Ran My 3rd Marathon

3rd times the charm. Maybe. Ran my 3rd Hartford Marathon. This time around I applied more mindset "woo-woo" stuff than previously. In particular I relied heavily on the Abraham-Hicks school of thought. I only trained when I really wanted to. I didn't really diet down as much as I was planning/hoping. However I read a book called Endurance Training Nutrition published by the always awesome Human Kinetics. I should say I read some of that book. Turns out I felt like running quite a lot this summer. I really enjoyed the hot, dry weather that smiled on the northeast this year.



Race day was October 10, 2015. I had originally planned on weighing in at 190 pounds. I ended up a jolly, healthy 215 pounds. So I was about 18 pounds heavier than my last (2013) run. My goal was to have fun and finish. Exactly what I did, but crazily enough I surprised myself. My previous marathon time was 4 hours 4 minutes, and like I said a bit lighter, so I was expecting to finish around the 4 and a half hour mark this year. Another thing I did different, I ran in a Spider-Man themed outfit. A perfectly reasonable choice for a 42 year old, 6 foot 4 male. Needless to say, I didn't blend well. Every kid under 12 saw me. Almost every mile of the race, I'd see a group of spectators with a young bored kid. So I'd wave and smile at him or her, and they'd just light up and start yelling for their parents, "Mom, Dad, Spider-Man just waved at me!" I gotta say, it was a total blast.



My youngest son is really into Spidey. So all summer I visualized coming across the finish line, and him lighting up seeing me in my costume. However, it didn't work out that way. My wife took the two youngest kids to swimming lessons which ended at 12. I'd told her before the race, "Don't worry, I won't be finishing til about 12:30." Wrong. I ended up running my fastest race so far. I think the positive energy I got from interacting with the spectators combined with my affirmation helped immensely. The affirmation I used was "If you think you're in The Zone you're not, because there is no thinking in The Zone." More of a reminder than an affirmation really, but it worked. I didn't do my usual brooding/think to much run. I have to say I enjoyed all 26 miles, and when I came across the finish line I actually felt like I could've kept going.

With such an ominous title as The Power of Death, how could I pass up the opportunity to write a review of this book? Though not entirely an easy read, Gabriel Dee's book probes deeply into the unknown experience we are all destined to one day face. This book is a wonderful companion to your daily meditation practice. We don't have to be paralyzed by our fear of death. We can move beyond fear into understanding, and it's not as difficult as that may sound. It's as easy as understanding the rhythm of our own breath. This is serious subject matter, but easily integrated into daily life. I hesitate to use the term "one liners", but Mr. Dee has several succinct, beautiful quotes peppered throughout the book that will stick to your consciousness. If you've never had a near-death, a close call, or a Satori experience; not to worry, the author has written some ideas and techniques to help bring you to that powerful place of living in the present moment and harnessing the power of death itself to improve your life. I received a free review copy of this book, I was not paid for this review, it reflects my honest opinion.