving me 2 miles of perspective...

Navy Seal? Olympic Marathoner? or just a few days in San Diego?

Well its been 2 weeks since the Marathon in Eugene and 6 weeks till my next Marathon...The Seattle Rock n Roll....and it is always nice when you get the opportunity to train in another city, a beautiful warm city no less, and that is exactly what I got to do this week.  Wednesday I headed down to San Diego for 3 days for work, and I loved it.

Wednesday evening we headed out for a bite to eat at one of the local establishments...The only reason I even talk about this is because my ego got boosted a little...The place we went is a local Navy Seal establishment...and I was asked by one which unit I was in...What??  Even though I stated I wasn't, it felt pretty good to be thought of, even for a second as one...Instead of being mistaken as an eating champion, I am now being mistaken for some of the fittest specimens in the world.

So most of my time was spent on Coronado Island, which is absolutely amazing...On Thursday after our work functions were finished I headed out for a 7 mile training run...My route took me along the beach and the ocean...There are definitely things that I saw on this run that I do not see on my runs here in Seattle...Topless Sunbather and Woman with no swimsuit bottom or at least a thong top the list...Also on the run I was able to see the Navy Seal Training site which sits on the beach...I cannot help but admire as I run by...After the run I headed out for the worst 9 holes of golf in my life...No seriously, the worst...It was horrible...Granted it had been two years since I swung the clubs and we did not take any shots on the range, but OMG...This was horrible...If someone would have told me three years ago that I would be a better runner than golfer, I would have laughed in their face...After golfing we headed out for some authentic Mexican Cuisine...It was AWESOME.....as I stuffed down the amazing Enchiladas, beans and rice, I thought a head to my 6 milers in the morning...I would be fine....wouldn't I.

So 6:30 a.m. the next morning I head out on that 6 mile run....It was a great run...Same great beach, same great scenery...and thank goodness it was a 6 miler and not a 7 miler...The authentic cuisine would have done me in...TMI.....yeah maybe....

At the end of the trip we headed back to the San Diego Airport and I was wearing my race day shoes...

I love these things...I have over the last few months received many comments on them, for the most part all compliments, but it was the airport security who made me feel the proudest...He thought I was an olympic marathoner....Just like the assumption that I was a Seal, this was a resounding no as well, but it still made me feel pretty good....plus I got educate the guard to the real reason that the marathon is 26.2....instead of 26 which was the original distance ran by Pheidippides...


Which leads me to the conclusion of this posting, and something that those that are near by and those family and friends that track this blog and Facebook...I love the doors that running opens...Whether it is a door into a conversation or a door that allows you to break the ice....Running can be that Door....and I love it...Probably so much so, as it annoys some at times...Sorry, I cannot help it...I love talking about it, and anything that I can do to turn someone else onto it or inspire someone through it....I am game....I will open as many doors as I can...


Till next time, find that something for you that allows doors to open...

When you want it bad enough.....

Well it has been over a month since I last blogged...Totally unacceptable, but Vanessa does a great job on the family one to keep everyone updated, so I digress.


Since December 28th I have been training for the Eugene Marathon...with one goal and only one goal in mind:  Break the 4 hour barrier.  I had missed the barrier by 6 minutes in October at the Marine Corps Marathon in D.C.  Training was not spectacular for the marathon.  Meaning that I had some long runs that went pretty shitty to say the least..Actually of the 3-20 milers that I was supposed to do, I only completed 1 of them.  The other 2 I only managed 14 miles.  I also put on 15 pounds since the MCM, granted half of that or so was muscle since I increased my lifting over the last 5 months....plus I had some stuff going on at work, home, etc.  all of which, any athlete tells you has a mental impact.  Finally, I also have been fighting a pain in my left foot....in the plantar area, and basically every morning for the last month, when I wake up, I wake up with a limp....So going into the marathon weekend, I was really nervous.


So the big preparation started last Sunday with a commitment to making sure that I was eating all of the right things....and trying to stay off my feet as much as I could possibly could.  If you all remember, in DC, I did not eat great and I was on my feet too much.


We arrived in Eugene on Friday evening...We love this town...and we picked a hotel right on the river, and right along the course....I stayed on my eating schedule and last night was pre-race dinner night...I called a good friend and asked him if he had any suggestions for me....You see....I have bad luck when it comes to food...my stomach has killed my races in the past and I wanted to make sure it did not happen again...So we headed to the Olive Garden and with the help of the friend I chose a pasta dish with steak, some breadsticks and about 6 glasses of water.


This morning, after waking up every hour on the hour, I awoke at 5 a.m.  and stepped out of bed...and guess what...for the first time in weeks, no pain in the foot...So I gathered everything I needed and prepared to head out the door...but not before saying the following prayer which I found on-line a few months ago, and I am hoping at some point I can commission my little brother to do some remarkable art piece using it.....Enjoy...

The Runner's Prayer

Lord, Watch over me today as I run. This is the day and this is the time for the race.

Watch over my body. Keep it free from injury.

Watch over my mind. May I listen to the signals from within as I enjoy the scenes from without.

Watch over my spirit.

Watch over my competitors. Remind us that we all are struggling equally.

Lord, Let me win. Not by coming in ahead of my friends, but by beating myself.

Let it be an inner win. A battle won over me.

And may I say at the end, "I have fought a good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith."

Adapted from The Ultrarunner’s Prayer by Carolyn Erdman & Jay Hodde

After saying the prayer, I headed for the shuttle...on the way, I picked up a bottle of water and a box of granola.  The shuttle picked up right in the hotel parking lot and we headed to Hayward Field for the start of the race.  Along the way, I was starting to think of my race...mile by mile, water spot to water spot, what would my food do, how would I feel, did I pick the right meal the night before etc.  and then we were there.  While there I got to hit the port-a pottie a few times...Those times plus the two at the hotel before I left had me worried....

Then it was time...at 7 a.m. the gun went off, and at that time I had a choice...there were the 4 hour pacers....Did I try to catch up with them (they started almost two minutes before me) or did I hang back and listen to what the pros said the previous night...DO NOT GO OUT TOO FAST!!!!'

I listened to the Pros....and I paid close attention for the first time ever in a race to my pace right off the bat...When I was going too fast, I slowed, if I was going slow I sped up....

At mile 3, I teared up..no joke...Why?  because my foot felt great....Absolutely great...and I realized at that moment, that I may just do it...but I did not want to get cocky...

At mile 8ish I saw Vanessa, Camden, Emma, and Amber for the first time...and for the first time in my running career, I told them my time and how I was feeling...and I was feeling GREAT....

At mile 14, I saw them again, and I still was feeling GREAT....was not expecting to see them at that time, so it added a boost to my step...I also need to point out that shortly after this mile, I caught the pacers and continued to lead them for quite awhile...I also teared at this point because I realized that my goal could really happen...

Then came 19, where I saw the fans again, but they almost missed me....Gotta love it when they were not looking for me, because they did not expect me yet....

At mile 19 I also looked hard at the watch and knew that I had to be done with 20 miles at 3 hours to have any chance of breaking the 4 hour mark...this would give me a little extra time to make sure that I broke the mark..and it would mentally be my battle for the next 6.2 miles....

The 20 mile mark is considered to be the wall to many...fortunately for me it was not...Instead it was the point of the race where I realized that you CAN do this....You CAN break the mark, but how bad do you want it.....the head when back and forth between looking ahead of me and looking at my watch...back and forth, back and forth....

21 still on track, but getting more sore and it is getting harder to maintain my pace....

22, still on track and uh-oh, there they go...the pacers...they pass me, and I start to think...Can I, will I?

23, a pleasant surprise...My cheer section....they say I looked great, I think they were lying...because I know I did not feel great....and at 23, I had 32 minutes left to go....Doable for sure but I was hurting.

24, 2.2 miles left and then I hear a voice say...if you want it, get it, it will hurt, but it will hurt more if you do not....so I pushed...Thanks coach....see I do listen...

25, 1.2 to go and I stepped it up...I was waivering between 8:30 and 9:30.....but I dug in because I knew what was waiting for me..Hayward Field, more specifically the track....the track where my running hero Prefontaine ran....I would run in his footsteps...

25.75, I look ahead and see what I think is the track....it is and I look at my watch, I am getting close...real close...So I dig..I dig deeper then I ever have athletically....really....then it happens, my watch stops because the distance is a little off....so now I am at 2:57 and some change so I try to count...yeah right, that was not working, so I dig some more and I enter the track...I came upon an older woman who could not decide where she wanted to run, and she apologized and I grazed her shoulder and started to sprint...or at least what felt like sprinting at this point...because I had no clue where I was for time....Digging, Digging, Digging.....

26.2, and then I crossed.....and I must have looked spent, because two gentlemen were there to put there arms under me as I started to fall forward...They caught me, and asked if I was ok....of course I was...What was my time? What was my time? "Are you ok" Yes...so they let go and I fell forward....and they caught me again and took me into the Medical Tent...Where i got some tender loving care for 10 minutes or so....A glass of Gatorade later, and a bottle of water I leaned up and was ready to go....Then the kind young lady said to me "Whoa Buddy" not yet....Guess I did not look really good yet....another 5 minutes later, I did and I walked out(hobbled actually)....

So then I tried to find the family to no avail....Thats ok, because at this point, I still had no idea what my time was....and it was eating me...Should I be happy, sad...WHAT????  Then there it was....the scoring table...they enter your # and out comes your times....I grabbed it and was scared to death...Then I looked down....3:59:07......and for the next 5 minutes....I was a man brought to tears.....

15 minutes later I found the family and we hugged, kissed and shared stories from the day....Man I love these guys....and I was so happy to hear about everyone tracking me throughout the day...and Vanessa keeping everyone up to date as well.....LOVE YOU...

So now my list of odds and ends during the race....I do not have 26.2, plus, I think I already talked about most, so here are some new things...enjoy...and THANK YOU TO all of you...

1.  I did not have one bowel movement during this entire race...Thats a first, and hopefully not a last...

2.  One woman I saw did...Poor Woman, had an accident....when she passed me later, she now had a shirt tied around her waste.  Little observation with that...If anyone else but a runner was walking around with shitty drawers, would it be acceptable...Nope...another reason to love running.

3. Jelly Belly Energy Beans...Love them, and could not have finished today without them.

4.  3088 Calories

5.  My songlist Rocked...Rocky came at the right times, and so did music that had special memories..

Enjoy the pics....both below and on FB when they are up.......

That's more like it....

It has been a really tough past few weeks...work has been intense and their have been some things close to home that combined with work have had my mind preoccupied.  So when I left the house this morning on my 2nd 20 miler of this training plan,I was not that confident to how my body, but more specifically my mind was going to react.  Was I going to be able to focus?  Or was my mind and body going to lose, like it had 3 weeks ago during my first 20 miler, when I was only able to do 14.5 miles.  

Well I am happy to report that it went very well.  I spent much of my energy focusing on my hydration and nutrition, and this paid huge dividends.  I also tried out a pair of the compression socks...Yep, those, the ones that go up right below the knee.  Vanessa of course thinks they look dorky, but I like them and whether they really work or not, my mind thinks they did.

So a little over a month remains in this training plan....I am starting to get a little nervous as I anticipate my 2nd real attempt at a sub 4 hour marathon...This will be my 3rd overall...So what is it they say?  Third time is a charm.

Hope everyone has a great week..