**Some pictures of Matt running at the Saint Paul Saints 4 July Game...yeah, I know they're kind of small...click on the image to bring it up in size. The one to the right is of Tom, Rachel and I on the field prior to speaking to the spectators...
23 July 2010 ~
Grand Island Trail Marathon in a week, TransRockies Run, 113 miles in 6 days, in a month. My left knee is coming along, not 100%, but close. After that, a long plane ride across the Pacific...
I was able to be in attendance at the WWP’s Annual Courage Awards and Gala in New York last week – and heard those words spoken by an Iraq war veteran and double amputee, who now serves as the organization’s Director of Alumni Outreach. It was simply the most accurate and powerful description of what the WWP does.
Now, on to our update ~
It's hard to put into words what the Comrades Marathon means to me. For starters, it was one of my sources of inspiration for Team Wounded Warrior Project. In fact, if you read back to some of my first blog postings, they include the Comrades in multiple instances. For some of you that are new to Team WWP, let me briefly bring you up to speed on this amazing event. After World War I, a South African Veteran named Vic Clapham came home a different person having endured a 2,700 forced march across German East Africa as a prisoner of war. He wanted to honor his friends and "comrades" that had been killed and wounded in The Great War. So he founded a race, the first of it's kind as it became the world' first ultramarathon distance event. The race constitution states that the race is "to celebrate mankind's spirit over adversity."
Sometimes, it takes an event to get past a mental hurdle. In my case, it took three, random, sequential events. When I write, I'm trying to convey to you a sense of the "why" and the "how" I'm progressing through this 300 miles in 2010. You've probably noticed that my last few postings haven't been sunshines and rainbows. There are two components to what I've beend doing: the fundraising and my performance. My expectations for myself have largely been disappointing over the past month.
But something's changed. I feel better. More hopeful. Realizing more that two sub-par races are not the end of the world. And, getting back to my point, three things brought my gaze back to a motivated.
1. I saw the most amazing challenged athlete at the Boston Marathon. He was a young guy, maybe mid-20s, with some sort of birth defect in both legs that forced him to use a stablizing walker. That's not the amazing part - his legs were malformed such that he had to do the race in a sort of backwards/side shuffle. I passed him going up a hill at about mile 8 (or so), and thought to myself "this is why you're here - quit worrying about yourself!" All in one instance, I was energized to push forward. I know he wasn't one of those that will benefit from the WWP, but he's someone that is representative of the people that we're trying to help. He was amazing and proved to me that the human spirit really can do anything if given a chance. I always fall back on one of my favorite quotations from the Count of Monte Cristo, "Don't you know that anything is for sale to the man that is willing to pay the price?"
2. The second is not very happy, I'm afraid to report. The Veteran's Administration recently reported an estimated 950 veterans receiving care attempt suicide each month, and that 18 veterans (including those beyond their care) commit suicide each month. When you couple that with the suicide epidemic in the Army (our numbers have grown signifcantly, each year, for 6 years) - it terrifies me. I don't know what to say about this one. I mean, I have a lot to say, not much of it would help the problem. But it truly scares me. Primarily because I know how dark you can feel after a combat deployment. It's not every truly happy...there's feelings of regret, remorse, sadness, survivor's guilt...a sense that nothing you'll ever do will matter as much to the world as your role while deployed. They weigh heavily on the soul. I can say that, although I never really contemplated ending my life - I can see how other soldiers would in moments of irrational weakness. Anyhow, there isn't much of a point here other than to say the report shocked my system and was another reminder that we've got a long way to go as we help our wounded veterans.
3. The last is a race I did for the Army this Wednesday - the ACLI Capital Challenge. It's a charity event, for which all the proceeds go to the DC Special Olympics, a 3 mile run near the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. The Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, Judicial Branch, and the media all put together teams of 5 - for example, I ran for Team Army Strong (our team captain was Major General McConville - the Army Chief of Legislative Liason). There were about 15 Senators there, 40 some Members of Congress...Senator John Thune just edged out Senator Scott Brown, for example. I finished 6th overall, about 16 minutes, and our team finished 2nd overall (just behind the FBI's team, very close). While there, I got to meet Meb Keflezighi - the American Silver medalist in the marathon in 2004, he won the NYC Marathon last year (first American since 1982) - it was a huge honor. We talked briefly about his recovery from Boston (he finished 4th) and he profusely thanked our Army team for our service to the nation. What a great guy...of course, we thanked him in return for bringing honors to our country for his athletic achievements.
These three things...(good things come in threes, right?) brought my mind back to the positive end of the scale. Which, frankly, is something I'll need going towards the Comrades Marathon. I've started preparation in earnest for Comrades, and I fully believe that I'll be ready to go come May 30th. I've never done something like this (56 miles, in heat, on pavement, in South Africa), but, as far as physical preparation goes, I'll be as ready as I can be. I've got some long miles ahead (90-100+ per week) that I think will pay fitness dividends next month. My original goal of a silver medal there (under 7 hours, 30 minutes, an 8 minute per mile pace) will be refined through training these next three weeks. I'll start my rest period around 16 May - and ease up as I get closer to race day.
My greatest hope is that this hard work and effort will inspire you to support America's severely wounded heroes. I promise the effort will be there, if nothing else. Please consider a donation and talk to others about doing the same!
All my best & Keep moving forward, Matt
22 April, 2010, Arlington, VA - early morning before run and work...
Good morning Team WWP, I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to you since before the Boston Marathon this past Monday. Making these trips happen on top of work can put you behind on certain things, and this is one of them. So here's the race breakdown: the event was amazing and a good experience, but I didn't perform the way I'd hoped. I progressively slowed down throughout the 26 miles...an occurrence that marathoners try to avoid at all costs. I know that part of it was a byproduct of racing a month ago, and that you're supposed to slow down post event, but it's still disheartening. I feel a lot like I did after Stage 1 of the TransRockies Run last year, when I essentially lost all the salt in my body and had to walk the last three miles of the stage. It's a huge lesson in humility, and a reminder that your body has limits, and only with hard training can you extend those limits. There are no shortcuts. A quotation I used last month in a speech in Minnesota: "Growth is slow and uncertain. It requires faith."
I still have faith that I can rebound for a good effort at Comrades next month. Quickly, I'll tell you why ~ at mile 6 or so on Monday, I saw an amazing disabled athlete. His legs had been malformed in such a way that he had to shuffle with the use of a modified cart. He was moving so slow...I just thought to myself, "if he can do what he's set out to do, then I know I can...and I'd better get going!" Our severely wounded American veterans deserve similar considerations as they move on with their lives.
Comrades is next. 56 miles to the South African coastal city - Durban. This is the 85th running of a race that was originally dedicated to veterans of "The Great War" (World War I). This will really be a challenge that I know I'm ready for, because I still have faith that with hard work, Team WWP will finish this one well!
Don't you know that anything is for sale to the man that is willing to pay the price? (Count of Monte Cristo).
All my best & Keep moving forward, Matt
**The picture below is from the NBC Washington interview I did last month...
4 April 2010, Arlington, VA ~ Easter Sunday
$81,300 raised for the Wounded Warrior Project as of today. I honestly never thought we’d go this far, have such high expectations. Sincerely. I originally thought we might eclipse $25,000. So this journey has been one where we’ve changed the bar for success quite a bit.
So I’m running in the Boston Marathon in two weeks. Yep, I’ll be competing in Boston’s 114th running, the oldest and most prestigious marathon in the world. This is exciting for me because it enables me to take a shot at a personal record…a shot at redeeming myself after National Marathon. Now, one month post race, and in a marathon that starts at 10am ~ those are not optimal conditions for success. But I’ve got to try. And, although I think very, very highly of the Charlottesville Marathon, and would love to compete there someday, Boston is calling for me.
How could I say no? The world’s greatest marathon in April, followed by the world’s oldest and well known ultramarathon (56 miles) in May at Comrades in South Africa. Those will truly be two efforts that I won’t forget for quite some time. Frankly, if you have an extra wish or prayer, I hope you use it to bring me good health through these next few months…I’ll need it. This is heavy mileage at some big competitions, in fact, the biggest.
My strategy for this one? Well, I had a tough time with the heat at National, so I’m going to have to be careful at Boston (late start might bring some high heat). Also, it’s a deep downhill for the first 5km and I’ve got to keep it in control going out. I’d like to, ideally, get to the half in 1:17 or so ~ same gameplan as National ~ and do a better job of hanging on for the back half. Miles 17-21 are hilly (in Newton, MA), so I’ll lose a minute or two there. Not worried about that…I’ll try my best to preserve my energy in this stretch, for the last 5 miles.
Which, as always, is where the competition begins. It’s always the last 5 miles. I like to think that has a logical connection to America’s wounded heroes. My coach, George Buckheit from the Capital Area Runners, always wants me to start slow and finish fast, because it’s at the end of the race that you make the gains, where you really win. Our wounded heroes start a bit slow…but we’re helping them to finish fast…
April 19th, Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts, the 114th Boston Marathon, I’ll be there!
All my best and Keep moving forward, Matt
***I have to mention this ~ I’ve come across a great t-shirt company, Muze ~ you’ve got to check them out. All inspired by great lines in books, film, etc. They have awesome stuff, but most noteworthy ~ they have a line of shirts that they’ve developed directly with charitable organizations, to include the WWP. Literally, every dollar above cost to produce the shirt goes directly to the WWP (backed up by an amazingly transparent financial structure). Their featured celebrity for the WWP is Jeremy Roenick…anyhow, you’ve got to see this stuff:
http://www.muzeconnects.com/
http://store.muzeconnects.com/Wounded_Warriors_Charity_Shirt_p/m.3082.099.htm
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
