Holiday Laps for Charity

Every year around the holidays, VIRginia International Raceway holds a charity event to benefit the Salvation Army of southern Virginia. For a cash, new toy or food donation of $25 value, anyone can have the chance to drive a 20 minute session lapping around the 3.27 mile road course in Alton, VA with their personal vehicle. I have never been able to go before due to work schedule conflicts but finally got the chance to go last Friday.

I recently purchased a 2006 MINI Cooper S which I figured would be a fun car to drive at VIR so I headed up to the track on Friday morning despite the rainy forecast and soggy ground from several days of rain. Several members of the Tarheel MINI Motoring Club that I recently joined were also there so I got to meet some of the guys who make up this great group.

For my food and toy donation, I was able to drive 3 sessions, 5 laps each for a total of 60 minutes around the rolling road course at a pretty quick pace considering it was raining and the track was very wet and slick.

As a new MINI owner, I am thoroughly impressed with the performance of my car and MINIs in general after my laps. I don't even have good performance tires yet and was very comfortable hanging it out in the turns and on the high speed straights. My second session was probably the most fun as I was about 6th in line behind 2 Corvettes, a Mustang GT, a GTO and a BMW M5. I was able to keep up with them on all of the track except the back stretch where they would out accelerate me. I think I hit 110 mph a couple times while they were probably closer to 120 mph.

Onboard video from dash mounted cam in my car

Unfortunately, not everyone made it through the day unscathed. At least 4 cars got off in turn 6 and the exit in turn 6, all of which hit the tire barriers and tore up their cars pretty good. None of them were MINIs though as front wheel drive was certainly a benefit on the wet track.

Along with our MINIs, there were lots of other cars, vans and trucks taking laps around the track including a Corvette L52 Twin Turbo (which I have never heard of), a '66 Corsa Corvair Turbo and even Santa Claus in his 'other sleigh'.

One additional freebie from VIR was getting a free 8x10 print from the track photographer taken of my car during my laps. All in all, it was a fun day and I hope to do it again next year.

Beach2Battleship Full Iron

Last weekend, I went down to Wilmington, NC for the day to support a friend competing in the full Ironman distance triathlon. I went to college in Wilmington at UNCW and served in the US Coast Guard for 8 years at nearby CG Station Wrightsville Beach so its always nice to get down there for a visit and catch up with friends. This time, a college friend was up from Florida to swim-bike-run the 140.6 mile Beach2Battleship Ironman race that starts in Wrightsville Beach and finishes at the USS North Carolina in Wilmington on the south side of the Cape Fear River.

I've always been intrigued by the Ironman events and watched the Kona Ironman on television many times but this was my first time seeing one in person. Another friend of mine ran this same event last year and finished within the 17 hour time limit however I was unable to attend and support him so I made it a priority to get down to the Port City for this one.

I joined other friends to catch my friend as he finished the 112 mile bike ride and started his marathon run and than again at mile 10, 16 and 23 as he jogged and than walked by towards the finish. In the end, as night set in, he made it to the finish in under 14 hours and it was a pleasure to be there supporting him. It was a quite a long day to be out there but I would do it again as I find watching these type of race events very exciting and inspiring.

All I can say is "wow" and "no thanks" after watching the iron distance competitors finish the bike and run events throughout the afternoon and evening. While the half iron distance seems reasonable and doable; I can now say that I do not aspire to ever compete at this distance.

Next season, Michelle and I hope to tackle more sprint triathlons locally which will be all for me right now.

Congrats to all the iron and half iron distance finishers last weekend in Wilmington.

Wet City of Oaks Marathon

Last Sunday, the morning after Halloween (Ugh!) at 7 AM, Raleigh held their 3rd annual City of Oaks Marathon and Half Marathon. I decided to have some fun and go out to watch and support the runners in the race just as the crowds had supported me the weekend before in Washington, DC.

Conditions were far from optimal for spectating or running though the temperature was bearable and probably pleasant for the runners. Several friends of mine were running the half marathon and one other friend of my wife was running the full marathon. I wanted to get out early to see the runners go through downtown and than again over by Meredith College on Hillsborough Street but overslept and only made it to the second location which is mile 10 for the half and mile 23 for the full. I'll blame oversleeping on the time change and not the fact that I went to bed after 2 AM the night before, haha.

So despite the pouring rain and constant wind, I hung out for a good 3+ hours and cheered for the runners as they cruised by. I got lots of 'thank yous' and smiles from the runners who couldn't help but laugh at my signs. Along with my messages of support, I had the best bell on the block. I rang the orange MMRF bell that Michelle had used the weekend before in DC which had a very distinct tone.

Congrats to all the runners who finished the 2009 City of Oaks full and half marathon. Maybe I'll give it another run next year.

For now, I have my sights set on the Myrtle Beach half marathon in February 2010 which I just registered for yesterday.

Carpe Viam.

Missions Accomplished

On Sunday I ran the Marine Corps Marathon and if you know me, read this blog or are my friend on facebook or twitter, than you already knew this fact. Needless to say, I really used and abused social media tools to get the word out about my marathon ambitions for 2009 since I was running for such a great cause.

We attended the expo and race check-in on Saturday morning where I picked up my race number, timing chip and the freebies and than I relaxed until mid-afternoon when we drove over to Georgetown. In Georgetown, I went shopping at The Running Company and spent the gift card bestowed to me from the MMRF for placing 3rd in a fund raising contest. I picked up a new pair of Nike running tights and a case of Energy GU - both items that will help me with runs over the coming winter months. Mid-afternoon we got to meet with the MMRF MCM charity team at an Italian restaurant, also in Georgetown called Paulo's Ristorante. It was very nice to meet the other people running with the team who had helped raise the nearly $30,000 for the MMRF.

From here, we drove over to Dupont Circle and met up with our friends at Buca di Beppo for dinner. Good thing I made a reservation because we learned that no one would be eating there on this night without one. My aunt Suzanne joined us and we had a nice pasta dinner together. I gorged on as much pasta as I could since it would be my fuel the following morning. Of course, as usual - a double bourbon on the rocks washed it down. It was great to see Suzanne and she was very appreciative of my efforts in memory of David.

Unlike race day in 2006, this time; I got up early and headed to the start alone on Sunday. We know what a zoo it is at the start so we figured it would be easier for Michelle to head out on course to watch for me instead. I like my alone time before a long run - not talking to anyone or having to worry about anyone except myself takes away all the stress before the gun fires. The start at the MCM is very cool because its got such a great military theme. You arrive off the metro and walk around the Pentagon and into runner's village. There are Marines handling security and check-in while civilian law enforcement patrols and keeps a keen eye on everyone. The cool thing here is that this is about the only time or place where you can take a leak in plain site of law enforcement and not get arrested for indecent exposure, haha. This is very helpful as guys (and some brave girls) can take one last break right before the start. I did so as the duo of Marine Corps Osprey tilt rotor helos flew over head.

I hopped over the fence and into the 4:00 predicted time corral and walked towards the start. This time, I actually heard the cannon fire at the start and crossed the start line myself at about 8:06 AM. Having run this race once before made all the difference in my comfort level. I knew what to expect and not to push the pace to early because of the crowds. I maintained a 9:30 pace for the first couple miles, hoping I would be able to make it up and hold a sub 9:00 minute pace for the overall 26.2 miles. As a last minute tool, I had got a wrist band at the expo to wear that clearly defined the time I needed to be at every mile to finish within 4 hours. By using the wrist band and my runners watch, I hoped to comfortably know where I was and where I needed to be throughout the race.

After the initial couple miles through Rosslyn, I crossed Key Bridge into Georgetown and would now be running the same course I ran 4 weeks ago for the next 18 miles. My recent training run in DC proved invaluable as I knew when the hills were coming. By mile 6 or 7, I had made up my lost time from the early slowness of the race and by mile 10, I had created a 3-4 minute buffer. About mile 10, I ran past the backside of the Lincoln Memorial and within about a 2 minute span, I saw and ran past 3 runners from the MMRF team. Justin was stopped with his family and appeared to be changing shirts - he didn't look like he was in trouble which was cool. I than passed Liana and gave her a smile and thumbs up. She looked good and happy so I knew she might be the one to beat on the team. Finally, I passed Ed going into Haines Point. Ed didn't look so happy but I figured it was going to be tough for him as he had told me the day before that he didn't get to train much on long runs. I gave him a pat on the back and kept running.

After circling Haines Point and heading back around Lincoln onto the National Mall, I was starting to wonder if I would see Michelle. Than on Constitution Ave., I saw her with her orange MMRF shirt and cow bell. This was very cool and I couldn't help but smile. I gave her the old thumbs up and kept cruising. Looping back around the mall and back down the other side, I ran past the Smithsonian Castle which is now about mile 19. In 2006, it was mile 13 which is where Michelle, my uncle David and aunt Suzanne were waiting for me and cheered as I ran by. For a brief moment, as I looked up at the castle, I got very sad and almost shed a tear but than I told myself to focus and do what a Marine would do; keep fighting - so I did.

With a big smile, I cruised past the Washington and Jefferson Memorials and headed towards the bridge over the Potomac. I must comment on just how amazing the crowds are along the sections near the memorials. At times, the course was less than 10 feet wide with hundreds of cheering spectators on both sides - totally awesome! I had worn my name on my jersey like I did at the OBX half marathon last year and it was so cool to have people shouting to me and yelling "Go Jon!' as I ran past the crowds.

Crossing the Potomac and heading into Crystal City for miles 22-23 is where I had hoped to see Michelle, my friends and the MMRF organized team. I quickly saw the MMRF flags and one person - Betsy, the volunteer and runner from last year who came out to support the team for the race. I gave her a high five as I ran by. I knew that fighting the crowds and the metro is tough on race day so it was no worry that no one else was there. I told myself that I was running so fast, I just beat everyone there :)

After leaving Crystal City, I headed back towards the beltway which is closed down for the race and the long run past the Pentagon to the finish in Arlington. This stretch is without a doubt, the toughest part of the course. After running 23 miles, mostly with cheering spectators, mostly on flats or downhills, the course finishes with long, rolling uphills and few spectators from miles 23-25.5. Luckily, I knew this so I put my head down and pushed. Using my downhills, I ran very hard to pick up the seconds that I lost running up the uphills. I rolled into Arlington and saw the turn towards the Marine Corps Memorial. Spectators were consistently yelling "Go Jon" and I heard 'Elevation' from U2 pumping through the speakers. I was now pumped and "elevated" myself to the finish.

As I rounded the turn and started up the last steep but short climb, the announcer shouted to everyone to push to beat the 4:00 hour clock time which was added motivation. I knew I would beat the 4:00 chip time but I pushed harder and crossed the line at 4:00:41 with a chip time of 3:54:45 and an average pace of 8:57 per mile. I tried to pose for a photo as I crossed reminiscent of my pose at Virginia Beach in 2007 (my half marathon PR) but there are so many runners crossing at the same time, I don't think they really got me. You can however see the video of me crossing below. Just fast forward to where the clock shows me entering the video at 4:00:39.

After crossing the finish, I looked up and saw two Coast Guard helos hovering overhead. As a CG veteran, this was pretty sweet. I got my medal from a young Marine officer and headed to the feed zone and on to the exit into Rossyln where I met up with Michelle and my friends. It was a good day and my UPS delivered baggage included a nice gift to myself, two cold cans of Guiness.

In the end, my openness really paid off and helped me accomplish both my goals for the event. That is, to raise at least $2000 for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation in memory of my uncle David Shayt and to run the Marine Corps Marathon and beat my time from 2006; perhaps to even finish within 4 hours which has been a goal for me for many years since I started running distance races.

By being open and vocal about my preparation and training, I was able to spread the word about my fund raising and hold myself accountable publicly to get out and run and run often. There is no better motivation than public perception and I also learned how motivating that friends can be with simple words of support and generosity towards my charity. Thanks to all my family, friends and colleagues who supported me this season as I prepared and ran this event. You generosity truly helped me complete both my goals.

*You can still donate to the MMRF for my marathon run and support research and drug development that is extending the lifes of multiple myeloma patients and will one day lead to a cure at - http://www.active.com/donate/2009MarineCorps/poweredbyracephan

*Some of the photos above are borrowed from another runner's blog that I stumbled across online. Check it out here - http://community.active.com/blogs/KatRunsAntarctica/2009/10/27/marine-corps-marathon-2009

Counting down to 26.2 miles and $2k raised

As you may have heard, I will be running in the 34th Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC as a member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation charity team. I took on this challenge last spring with the intent of finishing the 26.2 mile race and raising $2000 towards research that accelerates the development of next-generation multiple myeloma treatments to extend the lives of patients and ultimately lead to a cure. This mission is particularly important to me since I lost my uncle to this disease 12 months ago. He was a long time DC area resident, Smithsonian curator and former US Marine so running the People's Marathon in our nation's capital served as a fitting tribute to him.

With only 5 days to go before the race, I have nearly reached by fund raising goal and only need another $210 to achieve my target. For this, I cannot thank my supporters and donors enough. If you have considered donating or want to re-donate, please do so now at:

http://www.active.com/donate/2009MarineCorps/poweredbyracephan

You can be certain that your donation WILL go towards the mission of the MMRF and the fight against multiple myeloma.

Thank you