My First Marathon in Pictures

The day finally arrived, October 6th 2013, the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon--my first marathon!  I was still under the weather morning of, but I took in a 5:30am nebulizer treatment and crossed my fingers.  I met my Team Worldvision mates in the church parking lot as AC/DC blared out my '87 Chevy S10 speakers.  We gathered for one last pep-talk before loading into 2 vans and heading to Minneapolis.  There are some very inspiring people in that group!

Though church is a mere 4 miles from the finish line, we left the comforts of home in St. Paul to traverse the Mighty Mississipi to start at the soon-to-be-demolished Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Downtown Minneapolis.

After a brief early morning church service at First Covenant Minneapolis (next to the Metrodome), I parted ways with my church friends and began enjoying the perks of corporate sponsorship--my other team is my employer's Allina Health Run Club.  I met some nice folks along the way until finally the gun sounded and 12 minutes later I crossed the starting line.  Within 1/2 mile I new it was going to be a long day because I was sicker and weaker than I had hoped.  Regardless, I moved along at a decent pace, through incredible traffic, until the first highlight of the run at Mile 8.  Kelly, Piyada, and my mother-in-law Lori devised a meticulous plan to cheer me on from three different locations, and it worked, and I needed it!

Off I went with fresh energy.....but then, I think my medicine from 3 1/2 hours earlier began to wear off.  I started wheezing and getting fatigued from expending lots of energy trying to breathe what were ultimately low quality breaths.  I stopped around Mile 14 to take 2 good puffs of my inhaler and I was off again, though at a slower pace.  Thankfully 4 miles later I saw my cheering section again!

From there I was on my own to trudge toward the finish.  When healthy I was aiming for a finish time between 3:30 (best case scenario) and 3:45 (good, but realistic).  Well, at Mile 16 I was still very much in the neighborhood of my goal.  Strava shows just how things shifted at Mile 16!  Call it hitting the "wall" with a big viral, asthmatic cherry on top.

Click for Mile by Mile data

The dreaded Summit Ave hill from miles 20-23 kicked my already kicked butt.  It was nothing but willpower from 23-Finish.  I made a point to not quit a single training run early this entire year, because I knew that if I set any precedent for puss'n out, it would certainly want to reemerge on Summit Ave.  Lets just say I wasn't waving at the fans and doing cartwheels, but....steady....forward....progress.  Eventually, I passed the Governor's Mansion, James J. Hill's Mansion, and the Bishop's Mansion at Mile 26, and it was all downhill from there, literally.

Piya waiting for me to come down Cathedral Hill

The Finish Line with MN State Capitol in background

And finally I arrived at the finish satisfied to not be at United Hospital on a ventilator and to have finished under 4 hours.  Here I am passing Mile 26.  I'm the guy behind the shirtless guy.

Here is a video of me crossing the Finish.  My first marathon, of hopefully many, was in the books!  And the celebration ensued.

Stay tuned for a "what I learned" post and much, much more.  Including a preview of Grandma's 2014:)

I am Under the Overcast Weather!!

I just got home from the Health & Fitness Expo where I picked up my race bib, timing chip, and lots of free junk!  I attended the press conference where the elite runners shared their hopes, and some "citizen runners" shared their amazing stories.  One guy fell 37 feet and broke his back in March, and is set to run on Sunday.  A woman told how she just got off the couch two New Year's Days ago, started running, lost 80 lbs, and is now running her first marathon.  Very inspiring folks.

The first lady I ran into on the street was wearing a No Meat Athlete t-shirt like mine.  I couldn't believe my eyes, so I stopped and we talked vegan running for 15 minutes!  A funny, cool lady.

So how am I doing with 1 day to go until the big run I have prepared so hard for all Spring and Summer?  Well, I am under the weather, and the forecast calls for possible "lingering showers" at the starting line!  Ug.  Can you believe that as soon as our taper-week started, 6, SIX members of my church team got sick!  Double-Ug!  I have something that I've had many times, a reoccurring bronchitis.  Only this time, thankfully, so far, it is just a minor cough.  I have nothing really to "produce" with said cough, since my animal-induced systemic-inflammation is gone:)  But, still, I'd rather be 100%.  I have no concerns with my body and legs, but I am mildly concerned that the combination of cold wet weather, fall allergies, and asthma will keep me from running my potential.  By the way, I have never made public my goal time for the marathon, but all the data says it is possible, on a good day.  I will be very happy if that still becomes a reality, given my pulmonary situation.

On a spiritual note:  After many miles I ran my last 4 yesterday at Lake Phalen.  I was not "training," just enjoying how far I've come this summer.  I found what I hope to be my primary marathon pace and just cruised, smooth, controlled breathing, cranking out the miles.  I came to a stop, reluctantly, with no hard breathing (a good sign given my virus), took a body inventory with no pain or anything but satisfaction for an amazing summer, enabled by God's gift of health, supportive loved ones, and the privilege and freedom to do it!  I was almost laughing as I walked, praying, thanking God for all the riches!  So I'm not 100% and it might rain on Sunday--I am still so very blessed!

No Animals Were Hurt in the Making Of This Marathon

I was running the other day thinking about all that has gone into my marathon training, and what has not gone into it. It was a very encouraging and gratifying review. I have run over 350 miles since going 100% vegan 3 1/2 months ago. In that time, not a single animal was killed or used to fuel my running. I've come a long way since thinking plant food was meant to accompany meat, and could never be enough to sustain health on its own, let alone something like marathon training. Where would I get my protein!? :) I thought of the small barn that would have had to be set aside just for me to run and live for 3 months had I been eating meat & dairy. "Kyle is tying his shoes to go run again, please hand me another chicken" (if chicken harvesting were really that quaint and personal).

It was really cool to realize that all I needed to run and be healthy was my body, lots of water, and all sorts of plants that come from the earth--just me and the earth were enough to travel 1/10th of the width of America with zero injuries. It was really, really cool to realize that I didn't just scrape by, but that I got fitter and stronger, didn't get sick or injured, slept better, breathed better, pooped better, had more stable moods, on and on and on. I can't help but start to get pretty passionate about this "experiment." The physical results are so convincing to me, not to mention the ethics, and potential that plants have to help us with our unsustainable eating habits. Here is what has gone, and not gone, into my vegan marathon training:

Calories from Plants (approximate, 3000/day for 100 days) = 300,000
      75% Fruit, 25% Grains/Beans/Potatoes/Veggies
Calories from meat, fish, eggs, dairy = 0
Protein powders and other supplements = 0
Injuries = 0
Advil  or other painkillers = 0
Soda = 2 cans of Diet Coke
Caffeine = 90mg (2 cans of Diet Coke)
Coffee = 2-4 cups of decaf per week
Water (approximate) = 100 gallons