They said it was going to be a hot day. But out here on the East Coast folks are famous for their exaggerated sense of the weather. The BAA sent out notification after notification about how only the elite should run, and that everyone else should defer. This caused a lot of concern and grief across the masses, and of course my parents. But I decided to stick with it, just go a lot slower. The night before as I prepared I wrote the names of everyone who donated on the back of my Jersey, leaving of course a message for my brother at the bottom, it finally kicked in. My doublewide was about to run a marathon, a very hot marathon. Everything was laid out, everything set in place. Early morning wake up and then off I would go.
The race:
They were right, it was painfully hot, the pavement felt like we were running on a grill, and even with the steep decline, the heat was grueling. Being from the desert I didn’t think the heat would effect me that much but by mile 8 I knew I was going to be in trouble if I didn’t take it very slow. So I just forgot about goals and deadlines, and with an open mind ran what I could and walked when I had to, all 26.2 miles of it, I did finish before my adjusted goal of 7 hours, with 12 minutes or so to spare, and I did run the last stretch over the finish line but it was a far cry from my original goal, maybe next time. If you had asked the 420 pound me of 8 years ago about this, I would have thought you were nuts, I still probably would think you were nuts actually.
I thought about Andy a lot on the course, about how inspirational he is with this fight and that no matter how dire his circumstance seems he is always positive. I thought about his family and how incredibly strong his wife Renee is, they do amaze me completely. I also thought about my aunt who passed from cancer, my mum who has been through cancer battles twice and is still with us, my best friend who lost his dad to cancer when we were 18, and all the people in my life cancer has effected. I was proud that I completed this monstrous task, but knowing that I had completed it for a cause as important as finding an end to blood cancers and other cancers alike really sweetened the deal for me.
The race was an emotional one, the spectators of the Boston marathon are some of the most incredible people I’ve ever encountered. They all had their garden hoses on, ample amounts of ice for runners to take, oranges, Gatorade, and anything else you could think of. They stayed right there in the sun cheering us on and giving high fives to even us that were going slower, I’m not sure I could have done it without their generosity, the adrenaline was up and these people made you smile at every turn as they did their best to let us know what we were doing was amazing. I got the biggest kick out of the kids that would run out with the hose and ask if they could spray you. I would say yes please and they would get the biggest smile on their faces as they watered you down. Then they would want high fives and so properly announce that I was going to finish, now get going. That kind of thing really made it worth it, and really gave you the strength to continue.
the details:
Miles 1-8 were pacing miles, I really tried to slow my pace to a 12 minute mile, hoping to save my energy to the end. It kind of worked, but the downhill and adrenaline really makes it impossible, and I ran a little quicker than I would have liked. By mile 10 I was really feeling the heat, I had to take two of my powergel’s, and I was running under every amount of water I could find. This is also when I began walking the water stops taking one water and dumping the other water over my head. When I crossed the half marathon line I got my first boost of energy and I ran another mile or so to the team in training base. Jillian and the water crew at our base were so amazing, I never in my life thought ice water sponges could be so glorious. They really saved the day for me, and I stocked up on Gu as I was going through mine quicker than I wanted, grabbed some pretzels and Gatorade and then headed out. 14 or so down, 12 or so to go.
Still riding on my second high I made it another two miles before starting my walk/run/walk routine. I took advice from another team member and started walking the upward slopes and running the downward ones. I continued this up until mile 19 where I began running, my family and friends were at mile 20 and I wanted them to see me running (vain I know). I met up with everybody at mile 20 and took more PowerGel, some energy drink a friend had concocted and then started to jog off again. My pops came up to me and he stayed and talked to me as we walked up Heartbreak hill. I know I should have run it, but at this point the race was about experiences, and having my father here was incredibly amazing to me, having him walk with me to the top of Heartbreak became an absolute highlight of the entire race. As he drifted off at the top of the hill I started running again and off I went, nothing but downhill from here right?!?
By mile 23 I was again walking and running, my entire body was hurting, from my swinging biceps to the quads, calves, and feet. I actually found that running was less painful than walking, so I ran as much as I possibly could. Even though I had sun lotion on, my calves were so sun-burnt that I could feel the skin cracking as I ran, it was painful but only slightly less painful than my bleeding nipples. I know TMI, but the band-aids had fallen off and the Vaseline had long since expired. It definitely was getting painful, but every mile made me smile a little more, my Achilles Tendon had not swollen up, the I-tam wasn’t hurting more than I thought it should, and by damn, I was 3 miles from finishing this thing. The runners around me were also suffering a bit, and we were sharing stories of why we were there, what it meant, and we were encouraging each other. The crowds were still there, and aside from a few out of control drunken college kids they still were making life easy with their ice and hoses.
A little after mile 25, Sarad, one of the coaches showed up started to walk/run with me. He informed me that I would be running the last half mile whether I wanted to or not, nobody, NOBODY walked Boylston street to the finish. I was fine with this, one slightly uphill pull and bam, we were on Boylston Street. Kelli and Sarad, the two head coaches were with me and another team member, and as we ran the gauntlet to the finish line, people were still there! Still cheering us on as we made our way down the stretch. My parents and friends were there with their signs, holding them proudly and calling out loudly as we went further and further down the trail. As I crossed the finish line I heard them announce my name and time (of course they pronounced the last name Ryebeek instead of ReBake) but that didn’t matter. They announced my name, I had crossed the line, I was done.
My mind was actually too numb to really think about emotions or any of that. I think I sputtered a list of what I needed to someone in an orange coat, whether or not she was supposed to help or not, she gave me directions and I headed on my way, stumbling in pain down the corridor. They gave me my space blanket, which wasn’t really needed but mum has it as a souvenir and then they put my medal on my head, THAT was definitely an awesome feeling. I collected my bag with my change of clothes and headed out to check-in with the team to let them know I made it, and to meet up with my family. My mum intercepted me halfway and that is when I really broke down. After minutes of a total bawling spree while hugging her everyone else caught up and we headed for the Team in Training meet up place.
This race and experience was wonderful. The Team in Training folks really know how to set you up to succeed, and they are so good at encouraging everyone. Mike, Sarad, Kelli, and Jillian worked smoothly and powerfully. I definitely would recommend doing some sort of race for the team. This was the most athletic thing I have ever done and I am so glad they were there to help me reach my goal. It’s nice to know I’m still an Ox. Really slow, but I always get the job done. So to them I say thank you a thousand times, to the people that cheered me on from their mobile phones to computer screens, to right there on the side of the road I say thank you a thousand times. And to everyone that donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society I yet again say thank you a thousand thousand times.
Remember to tell everyone you love that you do.
Bryan
PS. I forgot to add this to the post, this is my marathon run stats via my Garmin:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/168924100
