So on Saturday, we did 14 miles. I am happy to report that my entire pace group came through it all, a little stiff and sore, but we made it.
The day was a little difficult for me personally as I was asked to give a little talk in front of everyone before the run by Matthew the Marathon Program Manager for AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA). I had been asked earlier to write down why I was running this Marathon and Matthew read that and asked me if I would talk based on what I wrote. In addition, the run was dedicated to the memory of my first wife, Jo-Ann, who died on July 18, 1992.
This is what I wrote:
I am participating in this program mainly for two reasons - one, I just turned 50 and wanted to celebrate it by doing something meaningful that I've never done before and two because of the profound impact AIDS has had on my life.
In February of 1989, my first wife, Jo-Ann, was diagnosed with what was then called ARC or AIDS-Related Complex (they don't use that term anymore). At that time, I was a conservative Republican acolyte of Ronald Reagan who didn't give a damn about the AIDS epidemic because frankly, AIDS didn't happen to people like me; it only affected junkies and homosexuals and I didn't have anything to do with either of those groups. Like my idol Ronnie, I preferred to pretend it didn't exist. So when my wife was diagnosed, it was a total shock. And by the time she died on July 18, 1992, everything I had ever thought about my life and the direction it would take and my attitudes towards other people were completely turned inside out.
I used to think I was going to live the typical suburban life and move up the corporate ladder, raise more Republicans and be the same ignorant jackass I had been up until that point. AIDS changed all that. Once you start spending days upon weeks upon months in hospital rooms and AIDS wards with other victims of this disease and their families, you have to change—I don't see how you can't. I became a much more compassionate person—a much better man than I had any expectation of ever being. And I learned one very important lesson—life is short; follow your passion. I never would have been able to leave the life I was living to pursue a life in the arts as an actor and standup comic. What Jo-Ann went through gave me the courage to pursue what I really wanted in life.
So as I look back on a half-century and reflect on all the things that I was able to do over the last 18 years that she never got a chance to do, I realized I needed to do something to celebrate how far I've come as a person and to serve as a reminder that even though AIDS is not a part of my daily existence anymore, it is still out there. I can't ignore it like I did 20 years ago just because it isn't happening to me.
So I'm running - to fight AIDS…
And to fight the ignorance that used to live in me.
The talk was based mainly on what I wrote, but it's so much easier to write than talk. Still, I'm glad Matthew asked me to talk and I'm glad I did it. And it was nice to tell my stepdaughter Dina that the run was being dedicated to her mother.
The run was the easy part.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Costume Run
So Saturday was a costume run. In order to raise money, people did the 6-mile recovery run in costume. Not everyone was in costume, for example, me. Number one, I completely forgot about it but mainly, thanks to the generosity and support of my friends I had already surpassed my fundraising goal - by a lot. Just another reason to thank you all even more for your donations. I've never been a costume person - I don't even dress up on Halloween - I guess it's just the curmudgeon in me. Still, it was a very fun run and some of the costumes were amazing. One of the members in my pace group, Tyrell, wore a marching band uniform, complete with plumed hat and it was hot out. I don't know how he did it. I forgot my video camera so did not get any film of the runners in their costums but I grabbed my phone at the end and snapped a few quick pictures. Unfortunately, Tyrell left before I could get a picture of him. But here are a few - my favorite is my friend Selma, rocking her Tina Turner look.
Enjoy. And please visit my AIDS Marathon Donation Page. I'm only $45 from $7,000! How cool is that?
Next week - 14 miles!!
Enjoy. And please visit my AIDS Marathon Donation Page. I'm only $45 from $7,000! How cool is that?
Next week - 14 miles!!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
12 Miles!
12 miles today. But first a shout-out to the two greatest products ever invented.
So today did not start out well. I seriously need to get a more reliable alarm than the one on my phone. The alarm went off at 5:15am as planned and I hit snooze and relaxed and waited for it to go off again in 5 minutes. The next thing I hear is my wife saying, "Honey, don't you have to get going?" and of course I did the same thing I do whenever somebody tells me what to do - I got annoyed. Then I looked at the clock. 6:10! What the f**k? I have 20 minutes to get ready - 25 if I stretch it - so I shotgun two cups of coffee and start walking around, praying that I can coax a bowel movement out before I leave because God forbid I have to go 12 miles without one. I'll spare you the details - just suffice to say that all went well.
So I got out of the house at 6:37 - 23 minutes should be plenty of time to make it to Griffith Park and I'm driving when all of a sudden the low tire pressure light goes off on my dashboard. The last time this happened I had a completely blown tire so I'm praying, "Please God, not now" and I pull into a parking lot shifting into Darren McGavin mode from A Christmas Story saying out loud to no one in particular "Four minutes. Time me." I get out of the car, check each tire - no flat tire. None of them even seemed low. So I hop back in the car figuring I'll just take it easy in case something is actually wrong but the next thing I know I'm doing 80 on the 101 figuring screw it, if it blows, it blows. Thankfully, I made it to Griffith Park in time to loosen up a little and listen to the pre-run announcements. And have some Gu, since all I ate was two Trader Joe's Gingeroos which I grabbed as I ran out of the house.
Then it was off to do 12 miles. My role today was what we call the DD - the Designated Driver - which means if someone falls behind or gets hurt I have to get them to the next water station where they can be taken care of. We had a couple of new runners who just moved up into our pace group this week so I kind of hung back with them (two of them were doing a recovery run from the San Francisco Marathon so they were just doing 8 miles) and then after a while, one of our runners was starting to having sciatica pain which had caused her to drop out of the 10-mile run a couple of weeks ago. I stayed back with her and we lagged a little (but not much) behind the rest of the group and I don't know how, but she gutted it out while I kept calling off the mile markers and we made it - three minutes at a time. I was so impressed by her. Then we got towards the finish line and one of our new members was having a lot of pain in her knee so she wisely decided to walk it in. I walked with her for a little bit and as we got close to the finish line, I ran and caught up to the rest of my group and crossed the finish line with them and then walked back out to her so that she wouldn't have to cross the finish line alone. I'd have to say our group did pretty awesome. I was proud of all of us.
Of course it was a sobering realization that damn, this isn't even half a marathon. But still, 12 miles! I've never done that before.
Came home, took a nap and iced both knees and ankles as a precaution. I also learned another valuable lesson today - toenails - clip 'em! Toe pain is not fun.
Don't forget to check out my AIDS Marathon Home Page. $6,430.69 and counting. Thanks to all who contributed.
Until next time,
Bart
So today did not start out well. I seriously need to get a more reliable alarm than the one on my phone. The alarm went off at 5:15am as planned and I hit snooze and relaxed and waited for it to go off again in 5 minutes. The next thing I hear is my wife saying, "Honey, don't you have to get going?" and of course I did the same thing I do whenever somebody tells me what to do - I got annoyed. Then I looked at the clock. 6:10! What the f**k? I have 20 minutes to get ready - 25 if I stretch it - so I shotgun two cups of coffee and start walking around, praying that I can coax a bowel movement out before I leave because God forbid I have to go 12 miles without one. I'll spare you the details - just suffice to say that all went well.
So I got out of the house at 6:37 - 23 minutes should be plenty of time to make it to Griffith Park and I'm driving when all of a sudden the low tire pressure light goes off on my dashboard. The last time this happened I had a completely blown tire so I'm praying, "Please God, not now" and I pull into a parking lot shifting into Darren McGavin mode from A Christmas Story saying out loud to no one in particular "Four minutes. Time me." I get out of the car, check each tire - no flat tire. None of them even seemed low. So I hop back in the car figuring I'll just take it easy in case something is actually wrong but the next thing I know I'm doing 80 on the 101 figuring screw it, if it blows, it blows. Thankfully, I made it to Griffith Park in time to loosen up a little and listen to the pre-run announcements. And have some Gu, since all I ate was two Trader Joe's Gingeroos which I grabbed as I ran out of the house.
Then it was off to do 12 miles. My role today was what we call the DD - the Designated Driver - which means if someone falls behind or gets hurt I have to get them to the next water station where they can be taken care of. We had a couple of new runners who just moved up into our pace group this week so I kind of hung back with them (two of them were doing a recovery run from the San Francisco Marathon so they were just doing 8 miles) and then after a while, one of our runners was starting to having sciatica pain which had caused her to drop out of the 10-mile run a couple of weeks ago. I stayed back with her and we lagged a little (but not much) behind the rest of the group and I don't know how, but she gutted it out while I kept calling off the mile markers and we made it - three minutes at a time. I was so impressed by her. Then we got towards the finish line and one of our new members was having a lot of pain in her knee so she wisely decided to walk it in. I walked with her for a little bit and as we got close to the finish line, I ran and caught up to the rest of my group and crossed the finish line with them and then walked back out to her so that she wouldn't have to cross the finish line alone. I'd have to say our group did pretty awesome. I was proud of all of us.
Of course it was a sobering realization that damn, this isn't even half a marathon. But still, 12 miles! I've never done that before.
Came home, took a nap and iced both knees and ankles as a precaution. I also learned another valuable lesson today - toenails - clip 'em! Toe pain is not fun.
Don't forget to check out my AIDS Marathon Home Page. $6,430.69 and counting. Thanks to all who contributed.
Until next time,
Bart
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Revisiting New Year's Resolutions
This is not an entry about the marathon but I had started a blog earlier this year that no one ever read (including me) and at the beginning of the year I made some New Year's resolutions. So now I'm going to check in and see how I'm doing.
Note: I have left the original resolutions alone and put the updates in bold.
Posted on January 12, 2010
I kind of like this - writing for no one and sending it out to nothingness. The largeness of my anonymity is astounding.
I've been making resolutions this year but since I haven't written any of them down, they remain ethereal and therefore not subject to being kept. It's time to buckle down and write down all the things I will try to live up to this year - some are mundane and can be easily measured; others carry a more moral weight and are therefore far less easy to quantify.
1. Flossing. It's something I hate doing. Hate. It. With a passion. Don't get me wrong - I brush regularly and frequently. But flossing? No. I only do it in the few days leading up to my next cleaning. I have not scheduled a cleaning in about six months and therefore have not flossed. Odds of keeping this resolution - slim. Update: I actually started flossing regularly a couple of weeks ago. Alas, it only lasted a week. Oh well. Still, I'd give myself a C on this one.
2. Continue to not smoke. I quit smoking June 11, 2002. Cold turkey. That's 7 years, seven months and one day. So making a resolution after all that time to continue to not smoke seems like an easy one. You would think. You would be wrong. The other day - for no reason at all I craved a cigarette. Absolutely had to have one. It came out of nowhere. And it went away as quickly as it came. But the suddenness of it was almost overpowering and I could see myself lighting up and thoroughly enjoying it. I feel confident I will be able to keep this resolution but you never know. Update: On June 11th, I celebrated my 8th year without a cigarette. Grade: A+
3. Stop biting nails. I make this one every year. Every year I fail. It would be a lot easier if I were actually conscious of the fact that I was biting them. But I'm not. I'll be watching TV and will suddenly realize, hey I've been chewing on this thumbnail for the last ten minutes. You'd think I'd appreciate my nails more. About 15 years ago I had a fungal infection and lost all my fingernails. I used to hide my hands from view. I had no health insurance but managed to get access to some prescription anti-fungal medication and everything cleared up. For six months I was so concious of my fingernails - I was so proud when I actually was able to get a manicure. Now, I barely remember the embarrassment of how awful my hands looked. Odds of me keeping this resolution: 50/50. Update: I had to stop biting the nail on my ring finger long enough to give myself an F on this one.
4. Respond to emails more quickly. This is a tough one. I will keep emails in my inbox, meaning to get back to them right away and then I'll look up and realize it's been sitting in my inbox for 8 months. So far this year, I've been sticking to this one. But it's hard. Odds of keeping this resolution: 60/40 in favor. Update: I found the best way to handle this. I just delete the emails. Grade: B
5. Walk the dog more. It's good for both of us. So far this year, I've walked the dog four times in 12 days. Not an auspicious start but a start nonetheless. Update: Since I started training for the Marathon I've been taking the dog on brisk 45 minute walks on the days I don't run. It's been great for both of us. Grade: A-
Note: instead of "I've been taking the dog" I originally typed "I've been doing the dog." That is disturbing on so many levels.
6. Learn a foreign language. My cousin just visited from Italy. Between her English and my limited Italian, along with some Spanish that we both knew we were able to converse but it would be nice to be fluent in the language of my ancestors. Odds of sticking to this one: yeah, right. Update: Ha!
7. Stop living in the past. I spend a lot of time wondering about the what-ifs and the why didn't I's. It's not helpful. Also can't be helped. Don't know how measureable this one is. Don't even know why I bothered putting it on there. If I give up living in the past, I'll have to find completely new things to hate about myself. I'm too old for that. Odds of keeping this resolution: about the same as having a public option. Update: Seriously, why bother even evaluating this one. The mind goes where the mind goes. Grade: Incomplete
8. This one was really personal since I was blogging anonymously and figured no one would read it anyway. So I took it off since this one was just for me. But in case you're wondering, I give myself a B-.
9. Not take my friends for granted. This is tied into the responding to emails resolution. I really do want to maintain closer ties to the people I care about. I don't mean to let 10 months go by before I make plans to have coffee with a good friend. Of course, they could be more proactive about keeping in touch with me too. What the fuck is wrong with them? You know what, this resolution is stupid - take it off the list. Update: I have never appreciated my friends more since I started raising money for the marathon. Over $5,500 so far. I have wonderful friends.
10. I don't have a 10th resolution. Oh wait, I do - continue to lose weight. I lost 24 pounds last year. I gained five back during the holiday season but have cut two of those already for a net loss of 21 pounds. I want to lose at least 25 more this year. My problem is I get impatient and when I don't lose I get depressed and frustrated and when I get depressed and frustrated I eat which leads to weight gain which leads to more depression and more frustration which leads to more eating which leads to more weight gain which leads to . . . I think the key here is not to get depressed and frustrated which of course means, yep, drugs. Update: I have not lost any weight since I started running which is kind of disappointing. But I feel so much better and my clothes fit better. So the weight is still there but it just looks different. Weird.
That's a lot for one year. Wish me luck no one. I really like having you to talk to.
Note: I have left the original resolutions alone and put the updates in bold.
Posted on January 12, 2010
I kind of like this - writing for no one and sending it out to nothingness. The largeness of my anonymity is astounding.
I've been making resolutions this year but since I haven't written any of them down, they remain ethereal and therefore not subject to being kept. It's time to buckle down and write down all the things I will try to live up to this year - some are mundane and can be easily measured; others carry a more moral weight and are therefore far less easy to quantify.
1. Flossing. It's something I hate doing. Hate. It. With a passion. Don't get me wrong - I brush regularly and frequently. But flossing? No. I only do it in the few days leading up to my next cleaning. I have not scheduled a cleaning in about six months and therefore have not flossed. Odds of keeping this resolution - slim. Update: I actually started flossing regularly a couple of weeks ago. Alas, it only lasted a week. Oh well. Still, I'd give myself a C on this one.
2. Continue to not smoke. I quit smoking June 11, 2002. Cold turkey. That's 7 years, seven months and one day. So making a resolution after all that time to continue to not smoke seems like an easy one. You would think. You would be wrong. The other day - for no reason at all I craved a cigarette. Absolutely had to have one. It came out of nowhere. And it went away as quickly as it came. But the suddenness of it was almost overpowering and I could see myself lighting up and thoroughly enjoying it. I feel confident I will be able to keep this resolution but you never know. Update: On June 11th, I celebrated my 8th year without a cigarette. Grade: A+
3. Stop biting nails. I make this one every year. Every year I fail. It would be a lot easier if I were actually conscious of the fact that I was biting them. But I'm not. I'll be watching TV and will suddenly realize, hey I've been chewing on this thumbnail for the last ten minutes. You'd think I'd appreciate my nails more. About 15 years ago I had a fungal infection and lost all my fingernails. I used to hide my hands from view. I had no health insurance but managed to get access to some prescription anti-fungal medication and everything cleared up. For six months I was so concious of my fingernails - I was so proud when I actually was able to get a manicure. Now, I barely remember the embarrassment of how awful my hands looked. Odds of me keeping this resolution: 50/50. Update: I had to stop biting the nail on my ring finger long enough to give myself an F on this one.
4. Respond to emails more quickly. This is a tough one. I will keep emails in my inbox, meaning to get back to them right away and then I'll look up and realize it's been sitting in my inbox for 8 months. So far this year, I've been sticking to this one. But it's hard. Odds of keeping this resolution: 60/40 in favor. Update: I found the best way to handle this. I just delete the emails. Grade: B
5. Walk the dog more. It's good for both of us. So far this year, I've walked the dog four times in 12 days. Not an auspicious start but a start nonetheless. Update: Since I started training for the Marathon I've been taking the dog on brisk 45 minute walks on the days I don't run. It's been great for both of us. Grade: A-
Note: instead of "I've been taking the dog" I originally typed "I've been doing the dog." That is disturbing on so many levels.
6. Learn a foreign language. My cousin just visited from Italy. Between her English and my limited Italian, along with some Spanish that we both knew we were able to converse but it would be nice to be fluent in the language of my ancestors. Odds of sticking to this one: yeah, right. Update: Ha!
7. Stop living in the past. I spend a lot of time wondering about the what-ifs and the why didn't I's. It's not helpful. Also can't be helped. Don't know how measureable this one is. Don't even know why I bothered putting it on there. If I give up living in the past, I'll have to find completely new things to hate about myself. I'm too old for that. Odds of keeping this resolution: about the same as having a public option. Update: Seriously, why bother even evaluating this one. The mind goes where the mind goes. Grade: Incomplete
8. This one was really personal since I was blogging anonymously and figured no one would read it anyway. So I took it off since this one was just for me. But in case you're wondering, I give myself a B-.
9. Not take my friends for granted. This is tied into the responding to emails resolution. I really do want to maintain closer ties to the people I care about. I don't mean to let 10 months go by before I make plans to have coffee with a good friend. Of course, they could be more proactive about keeping in touch with me too. What the fuck is wrong with them? You know what, this resolution is stupid - take it off the list. Update: I have never appreciated my friends more since I started raising money for the marathon. Over $5,500 so far. I have wonderful friends.
10. I don't have a 10th resolution. Oh wait, I do - continue to lose weight. I lost 24 pounds last year. I gained five back during the holiday season but have cut two of those already for a net loss of 21 pounds. I want to lose at least 25 more this year. My problem is I get impatient and when I don't lose I get depressed and frustrated and when I get depressed and frustrated I eat which leads to weight gain which leads to more depression and more frustration which leads to more eating which leads to more weight gain which leads to . . . I think the key here is not to get depressed and frustrated which of course means, yep, drugs. Update: I have not lost any weight since I started running which is kind of disappointing. But I feel so much better and my clothes fit better. So the weight is still there but it just looks different. Weird.
That's a lot for one year. Wish me luck no one. I really like having you to talk to.
Double digits!
So this past Saturday, the 31st, we did 10 miles. I've never done anything near that distance before so I was a little worried. But with the 3:1 run/walk ratio that we use, I was able to make it and enjoy it at the same time (well, not really enjoy, more like I didn't hate it). I've started to incorporate the walk breaks into my solo runs during the week and my time has actually improved on those 3.5 mile runs. I think I should address everything in life in 3-minute increments.
It's interesting to me that some people seem to think that this is easy to do. Yes, the one minute walk breaks help to preserve energy and provide recovery time during the run, but by no means is it easy. What's funny is that the people who say to me, "oh that doesn't sound hard," or "I'm sure I could walk a 13 minute mile for 26 miles" are the ones who aren't actually doing anything. Except talking. Which is what most people are good at. I'm not in this to break records. I'm in this to finish and raise money to fight AIDS. And I've raised over $5,500 right now. So for anyone who thinks it's easy, come on out and join me. And raise some money. Otherwise, shut the front door!
For this week's run, our usual coach, Scott, was on vacation. So we had Biff, who was gracious enough to take time off from Death of a Salesman and fill in for him. Thankfully, he plotted out a nice flat course through the streets of Burbank. The only drawback was that there was no shade at all but we were fortunate as the sun did not come out until we hit the 8-mile mark so only the last two miles were in a blazing sun. This was a nice bit of luck that will probably not continue over the rest of the summer.
Another note about how "easy" this is. We started with six runners in our group - by the end we were done to three. Our pace group leader had been having back spasms and gamely tried to work through them but wisely decided to stop. Another person was having sciatica pain and tried to work through it before she made the correct decision to stop and then Melissa's knee locked up just after the 5-mile mark and she started having intense pain in her knee. She tried to run through it but we made her stop. So there were just three of us at the end.
Anyway, now that I've addressed my pet peeve, let's move onto this weeks' boring video (yes, I brought my camera). As always, please visit my AIDS Marathon Home Page and donate if you haven't already. Thanks.
Till next time. This Saturday we're dropping down to 5 miles. Wow, should be easy. Sorry. My therapist says I need to work on my sarcasm.
It's interesting to me that some people seem to think that this is easy to do. Yes, the one minute walk breaks help to preserve energy and provide recovery time during the run, but by no means is it easy. What's funny is that the people who say to me, "oh that doesn't sound hard," or "I'm sure I could walk a 13 minute mile for 26 miles" are the ones who aren't actually doing anything. Except talking. Which is what most people are good at. I'm not in this to break records. I'm in this to finish and raise money to fight AIDS. And I've raised over $5,500 right now. So for anyone who thinks it's easy, come on out and join me. And raise some money. Otherwise, shut the front door!
For this week's run, our usual coach, Scott, was on vacation. So we had Biff, who was gracious enough to take time off from Death of a Salesman and fill in for him. Thankfully, he plotted out a nice flat course through the streets of Burbank. The only drawback was that there was no shade at all but we were fortunate as the sun did not come out until we hit the 8-mile mark so only the last two miles were in a blazing sun. This was a nice bit of luck that will probably not continue over the rest of the summer.
Another note about how "easy" this is. We started with six runners in our group - by the end we were done to three. Our pace group leader had been having back spasms and gamely tried to work through them but wisely decided to stop. Another person was having sciatica pain and tried to work through it before she made the correct decision to stop and then Melissa's knee locked up just after the 5-mile mark and she started having intense pain in her knee. She tried to run through it but we made her stop. So there were just three of us at the end.
Anyway, now that I've addressed my pet peeve, let's move onto this weeks' boring video (yes, I brought my camera). As always, please visit my AIDS Marathon Home Page and donate if you haven't already. Thanks.
Till next time. This Saturday we're dropping down to 5 miles. Wow, should be easy. Sorry. My therapist says I need to work on my sarcasm.
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