Accomplishments

Tonight, as I logged an easy 5 miler, I thought about this weekend's run and what kind of physical accomplishment it will be for me. Assuming I am able to finish, it will definitely be one of my top physical accomplishment. I also starting thinking about where it stacked up against what I've accomplished physically thus far in my life. I've done a lot of runs, rides, races, etc but here's what I think my top accomplishment are:

1. Texas 4000 for Cancer - This is a no-brainer. Cycling for 70 days 4600+ miles from Texas to Alaska is a monumental task. The cause was greater, but the physical accomplishment is easily number one. I could probably pick my next 4 (or 10) accomplishments from things I did during TX4K, but I'll lump it all into one inclusive deal. I could go on for days talking about individual things accomplished during the sumer of '04. This one will be hard to top.

The rest of these are in no particular order:

2. Four PRs in Eight Weeks - Part of this feat was due to the fact that my marathon PR was pretty crappy at one point, but I still think this was a pretty nice accomplishment. I raced the Newport Liberty Half Marathon in Jersey City. The course was flat and I came in with a then PR of 1:38:17, breaking my old record by about 2.5 minutes. Two weeks later found me in Chicago battling the heat in my first marathon in 6 years. I struggled through and was able to finish about 33 minutes off my intended pace, but still setting a new PR at 4:03:xx. Three weeks later at the Marine Corps Marathon, I cruised through the first 17 miles before crashing fairly hard, but I was able to hang on for a new PR of 3:48:36. Three weeks after that, I ran in circles for the better part of the day in Central Park as part of the Knickerbocker 60K, where I finished with a new PR of 5:56:45 beating my previous year's time of 6:34:30.

3. Finishing the Jay Mountain Marathon - It took me 8:32:20 to finish 33.5 miles of hell, but I was able to cross the finish line. Knee-deep mud, rivers, ski slopes, killer hills, massive sand dunes, nor boulders stopped me. They slowed me down and broke me mentally, but I ran through it all. It was definitely one of, if not the, toughest races I've ever competed in. The race was more about finishing and the camaraderie than a competition among runners.

4. Completing a 42 mile training run - I think once I finish the 50 this weekend, this one will probably fall off the list, but for now it is here. The run was the longest of my life by almost five miles. Jim and I ran through two very severe and scary thunderstorms. I experienced severe nausea and even slight hallucinations during the middle of the run. Somehow we managed to finish, which makes me feel good about this weekend.

5. A New Marathon PR at Poconos - I was simply trying to run under a 3:45 with a optimistic goal of breaking the 3:30 barrier. I'd done 50+ miles the weekend before, trained through the week with no taper, and got only 3 hours of sleep the night before the race. When I crossed the halfway point at 1:37:xx, which was a new PR, I thought I was in deep trouble. However, had I not had to make an unfortunate bathroom break at mile 19, I would have run a negative split and PRed the half marathon for a second time in the same day. I ended up running a 3:15:42, which shattered my old PR and completely changed the way I think about myself and my running.

Honorable Mentions:

First Marathon - I was very under trained and should not have run or at least not finished the race. I was stupid and ignorant. Knowing what I know now, I was also very lucky to not have ended up in the hospital or seriously injured. I managed to finish in 4:52:xx. I distinctly remember telling my sister after finishing that, "I'll never do that again." Four marathons, three ultras, and countless half marathons later I'm on the eve of a fifty miler. I guess I lied to her.

First Ultramarathon - Knickerbocker 60K 2006. Its pretty much what started all this. I was again under trained, but not as poorly as my first marathon. I'd done a few half marathons, but had not done enough, or any, long runs. I suffered through the race and managed a respectable 6:34:30. I also ended up with a stress fracture. I learned the importance of the long run, not only for stamina, but to avoid injury.

The "My Next Triathlon" - After being one of the last of my wave out of the water, I blew by people on the bike and the run to finish in 36th place out of over 800 people.

I can only hope for this list to change and grow in the coming years.