Runner Insight

Ya know, I started this blog post several months ago – in fact it was within a month of finishing up the marathon. But you know how things go with life and other things keeping me busy (no really good excuses though) we just never got around to finalizing it and getting it up and posted. So with my apologies, here it finally is!

My O’l Buddy Joe

Runners are hugely loving and generous people in general. And it never ceases to amaze me the genuine compassion and willingness to help that it is exhibited by my fellow runners.

I’ve always had good experiences when running in organized races, especially when running with my white cane.  And the running of my third full marathon was no exception.

Whenever the cannon booms for the start of the race, there is a moment of trepidation and subtle uncertainty inside of me – a hesitation and wondering if I will actually be able to see well enough to make it the entire 26.2 miles to the finish line.  

This feeling only last a few moments and thankfully it disappears as I fall into a rhythmic pace with all the other racers. 

Unlike a lot of runners who take the beginning of a race as a signal to pass as many people as they can, I have to concentrate on a) not running smack-dab into the rear of the person I’m following, and b) not running off the edge of the road.  With all of that jockeying of racers taking place in the initial minutes, I’m content to just let them all pass me as they will.

Adrenaline can really get you into trouble at the start of a long race.  Going out too fast is one of the biggest mistakes a runner can make.  And believe me, I have done it and lived to pay the price!  Sometimes it’s hard to control because it’s such a high to be passing hundreds of other runners as if they are standing still!

But since the decline of my eyesight, I have been forced to take a backseat in the pack of runners, for my own safety as well as theirs!

As the crowd of runners thins out, I can mostly make out the white line on the side of the road, and I pretty much stick to it like a baby monkey to its mama, not letting it out of my sight. 

This year I was able to run for over half of the 26 mile race and it was 16 miles in before I needed to deploy my white cane. 

Even though I was running in very familiar territory, the glare of the sun, and the many turns, and the increased number of runners and walkers, all convinced me that I needed to get out my cane.

It insured that I would be seen.  The white cane not only helps me to navigate the path in front of me, but it also lets my fellow runners, volunteers  and the wonderful crowds cheering along the route to know that I don’t see too well.

It was just after mile 18 that I met Joe. 

He was running along, and graciously asked if he could help me around some tricky turns on the route.  I of course said yes.  He took my hand and gently guided me around some very scary drop offs and uneven pavement on the side of the road. 

As we continued on, Joe and I got to talking, and I found out that this was his 44th marathon in 44 different states since 2002!  WOW! 

What an accomplishment.  Me, with my own little ol’ third marathon nearly in the history books, I was appropriately impressed.  Yup  - he is going to run all 50 states.  How cool is that?!  I don’t know if I would have that in me even if I could see.

We were talking and I told Joe that I had written a book about my first marathon experience, “Running Blind – The Journey of a Blind Runner Training For Her First Marathon.” 

He asked me if it was on Amazon. When I responded that yes it was, he let out a laugh and said that he had seen it.  He couldn’t believe that was me!

Joe became my eyes as he took my hand once again and led me through the tunnel area that always gets me twisted around and going the wrong way. 

At mile 21 T met me again for a hug and some well appreciated words of encouragement.  I quickly introduced her to my new ol’ buddy, Joe. 

 As I always do, I used my rendezvous with T to walk a few blocks and drink some water.  Joe kept running, and I was sad to see him go.

But as luck would have it, I would run (ha, ha) into him a little past mile 23. 

I had run into a small parked car when I had veered too far to the right, and another runner named Daniel offered his help to guide me through this part of the course. 

So there I was running alongside Daniel when I heard my name called out.  It was Joe!  “JOE!” I yelped in excitement.  I was very happy to see my ol’ buddy Joe again! 

Daniel, Joe and I ran along with me in the middle – my two bodyguards protecting me from stealthy walking trees and invisible cars!

Joe and I lost Daniel at a water station around mile 24. 

It was at this point in the race that I told Joe how much I appreciated all of his help and friendship, and that he was making it possible for me to meet my goal of finishing around 5 hours. 

Joe turned to me, his voice cracking with emotion and emphasized how I had made his marathon for him.  He thanked me for running with him!  He said his wife was going to be so surprised that he had got to run with me.

The last two miles seemed to go by like the first two, FAST!  Now how many times have you heard that from someone who has run a marathon? Probably not too often.

We took the turn onto the Higgins Street Bridge for the final  sprint to the finish line.  

Joe said if I would cross the finish line with him, he would buy a finisher’s photo, something he has not done in all of his 44 marathon finishes.  

I replied that it would be my honor to cross that finish line with him, as I could not have had such a wonderful marathon without him.

So with hands clasped and arms raised, we crossed over the timing mat together with the crowds going wild!  Well maybe not wild, but lots of cheering.

T met me to guide me through the corrals and gates and out of the finishing area, and our local TV news anchor, Heidi Meili from KECI TV put my finisher’s medal around my neck.

I gave Joe my card with my website on it and encouraged him to check out my blog, because for sure he would be in it.  

When I told T that Joe had seen my book on Amazon, she asked him if he had bought it. 

A little sheepishly, he said No, that he had bought “Born to Run” instead. Okay  - not  a problem – we’ve read that one and it’s a powerfully good book, too!  

So … all’s well that ends my best marathon to date, thanks to my new ol’ buddy Joe.

How ‘bout it?

-Vision Runner

If you’ve read my book, I just want to say Thanks!! I’ve had so much great feedback and I’m just thrilled with the response.

I’m committed to getting the word out and spreading the message that you can do anything you believe you can, and I’d like to ask for your help in making “Running Blind” even more successful. Here’s how you can help make that happen.

1. If you haven’t read it, and you think it would be useful and engaging, please go to this link “Running Blind” and purchase a copy or two for yourself and/or as gifts for people you feel would benefit from a motivational and inspiring book about lifting yourself up to do seemingly impossible things!

2. If you have read it, please leave your comments and feedback about the book here on the blog.

3. If you have great things to say about it, you could even help me out by posting a comment or update on your LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter feeds and recommending it to all your friends, family, acquaintances, hairdresser and strangers on the street as well  

4. You could go to Amazon.com  and leave a book review on the Running Blind page.

5. You could inquire at your local bookstore to see if they have a copy or two in stock.

6. If you have video capabilities, you could create a video recommendation and post it to the “Running Blind” book  page on Amazon.com – that would be really cool!

7. You could call your local newspaper and any contacts you have at blogs, magazines, bookstores, running stores, talk shows, etc., and suggest that they do an article, story, segment or promotion featuring me, Rhonda Copeland, aka “Vision Runner” author of “Running Blind – The Journey of a Blind Runner Training for her First Marathon.”

8. If you have any other great ideas…definitely include them in the comments below – we’d love to hear them!!

Thanks again for helping me to spread my message!

How ’bout it?

- Vision Runner

Third Time’s A Charm

I just finished my third full marathon on Sunday July 10, 2011, about ten days ago.  And I guess what they say is true…Third time really is a charm!  I had the best marathon experience, despite a few mishaps along the way.

Not only did I finish the 26.2 mile race with a PR of 5:06:55, knocking more than 20 minutes off my best time, I finished strong and could have run further if I had wanted to…No I did not really want to, thank you very much, I was very happy to cross the line when I did!

But seriously, I just kept waiting to hit the “WALL”, but never did, never even came close to running in to it…Only parked cars, but that’s another story…

So in light of such a great marathon experience, I decided to look back and think about why it was that I had such an awesome marathon. This is what I came up with.

For starters, my overall conditioning is better this year.  I have been walking on average 7-8 miles a day for over a year and a half, setting up a really good base line for my fitness level. Of course walking isn’t enough. 

About 3 months before the marathon, I started to get up early to run 6 miles, approximately 4 to 5 times a week, in addition to my walking. Then I was doing my long runs on the weekend.  Then about 2 months before the marathon, we started hiking up to the “M” which is about a 620 foot climb above the Missoula valley.  It’s a ¾ mile switch back trail up a very steep mountain. We usually make it up to the “M” in about 20-ish minutes, soaking in the beautiful views of the valley below, and then heading back down.

I also finally got dedicated to my strength training this year. And I know that helped immensely.

Another factor that I believe played a major role in my marathon success was the food and nutrition element. We have been on a journey over the last several years to take baby steps towards being smarter and making healthier choices when it comes to food, without being too obsessive or rigid about the whole process.  This year I was able to cut my sugar intake a lot.  And we also started using portion control…Using actual measuring cups, and not my eyeballs…You can see where that might get me in trouble. J J  I wasn’t heavy before, but I was able to drop 10 lbs.  I was not even close to being overweight, but by trimming and toning to an ideal race weight, I had less joint pain after my runs, making recovery so-o much easier.

I also know that having my back in alignment for these past 2 years has made a huge difference in my training and ultimately in the great race I had and the easy recovery.  I was faithful about going to my wonderful chiropractor every month for my tune up, and going again 4 days before the race itself, just to make sure I was in tip top shape.

These were all things I had control over.  I simply stuck with what I knew worked, and implemented a few new strategies. One of my new tactics was to eat pasta with roasted turkey and broccoli for my pre race meal, and then having a delicious bagel from my favorite bagel place, “Bagels on Broadway” right when I got up at 4:30am, instead of the banana and yogurt that I had in previous years.  I still had yogurt, but since I had the bagel at 4:30, I waited until just before we left the house to have that. 

But there were things I could not control, such as the weather.  And what a glorious day it turned out to be.  We had a very cool start to the 5th Missoula Marathon.  In fact it was so cool, 45 degrees I wished I had kept my knit gloves for the first half hour of the race. But I toughed it out, and the sun came out and warmed my hands up quite nicely. 

It was a warm, sunny day, but the sun seemed less harsh, the light almost diffused, and I never got overheated like I did during my first marathon when we had that record-breaking heat wave. (You can read all about that adventure in my book: Running Blind.)

The other thing I don’t have any control over is my fellow racers.   As I get closer to town, I rely on the kindness of strangers to help guide me around turns, round-abouts and other potential obstacles.  Once again my fellow marathoners and the volunteers and spectators rose to the occasion!  Sometimes even grabbing my hand and saying “I’ll take you through this part here because there’s a lot of turns and obstacles.” (Thanks, Joe and Daniel!)

And of course I rely on T to be at our pre-designated spots to give me encouragement and my electrolyte drink and honey pack.  Without her support and willingness to get up at the crack of dawn to take me, and then to meet me four or five times along the race course, I know my marathon could not have been as successful as it was!

So not only did I have an incredible marathon this year, my recovery time was almost non-existent.  Sure, I was tired and my legs were a little bit sore, but not once did I have trouble walking down the stairs.

After the marathon, we took three days off and went to our favorite lake and camped.  There we floated in the lake and sat around the campfire.  By day four I was more than ready to run. So I did, running 6 miles that day, in addition to walking another 7 and climbing to the “M”.

So now that I’ve had the best marathon experience I could ever hope to have…the decision looms. I have to contemplate whether or not I want to run the full Missoula Marathon again.  Do I end on a high note?  Or do I keep riding this rollercoaster that is marathon training?

Hmmmm? What do you think? Leave your comments below!

How ‘bout it?

- Vision Runner