story

I am posting this a few days late, but this past Saturday I finally ran the half marathon that I had been preparing for since April. The Marine Corps Half Marathon started at 7 am on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville North Carolina. I was excited and a bit nervous and just wanted to post a good time for myself. During training I never exceed a distance of 10 miles in my runs. I figured if I can do 10, the extra 3 would be no problem. Based off my pace on those 10 mile runs I was hoping to finish the half marathon at a time right around 1 hour and 40 minutes.

I made sure I was right at the front of the pack for the race start so I wouldn’t have to dodge around slower folks and could settle right into my pace. This strategy worked well and I had plenty of clear air to work with for the entire race. Initially I pushed my pace a little too hard but a few miles into the race I settled down and stopped worrying about keeping up with folks in front of me. I found my rhythm and picked a pace that was challenging but one that I knew I could maintain for most of the race.

13-1_2 — I used my Galaxy S6 edge for music and run tracking. It was a little off on distance and I also forgot to stop it immediately after I crossed the finish but the numbers are close enough.

The last 3 miles of the course were a challenge. Cardio wise I was fine and nowhere near winded but my quads were just about done. It didn’t help that over the last 3 or so miles of the course there were long gradual hills. The type of hill that you normally wouldn’t think twice about but 11 miles into a run at a fast pace they were killer. I managed to push through them even though in the back of my head I wanted to stop and walk and I managed to pass a few runners that were ahead of me for most of the race.

13-1 — More numbers from the run tracker on my phone. A little off. My pace might have been bit faster or slower than what the app recorded. The app was left running for a minute after I ended the run.

Eventually I made it to the final mile and I held my pace so that I could go all out for the last quarter to half a mile. Once the finish line was in site I ran as fast as my legs would let me go. Once again my cardio was great and I crossed the line at 1hr and 47mins (according to the race clock) without even breathing hard. My legs were what held me back from going faster. I wasn’t thrilled with the time but was glad I was under 2 hours which was my ultimate goal.

When the times were posted I went to find my name and did not see myself listed at 1hr 47 so I started looking for my bib number and noticed it had me down for 1hr and 42 mins 17 sec. I was surprised and happy as this was closer to what my phone, which I started as soon as I crossed the start and turned off a minute after I had crossed the finish, had recorded. This put me at 44th overall out of 600 plus runners. I was very happy with that result. Next I began counting the people ahead of me in my age group (25-29). According to the list I was 5th fastest in my age group. Again I was very happy with that result.

14316891_10207568475993169_8886358571343754148_n

For some reason we decided to wait and listen for the age group awards to be announced. When they finally got to my group, they called off 3rd place and it wasn’t me so we assumed there was no chance I won anything and started getting ready to leave. To my surprise they announce second place for the 25-29 group and my name was called. My wife and I were both completely surprised. I still can’t believe it. I have always been a decent runner as far as maintaining a pace over distance but I just was never into running for fun and I still don’t really enjoy it like other runners do.

I took on this Half Marathon to challenge myself and also as something of a tribute or nod to my grandmother. Grammar as we call her, (we couldn’t pronounce grandma right as kids I guess and this just stuck) was a USA certified ski instructor for 30 years and taught me and my siblings how to ski and snowboard. She also ran multiple marathons and races, and has always led a very exciting and active lifestyle. Over the last couple of years she has developed Parkinson’s Disease and it has unfortunately taken a severe toll on her. The grandmother who was always the cool energetic woman now has trouble making it through the day. It is heartbreaking but she is a fighter and I am sure will be with us for a long time to come. So ultimately this one was for her. Love you Gram!

Overall I really enjoyed the experience. I am completely thrilled with my performance and overjoyed that I placed 2nd in my age group. Not bad for person that hates running and had never run a half marathon or even passed 10 miles in a single run. So what next? I plan to keep running and and do some many more races. I am sure I will do a few more half marathons but no plans to do a full marathon any time soon. I can’t imagine going another 13.1 miles.

14322491_10207568476033170_2865882723354968145_n — My bib, finished medal and 25-29 age group second place award.

I think my wife has a few photos of me right after I finished. I will try to get them and add them. I probably look pretty terrible.

Oshie has managed to injure himself. While Nancy was in Norway I noticed that Oshie had a bit of a limp and was hesitant to jump up on the couch. A week or two later when Nancy was back we went to the Vet for a 6 month checkup and voiced our concern about his leg. The Doctor thoroughly checked Oshie’s legs and joints and didn’t find an issue. Also at this point in time he didn’t appear to be limping at all.

Fast forward about a month and the limp returned. Two Fridays ago ( I know I have been lazy with posting again) we took Oshie for an evening walk. It was about two miles in length and at a very reasonable pace. During the walk Oshie appeared to be fine and was acting like his usual self. Later that evening we were all in the living room watching a movie and relaxing and Oshie got up and let out a little whimper. He promptly laid back down and we didn’t think anything of it.

When it was time for bed, Oshie was a bit slow going up the stairs and he didn’t want to jump up on the bed. When he finally did get up there he was whimpering again. I decided I should check his leg. I began feeling around his back right leg and immediately knew he was in some pain because he turned and nipped at my hand which he never does. I left him alone and decided that we would see how he was doing in the morning. When morning came the results of the feel test were the same and we decided we needed to visit the Vet.

oshie vet — Oshie in the Examination room.

We arrived at the Vet hoping to be seen as a walk in appointment but there were five people already there for walk-ins and we were told to come back around 2:00pm. So we headed home and relaxed for a few hours. The second trip was successful and Oshie was seen. The Doctor examined his back right leg and Oshie was clearly in some pain. He even cried a few times while she felt around his leg. The Vet thought that he might have an issue with his ACL but nothing that would require surgery at this point (possible slight tear is what she said). She also suggested X-rays which we quickly said yes to.

Oshie was left at the office and we went to waste some time while they took the X-rays . About 2 hours later we received the call that he was ready to be picked up and that the X-rays didn’t show any damage to the knee-joint or ACL but the doctor wanted a second opinion from an orthopedic specialist because she thought she saw something with the meniscus. We took Oshie home with some pain meds and a prescription for some rest and relaxation. We gave him the meds throughout the week and he appeared to be doing much better and I would even say back to his old self.

This past Sunday we went for a follow-up appointment. We saw a different doctor this time around and she re-examined his leg. This time he didn’t appear to be in any pain and she said she didn’t feel anything that concerned her. She also checked the X-rays again and said that she did not see any problems there either. Her best guess was that it was a soft tissue injury like a pulled muscle or strained/tweaked tendon. This is what I was thinking and hoping it was from the beginning based on how he reacted when I touched the muscle on that leg.

We left the office with the instructions to let him rest some more and only give him pain meds if he needs them. We are going to Asheville North Carolina for the Memorial day weekend to visit the Biltmore Estate and enjoy the mountains and would have been sad if Oshie could not experience it with us. Thankfully the Doctor said he could go but we would have to do short easy hikes and keep an eye on his leg. We are so happy that it wasn’t a serious injury and are looking forward to a fun long weekend.

Keep any eye on your furry friends. They can’t speak to us and tell us what hurts. It is up to us tonotice if something is not right. Our responsibility as pet parents to make sure our animals taken care of. If you think your pet is sick or hurt don’t hesitate to take them to the Vet!

A few more pictures from visits to the Doc.