Marathon Man, advice welcome - Page 6

Rickypt · #76 04-17-2007, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuzeQuze

It's 26.2 miles!

My roommate ran it twice and said never again.

Congratulations Ryan!!! Can I still contribute to the cause?

Yes, thank you! I'll PM you the link.

Yeah, I thought about correcting Strand....I wish it had only been 22 miles! Maybe I would be able to walk today!

Thanks for the congratulations, everyone! And special thanks to Niki for tracking me and all the encouragement. She was my first donor and supporter!

MacMan is right. It's all about the training. You just increase the long run every week so that you can prepare your body for that kind of distance. I did hit the "wall" at mile 23 or so and it was hell trying to finish. But you just do it because there's no way you can get that far without finishing.

Rickypt · #77 04-17-2007, 10:06 AM

Here's an email I sent to family and friends that describes the experience a little bit.

Hey everyone,

I thought of calling this update "How Could I Miss Beating Five Hours By Eight Measly Seconds?"

As many of you already know, I finished the Boston Marathon in 5 hours and 8 seconds. Fortunately, breaking 5 hours was never a goal of mine (in fact was not something I thought I'd even come close to doing). Although I did sprint like mad at the end when I saw that it was a possibility. Which was insane, given that I was cramping, but it was a bit of a crowd-pleaser since everyone else was walking or limping to the finish at that point.

Anyway, it's impossible to describe the experience in an email. I was really having the time of my life for the first 17 miles. Then came the hills and they really took it out of me. At mile 23, I started having severe cramps in both legs and thought I would have to drop out. I decided that I would just walk/limp to the finish line, but the crowd (mainly drunk college students at this point) was screaming my name and something took over that allowed me to start running again.

The best part of the marathon was the crowd. There were people all along the route cheering us on. Lots of kids giving high-fives and handing out oranges and water. One Boston College student ran with me for a block screaming "no one can take this away from you". Then he ran back to his keg. I love events like this-when people who ordinarily would never have anything to do with one another come together for a common experience.

I also wanted to let you know that I learned quite a bit about the work of the American Liver Foundation at the team dinner. The ALF is funding a variety of interesting research projects, including several focused on the type of cancer that Gil died from. The keynote speaker was a mother of a 5 year old who has a rare liver disease. Obviously, there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

So, the end of this story. Over $3,700 raised and a marathon completed. And I'm finding myself researching courses of other marathons, so maybe I have a crazy new hobby!

Thank you again for all of the support, donations, and encouragement. It was a great way to honor Gil's memory and I'm glad you were all a part of it!

BlackWidow · #78 04-17-2007, 10:18 AM

^^^^ Woo-Hoo!!!

sara1998 · #79 04-17-2007, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickypt

Here's an email I sent to family and friends that describes the experience a little bit.

Hey everyone,

I thought of calling this update "How Could I Miss Beating Five Hours By Eight Measly Seconds?"

As many of you already know, I finished the Boston Marathon in 5 hours and 8 seconds. Fortunately, breaking 5 hours was never a goal of mine (in fact was not something I thought I'd even come close to doing). Although I did sprint like mad at the end when I saw that it was a possibility. Which was insane, given that I was cramping, but it was a bit of a crowd-pleaser since everyone else was walking or limping to the finish at that point.

Anyway, it's impossible to describe the experience in an email. I was really having the time of my life for the first 17 miles. Then came the hills and they really took it out of me. At mile 23, I started having severe cramps in both legs and thought I would have to drop out. I decided that I would just walk/limp to the finish line, but the crowd (mainly drunk college students at this point) was screaming my name and something took over that allowed me to start running again.

The best part of the marathon was the crowd. There were people all along the route cheering us on. Lots of kids giving high-fives and handing out oranges and water. One Boston College student ran with me for a block screaming "no one can take this away from you". Then he ran back to his keg. I love events like this-when people who ordinarily would never have anything to do with one another come together for a common experience.

I also wanted to let you know that I learned quite a bit about the work of the American Liver Foundation at the team dinner. The ALF is funding a variety of interesting research projects, including several focused on the type of cancer that Gil died from. The keynote speaker was a mother of a 5 year old who has a rare liver disease. Obviously, there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

So, the end of this story. Over $3,700 raised and a marathon completed. And I'm finding myself researching courses of other marathons, so maybe I have a crazy new hobby!

Thank you again for all of the support, donations, and encouragement. It was a great way to honor Gil's memory and I'm glad you were all a part of it!

This put tears in my eyes. You are quite the man, and I have a lot of respect for you.
Way to honor Gil's memory. Congratulations.

BlackWidow · #80 04-17-2007, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sara1998

This put tears in my eyes. You are quite the man, and I have a lot of respect for you.
Way to honor Gil's memory. Congratulations.

Ryan is a class act!

strandinthewind · #81 04-17-2007, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickypt

. . . Yeah, I thought about correcting Strand . . . .

She's the only one allowed

Seriously, congrats and what a great way to raise money!

Rickypt · #82 04-18-2007, 05:12 PM

The official pics are coming in. Here is the finish. I can't get a bigger version until I buy it.

JazmenFlowers · #83 04-18-2007, 05:17 PM

^^^
awww! that's awesome.

Rickypt · #84 04-18-2007, 05:33 PM

One last story: the Petty/Stevie connection. Right before "Heartbreak Hill" (a long hill at mile 20.5--total killer), there was a radio station booth blasting music to get us pumped. Right before I started HB Hill, they started playing "American Girl". This is one of my favorite Petty songs and of course brought back great memories of watching Stevie singing backup last year and banging on her tambo.

After that song was "The Rising", one of my favorite Springsteen songs.

Once I cleared the hill, I decided to put a Stevie song in my mind to help me keep the rhythm. I chose "Fall From Grace". The rocking version, not the boring Vegas one, and she hit the notes in my mind.

I kept playing that one over and over for about 30 minutes....it really helped a lot!

The Tower · #85 04-18-2007, 05:52 PM

Ryan,

You are such a kind, amazing and inspirational person. I am really proud of you. Congratulations on conquering this challenging feat!!

Love and

,
Chris

Rickypt · #86 04-20-2007, 04:39 PM

^^ Thank you, Chris

And I didn't want to bump up the thread, but I had to post a pic of the beautiful cake my coworkers just surprised me with to celebrate the marathon.

golden braid · #87 04-20-2007, 08:59 PM

^^ That's awesome. Congrats. Are you going to run in another marathon now?

BlackWidow · #88 04-20-2007, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickypt

^^ Thank you, Chris

And I didn't want to bump up the thread, but I had to post a pic of the beautiful cake my coworkers just surprised me with to celebrate the marathon.

How cool is that!!!???
Are you coming to L.A. soon??