pictures

Mile 8.5, my corner in Brooklyn. Robbin always looks more excited than me.

First Avenue and 89^th Street. Mile 17.5

86^th Street in Central Park. “Everything hurts”.   

 

My well deserved chocolate milk.

It's all over. With Luke and Robbin.

Patti Hagan, good friend, loyal supporter, avid running enthusiast and all around inspiration.

the post post countdown to 2011 !!!!!! 362 days 06 h 56 m 56 s

The shouting has died down and I wish I could say the same about my sore leg muscles. I can say I made it. Yes, I went the distance. Here are the official stats.

Finish Time 04:16:13
Place 20457 out of 44,829 finishers
Gender Place 15442
Age Place (55-59 years) 597
Average Minutes per Mile 09:47
Split Times
5 km 00:28:02
10 km 00:54:42
15 km 01:23:58
20 km 01:52:08
13.1 mi 01:58:13
25 km 02:21:10
30 km 02:51:41
35 km 03:26:26
40 km 04:00:57

So what does all of this mean besides just how great a hot bath could feel? Despite my initial optimism I did not beat my previous time. By mile 19 I already knew that I couldn’t make it under 4 hours and had already begun to analyze what went wrong. I peaked too early in my training and running 23 miles two weeks ago was too late. If I hadn’t pulled, ripped or whatever I did to my calf, etc. Really none of it matters. I don’t feel bad about my time because the run was a total success. Running for a cause made all difference. Knowing that I wasn’t just running for myself helped every step of the way.
For two weeks prior I had not run a single step just wanting to give my calf every opportunity to repair. When I stepped into the starting corral I had no idea if I would be able to run a yard no less a marathon. But having come that far on the adventure I knew I was going to step up to that line and give it a shot.
At mile 19 as every movable part from my toes on up was aching I felt satisfied that I had run one final time. No matter what my final time would be I felt no reason for doing this again. It’s strange the feelings a new day brings and how you can’t really remember the feeling of slogging through those final miles. Perhaps I could do it one more time. Maybe it would be inspiring if my son wanted to run it with me. Never say never. Waiting for the starting cannon, the announcer warming up the crowd asked how many were running for the first time. It seemed every hand by mine shot into the air. It’s a great equalizer and event for the masses. Passing the Statue of Liberty on the 6:30 a.m. Staten Island ferry, full with runners who were mostly not from New York, reinforced the global tone of the event. The weather was beautiful and it was a perfect day to be outside and get some exercise. Maybe next year you’ll run with me.
Many thanks to everyone who came along and showed their support. I look forward to hearing the results of your generosity from Abilis.
Cheers
Jeffrey

(I will post some picture as soon as i can figure out how)

post marathon coutdown 0 days 12 h 08 m 55 s

So here we are and I do mean “we”. I’ve yet to join Facebook, I don’t Tweet and this was my first blog and therefore only experience into the cyber world. I have heard from a few people so I know that my musing have found some ports and are not floating infinitely out through the ether. I’ve also heard from some folks that I’ve not been in touch with for some time, which was really nice. I’ve received some questions regarding how to donate to Abilis so I feel certain that my efforts have born some fruit in that regard. Whatever the results (and I’m sure we’ll hear from Abilis later in the week) I’m glad that we have gone on this adventure. This is where the “we” comes in. I’ve run this marathon twice before. It was always a personal challenge that required dedication and focus. At its completion I had a sense of accomplishment. I would not in any way suggest that the accomplishment felt hollow. But this time around has felt so very different knowing that I wasn’t alone. Knowing that we were in this together and that our efforts were on behalf of those with autism, Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities that Abilis gives it support to. Knowing that we’re all a little more aware of those who have to make a marathon effort every day, should at the end of the marathon make us all feel a bit better.
If you’re in NY and plan to come out and cheer I’ll give you some information that may help to find me. If you don’t want to get off the couch, or as with Dan, his family and son Joe whose wheelchair made returning to Brooklyn too cumbersome, I’m told you can follow my progress online. You may not be able to access this before race time.
Here are some details. I’ll be wearing a very bright blue shirt and black shorts. My number is 25491. I’ll be starting in the second wave at 10:10 a.m. If you go to

http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/entrantinfo/course.htm

you will find a map of the course with mile markers and an Arrival Time Chart. I hope to finish somewhere between 3 hours 50 minutes and 3 hours 59 minutes. That would be somewhere between an 8 minute 46 second and an 8 minute 57 second pace. Add that to the mile you’re standing at and give or take 10 minutes. (I don’t how long it will take me from the 10:10 start to actually cross the starting line.)

If you know you’ll be on a particular corner, shoot me an email and I’ll try to look for you. Otherwise here’s where I’ll be along the route. On Fourth Avenue I believe I will be routed into the lanes on the left side of the medium. For the remainder of Brooklyn and Queens I will be on the right side. Into Manhattan and up First Avenue I’ll be on the left, down Fifth Avenue the right and into the park to the finish I’m sure I’ll just be concentrating on the reaching the finish line.

post# 22 2 days 07 h 20 m 38 s

(I got delayed. This post was meant for yesterday!)

Three days to the marathon. Not exactly a marker of particular significance in terms of the race except that today is my birthday. It’s not an anniversary that I usually make note of. Many a time it’s completely slipped my mind. Most years I have to take a quick count to be sure of my age. So I hope you’ll pardon me if I pound my chest just slightly this year as I’m feeling quite good about running a marathon three days after my 58th birthday. Much of age is truly a state of mind. It’s just a number. Good health is a blessing and in no way do I mean to discount that good fortune. But I’ve never had a concept of how one should feel or act at a given age. Perhaps never remembering my age is a consequence of this state of mind. I’ve always refused to slow down or readily give in to the effects of time. Or perhaps I haven’t been running towards a date for the past year but running from a number, 58.

A Different Kind of Marathon

In some ways, raising a child with a developmental disability can feel like running a marathon – it is certainly not a sprint. New challenges come up at every phase of your child’s life from birth through school years, to transitioning into adulthood and senior years. Abilis is there for families at every step. I thought I would post just a couple success stories of how Abilis has helped families over the years. We cannot run the marathon for you, but we can help make every mile easier.

“In the hospitals, we were always told about “Birth to Three” services. This really meant very little to us, since we had two other typical children and were not aware of the programs Birth to Three encompassed. With the birth of our third child, we embarked on a new path of parenthood, learning every step of the way. We found that everyone at Abilis Birth to Three provided us with information, support, guidance and, above all else, the assurance that as new as this process was for all of us as a family, it would somehow become normal over time - which it has.”

“Without the help of the Abilis Autism Program…, my child would not have been able to reach most of his objectives and goals… This past June [my son] broke his leg and was placed in a full leg cast. Abilis staffed, developed and oversaw a home program for him, and also found us a grant to pay for the extra expenses. The cast came off in time for school, and not only was his leg healed, he had more language skills and fewer inappropriate behaviors, was calmer and happier than before his accident.”

From one of our residents and a participant in our Employment Services program: “When I came to Abilis, I met Paul Jourdan (Abilis Community Network Coordinator). He took me to a Mets and Nationals game. It was at the old Mets stadium. Now it's Citi Field. I know the Mets lost! Right now, I have a roommate and six of us live in the house all together, including a new housemate who moved in August. I know how to clean and vacuum. I use the dishwasher and sometimes I mop the floor. Pretty soon, I am going to be able to wash and dry my clothes without any supervision. I do it with limited supervision now. I also am working at multi-tasking; that is going to happen soon. My cooking skills are getting better. Pretty soon I am going to be able to cook with no supervision; right now it's with limited supervision. My specialty is cooking homemade macaroni and cheese from scratch. I haven't made it in a while, but my housemates like it… I've done a lot of outdoor work. I enjoy it. This last week or so, we've been going to pick up logs and splitting them on the same day. Depending on the size, I can pick up the logs and put them on the truck. I just like having a job to make money. To an extent, I have a preference for outdoor work, but I just enjoy working for a living.”

post# 21 3 days 20 h 20 m 34 s

Part 6
I’ve no doubt that mounting a 26.2 mile race through the five boroughs of New York City is an expensive proposition. Flags are put up (and latter taken down) all along the route, police barricades are erected (latter taken down), police man the route, traffic is re-routed, there’s world wide advertising, port-a johns, three days at the Javits Center to give out numbers, transportation to the start and logistical planning of mounting an event for thirty-eight thousand participants, thousands of workers and volunteers and hundreds of thousands of viewers. With all of this I’m certain I’ve overlooked a few thousand details large and small any one of which if missed by the marathon folks could seriously derail the event.
There are many sponsors and even more promotions, sales and marketing tie-ins. One of these is a picture offered for sale of the runners as they cross under the finish line. The first time I ran I only became aware of this offer when a sample arrived in the mail. There I was bedraggled and wrung out, with little visible glory, looking completely disoriented dragging myself under the clock. The next time around I planned to raise my arms in victory as I passed under. But I have to tell you, at 26.1999 miles, even that takes a Herculean effort. I raised my arms once but was unsure if I was at the right spot for the picture. Taking a few more steps I attempted to raise them once more. But after all the training, calories burnt, time spent in an effort to reach the finish line, I really couldn’t summon the necessary energy to raise a salute for a picture. I just went for the final yards and checked the clock.

post# 20 4 days 13 h 07 m 42 s

Part 5
The route will snake its way through Harlem heading down Fifth Avenue around Marcus Garvey Memorial Park and at 110th Street the border of Central Park. In my second outing it was here that I had to stop and lift my leg onto a lamppost to stretch, afraid that at this advanced point I risked it cramping and bringing me to a halt. To make it all the more excruciating, my watch kept reminding me that I was teetering on the edge of accomplishing my four-hour mark. (You may recall that I did miss it by 21 seconds.)
At 90th Street the route makes a right turn where there is one last very short but steep hill that lifts the runners into the park. It may be short, but at almost mile 24 it might just as well be Mount Everest. Right after the hill I’ll once again see my family. They will have made their way by subway and gotten just enough ahead so as to await my entrance to the park. Last time Robbin enthusiastically ran into the road to greet me. Unable to speak all I could do was gesticulate towards my watch in an attempt to tell her that my time was very close. She seemed extremely disappointed by my seeming lack of enthusiasm at seeing her when in fact I had been pushing myself for the last few miles expecting her prescience and knowing I couldn’t come walking by. At this point of the run it’s hard to verbalize and there is no energy to spare for anything other than to attempt to remain concentrating on the course.
I suppose you could consider this to be the home stretch, one still very long home stretch. We’ll wind downtown and up and down through the park to 59th Street. Exiting the park we’ll make a right turn and head west to Columbus Circle and the final yards. The crowds are thick all along these final miles and they won’t allow you to stop, urging you with their constant shouts of just how short a distance there is to go. Yeah easy for them to say. If you have something written on your shirt the crowds will pick-up on it and use it you to call to you. Last time out I wrote “Dad - running for” and listed the names of my family members. Needless to say all of the shouts were “go Dad”, “almost there Dad”, etc. This year I guess I’ll be wearing Abilis.
Just before Columbus Circle is the last turn and final seven blocks. Re-entering Central Park the finish line is in view. It stretches over the road with the time clock flashing numbers. It’s all over now and anything I do will only effect my time by seconds. The goal now is to finish in style, head (and body) erect and to remember to hit the stop button on my watch as I pass under.

to be continued...