Asphalt Junkies Spring 2013 - Closed (Page 101)

OMG, Warren!!!!  This is so frightening!!!!

Jackie I thought the same thing, while I'm absolutely horrified by what happened and very saddened for those who lost there lives and were injured yesterday I also feel badly for those who didn't get to finish yesterday. The whole experience of what the marathon is supposed be about was taken anyway from everyone because of this. I was happy to hear that all the Junkies were alright as well as the BT'ers who were there participating as well.

Thank you Warren for letting us know everyone is okay. The local Ttack Club here in Tallahassee posted e-mail after e-mail as local runners checked in to confirm they were alright, I must have had over 50 e-mail with just names and confirmations. It is times like this that I am grateful for technology, e-mail, social media, and cell phones.

I am both saddened and my heart goes out to those who were injured, who are in the hospital, and to those who have lost family members in this incident. I am also angered by this. As a former counterintelligene agent, I cannot fathom how someone was able to get away with this. I hope that the guilty are caught before they can do this again and I hope that we can treasure the amazing human spirit that has been displayed. To see people helping, to see organized emergency action move efficiently, and to see runners and their families genuinely help one another demonstrates to me the heart that runner's have.

I hope that a year from now, the Boston Marathon stands above, remembers the one's that were lost, and that runner's who were not able to finish can run it again next year.

On the positive side, it was amazing to see another Junkie (besides Jonathan) in person.  I met Dirk for breakfast Sat, then I know he was able to have dinner with Jonathan Sat. night and his family came to my house for Sunday dinner.

It was great to meet his entire family, and before eating we went for a 2 mile run Sunday evening to keep his legs loose for the marathon.  Jonathan had his charity ride Sunday so he wasn't able to get over for a run.  It was very casual for Dirk and near tempo for me!

Warren, so envious ya'll got to meet.  It is funny how we all (Junkies) have things in common.  I am fotunate to live close to Jen so we can kick things around too.  Maybe one day we can all meet. 

Dirk, Pam and I are so proud of you!!!!  Again congrats and we can hardly wait for the RR.

Wow this weather is nice, got out for a run this morning and it was 66 degrees, that was PERFECT!  Not to hot or cold!  I had planned on biking but I was pumping the tires up and the valve "guts" came out of the valve and the tire went flat when i took the pump off, I mean it shot out and I coldn't find it, that has never happened before... so off to the shop after work.

I got an awesome swim in yesterday, it was an OWS but by myself... the water has warmed up and I was just relaxing, got distracted some as I like to look at fish swimming around...it was just amazing, complete peace, watching the fish, it was just one of those days that everything clicked.

Warren I'm glad to hear you and Dirk had a great time and that Dirk and Jonathan also got to meet up and have a good time as well. It's nice to see you guys get together since you've been running the group for quite some time now. I think it's great to hear when any of the Junkies can get together.

Karl great job on the OWS. I've had some really awesome OWS swims when I least expected too and it's great when it all comes together like that. I think the last swim I did last season in the lake in the evening was the best I ever had. I was very tired and didn't expect to swim much but I was so relaxed I wound up having a great long swim. The more you can do it the better you'll get.

Jo63 - 2013-04-17 8:26 AM

KWDreamun - 2013-04-17 6:36 AM

Warren, so envious ya'll got to meet.  It is funny how we all (Junkies) have things in common.  I am fotunate to live close to Jen so we can kick things around too.  Maybe one day we can all meet. 

Dirk, Pam and I are so proud of you!!!!  Again congrats and we can hardly wait for the RR.

Wow this weather is nice, got out for a run this morning and it was 66 degrees, that was PERFECT!  Not to hot or cold!  I had planned on biking but I was pumping the tires up and the valve "guts" came out of the valve and the tire went flat when i took the pump off, I mean it shot out and I coldn't find it, that has never happened before... so off to the shop after work.

I got an awesome swim in yesterday, it was an OWS but by myself... the water has warmed up and I was just relaxing, got distracted some as I like to look at fish swimming around...it was just amazing, complete peace, watching the fish, it was just one of those days that everything clicked.

Sorry about the bike, but your swim sounds wonderful it put a smile on my face imagining it, and by the way it is still cold here we had an ok day yesterday actually saw some sun but the temp are still not good. I keep saying we need to move somewhere warm.

And here today in TN the low last night was 66.  Going to be in the 80s today. 

Glad to have Spring finally arrive.

Got a question/perhaps a problem

Went out for my long run today, was going to be 10 miles in zone 2, 152-162 bpm HR. Set off and was running 7:25 pace. This is a bit faster than my usual runs and I glanced at my HR, mid-upper 140's.  After playing with my monitor and then taking my pulse manually I determined the reading was indeed accurate. I then just kept speeding up to try and raise my heartrate. It took getting down to 5:20 pace to get my HR out of zone 2.

I know that the inability to get your heartrate up is a symptom of overtraining, but I didn't feel weak or slow. My legs were a bit heavy from the sufferfest that was my ride yesterday, but other than that energy felt ok, lungs weren't burning. I just couldnt get my heartrate up. For comparison sake I did the exact same route at 7:45 pace on friday for 10 miles with a 156 avg HR.

So am I overtrained or is something else going on?

I can't wait to hear/read the race report from Dirk's marathon.  It was great to meet the whole family and we had a great time.  Too short of course.

I hope this isn't too soon for Dirk or anyone affected by the incident in Boston, but I want to say that this even should not take away from the experience of running that marathon or stopping to give Lis a kiss, while running towards the finish.  I really think you did what you were supposed to do on this day, Dirk.  Do not give them the power or satisfaction of knowing they ruined your day.  You have a very strong and powerful support system in those girls.  It was a good day for your family as a whole and although I am glad you are safe from harm, I am thrilled for you.

Boston is such a strong city.  This is a clip from the B's game tonight.  Gives me chills.

x2 Jonathan and very well said, I hope Dirk remembers this Boston Marathon for his performance and what he accomplished and not what happened in the aftermath. You're right you can't let them take that away otherwise they win.

I thought I would give you all an update on my thoughts in the aftermath of my race........

I have an internal struggle to discuss much about my race.  It seems so selfish to consider the importance of running some race in the aftermath of such tragedy for others.  I have a lot of emotions about this act that wage a bit of a war within my heart.  I desire to talk about my race with people, yet it seems so disrespectful to consider such frivolity when others have lost their lives and limbs.  I am just some guy who made his legs turn over for 26 miles after doing a few training runs.  Others now have no legs, lost their child or are maimed for life psychologically.

Jonathan, you said I shouldn't allow this event to rob me of the satisfaction of this day, I'll allow the article from an interview I did over the phone to answer for me.  The interview took place as we drove toward Fort Wayne on Tuesday morning.  Some of the details in the story are slightly incorrect but the phone connection got a little fuzzy a couple of times.  None of the errors were gross and they were certainly unintentional.

I'll get to writing my RR in the coming days but it won't be the same for me.  It's hard for me to think of myself right now. 

I just want to know why these fools to do this?  Why can't these cowards stand nose to nose with me and see what comes of it?  Stand and fight!!  Instead of running like a scared school kid!

Boston Marathon tragedy won’t “rob me of my freedom”

He and other runners and their families fell silent, huddled and awaited news. They could not see the carnage, chaos, smoke and panic at the blast sites two blocks away. Soon a medley of sirens erupted and pandemonium spilled into their area. Then grim-faced officials told them to immediately evacuate the area; and so they did.

Pauley said his wife Lisa, daughters Laiken and Kyrie and friend Niki Paliganoff, all shaken by the event, left the scene uncertain about what had actually happened. They learned about the scope of the tragedy later, and were saddened. Relatives, friends and fellow workers reached out for news and to console them.

Family had taken photos near bomb site
“I will not let events like this rob me of my freedom,” vowed Pauley, also understandably angered by the senseless act. He will always remember the running race time when the marathon stood still – 4:09:44.

Forty-five minutes earlier Lisa and the girls had snapped photos of Pauley approaching the finish line, coincidentally across the street from the site of the second blast. He completed the 26-mile ordeal in 3:24.33, a pace that allowed him to be competitive and enjoy the occasion, he said. Near the finish line Lisa kissed her husband to celebrate his accomplishment, a moment somebody captured with a camera and then shared it with the couple. That was supposed to be the climax of the day.

Marathon was still a dream come true
Pauley has dreamed of running in the Boston Marathon for years. Qualifying for that esteemed race (referred to as BQ for Boston Qualify) became a possibility after finishing well in his first marathon, the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., competing to honor nephews serving in the Middle East. Although Pauley missed the BQ for his age category by 20 seconds in the October 16, 2011 Columbus Marathon, he finally qualified (by a mere seven seconds) in the Indianapolis Marathon three weeks later. Pauley overcame some minor injuries while training for the Boston Marathon, a regimen that had him running 45-50 miles a week in recent months, sometimes in foul weather.

The long drive back to Indiana gave the Pauley clan time to reflect on the Patriots Day mayhem in Boston. Pauley had finished the Boston Marathon, a dream come true. But the memory will always be darkened by the bombs that finished several lives in faraway Boston.

Very well said, Dirk.  I can understand your mixed emotions.  It's most definitely a tough call and I think it's appropriate to give it some time to reflect.

Everyone should be getting out and enjoying and appreciating the lives we have and the ability to run/bike/hike on the two legs that we have.  We are all blessed.

Dirk-

Thank you for sharing about your race and your experience overall. I am sure that with time you can sort through your feelings and the internal struggle to talk about the race. For many of us, we will only remember what we saw on tv, read on-line and in newspapers. It is not likely that the event will change who we are.

You were there and you lived through it. It will change you and I hope that you are able to talk about it with time and that you can use the experience to make changes in the little things in our lives.

My husband embraces this everyday. He did a tour in Iraq in early 2003, he was there during the 30 days of bombing in March of 2003. He suffers from PTSD and we almost never talk about what he saw or what he had to do when he was there. He cherishes life, he embraces it and isn't afraid of things that many of us fear. He does not worry about the little things. I love him for this, but sometimes I wish he would worry just a little about the bills, chores, budget, retirement, etc.  

Well said Dirk.  I've had this same discussion with many of my friends who ran the race.  I think your attitude and those of everyone I know who ran Monday speaks volumes to the character of you runners.  Like I've heard people say, if you're trying to break the human spirit, targeting marathon runners is not likely to be a successful target group.

Jen, that must be very difficult, and something you obviously deal with everyday and will probably forever.

This is actually easy for me to understand.  It may be politically incorrect to say it - but there is evil in this world, period.  It is simply a truth, and it's impossible to deny if you look around with open eyes.  Evil has no honor, places no value on any positive human emotion or endeavor including life itself, has no logical thought pattern, does not desire any positive outcome, has no desire for a "fair" fight, and cannot be reasoned with.

Thankfully, the positive people overwhelmingly outnumber the evil, and we know the final outcome anyway.  This sort of thing almost always does more to bring people together than tear them apart, at least in the short term.

I could get really deep and ask us all to look inside ourselves since there is likely some seed of evil in there, but I won't go there.