Father and Son complete Iron Man

Have you seen this video?  A father and son complete the Ironman, it is truly amazing and so inspiring and is worth a few minutes to watch!  

A Son asked his father, "Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?" The father who, despite having a heart condition, says "Yes". They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons. The father always saying "Yes" to his son's request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his fater, "Dad, let's join the Ironman together."

To which, his father said "Yes".

For those who don't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island.

Father and son went on to complete the race together!

Thanks Brittany for sharing!

Race Recap-Columbus Marathon and 1/2 Marathon

  Last Sunday, Chris and I both participated in a local event, the Nationwide Columbus Marathon and 1/2 Marathon!  I'm asked Chris to give his perspective on running the full but wanted to just post a quick update.  You can read about his decision to run this race here, which I think he was regretting when I caught up with him at mile 20. 

I thought the weather was perfect for the race, cool (about 50 degrees) and cloudy.  We started in the middle of the pack due to our estimated times and we ran together for the first 1/2 mile or so  (I knew ahead of time that Chris didn't want to stick with me until the finish line for the half, something about me messing up his pacing...) and then we each got into our own groove.  I've done this race a couple of other years and the biggest notice for me is how much its grown, I've never seen the course so full of participants.  I think it's great that the community is embracing the event and getting fit but from a selfish perspective, I liked it better with fewer runners.  The course was so full around mile 3 that I almost stepped on a dead squirrel that I couldn't see due to the runners in front of me...that would have been so gross.

Sonya's Time- 1/2 Marathon with 2:05:49 for an overall pace of 9:36 per mile.

Chris' Time- Marathon with 4:48:57 for an overall pace of 11:02 per mile.

Chris and I, after the race

Our fan club, Mom and Dad K.

BIG thanks to Mom and Dad K. for all of their support (driving us around, cheering for us and the kind words)

Recovery time with the puppies

A look back...

Tomorrow, Chris and I are both participating in the 32nd Anniversary Nationwide Insurance Columbus Marathon and 1/2 Marathon!  He's doing the full (!!!) and I'm doing the 1/2.  You can read about Chris' decision to run the full marathon here.  The last time I ran this race was in 2009 and my time was 2 Hours, 3 minutes and 10 seconds.  Not sure if I'll beat that time but I know that I'll enjoy the race :)  Since we are now really close to the race, I thought I would share some photos of other races we've completed, in no particular order:

Brittany and Sonya, Sprint Tri 2010

Kelly and Sonya, Columbus Marathon 2007

Sonya, Brittany and Chris, CBus 10 Miler April 2011

My friend Kelly, Virginia Beach 1/2M (we ran it together in 2008)

Chris and I cheering Kelly on :)

Sonya, 1/2 Marathon 2007 while training for the full M

Erica, Lea and Sonya, Myrtle Beach 1/2M (Erica did the full)

I've really enjoyed all of these races (well Virgina Beach can be really a HOT race but good friends make up for it) and the memories I've made with friends and family :)  We've made several of these races mini-vacations with friends which as been so fun!

And who could forget the Ruckus Run that ended with a broken hand?!?! July 2011

I often get the question "Why do I run" and honestly, I used to hate running.  But once I started running consistently after college and got into a routine, I loved it.  I usually run early in the mornings (5 or 6am) and love the quiet peaceful time to myself before the world wakes up.  I use my running time as time to pray, mediate, be grateful for all the blessings in my life, plan my day, work through problems, ect.  All in all, for me, it's great thinking time!  After the race is done, I'm sure I'll move to some different activities for a while (yoga and spinning) but I know that eventually I'll come back to running.

A Marathon and the shoes that fit like a foot glove

Well, I guess I’ve spent too much time with my wife over the last year as it seems that she is starting to rub off on me. No, I’m not going to start sewing cute little projects or learn to bake cookies with whole grain flour. It’s much worse than that… I’m going to run a marathon. Yeah it’s pretty crazy I know, but I guess it’s going to happen.

I wasn’t ever a fan of running up until the end of my time in the Army. It’s much nicer being able to choose if and when you are going for a run, and also how far. Rather than running the standard 4-5 miles for PT in the morning I can now run however fast or slow I feel like, whenever I want. Lately I’ve been getting lazy concerning my workouts and I felt like I needed something to focus on and motivate me to get up and active. After we ran the Ruckus in Pittsburgh, where Sonya broke her hand, I decided that I needed to sign up for another race and keep the momentum going.

Now a marathon may not seem like the most logical choice, but I guess it was more of an “If not now, when?” sort of reaction. So I now have my training plan set and will start to put the miles in, in earnest. The marathon is on October 16^th in Columbus if you wanna come watch. I wouldn’t recommend it though, I’ve been to a couple races as a spectator and it’s pretty boring. You only get to watch and cheer on the person you came there for once or twice during the race. But come on down if you want. I’ll be running the full 26.2 while Sonya clocks in another 13.1 miles in the half marathon.

Along with deciding to run the marathon I made another running related decision and bought a pair of Vibram 5 fingers. Now before you think that this is something dirty (I’m talking to you Dar) these are actually a pair of “shoes” that have much less padding than normal and force you to run with a more natural gait. I like my Nike Free running shoes that mimic barefoot running, so I decided to give these a try.

They definitely feel different, and I can tell a difference in my running style as well. You take much shorter steps and land on your midfoot instead of your heel. I can really tell a difference by the fact that my calves are on fire by the end of the run. I have only worn them a couple of times so far, and I’m working to ease myself into them, but I don’t think I’ll be wearing them for the marathon quite yet. Stay tuned to the blog, I’m sure Sonya will post some interesting stuff concerning the race, and I might put something else up as well.