Jeff Breece - Twenty Milestones
Jeff Breece is a heart attack survivor turned runner who blogs at JeffBreece.com.
Someone once told me that every mile you run is an accomplishment. Everyone runs for different reasons. As a heart attack survivor, I run because I can.
Summer 2016 started with a dream. I was going to train for the Columbus Marathon in October. I suffered an ankle injury which derailed those plans and sent me into a little bit of an emotional quagmire but that’s part of the journey we all encounter. The best plans are, well, just plans.
As a litmus test, I signed up for the Columbus Running Companies Big Bad Wolf 20-mile race back in August. Races are milestones that keep me honest with my personal care. And while I kept running through the summer after my ankle mended, it was more aligned with half marathon training than full marathon. All that aside, I spoke with my cardiologist to determine if there were any risks in me jumping into the significantly larger challenge of a 20-mile run. He stressed the importance of hydration for heart function especially in endurance activities and to be careful not to push my body into an injury zone … but that I’d be OK and to have fun.
Arriving on a slightly crisp late September morning at Wolfe Park I was met by hundreds of other runners there for the 5k, 10-mile and 20-mile runs. The mood was cheerful and everyone was ready to put heels to pavement and enjoy the time spent together. If the day comes when I can’t run, I have a feeling that I’ll either volunteer or at least go and cheer for those future runners. There is a lot of pure hope and joy to be found along the race course.
It came time to head out. I was wearing a new hydration belt and a larger hand-strapped water bottle. The hydration belt was a wardrobe fail however which ended up pantsing me. Embarrassed, I swung off to the side to fiddle with the belt and see if I could tighten it some. Ultimately, I just tossed the $50 piece of equipment, along with my reading glasses, to the side of the course. By this time the end pacer came up behind me and told me that if I see her again, and she passes me, that I’m out of the 20 miler. I got the point.
It was a beautiful paved trail to run. I aimed to keep my pace at a steady 11.1 to 11.6 and heart rate around 146/8. That’s a nice maintainable pace for me where I don’t need to stop for walks … at least up to 13 miles anyway. As I learned yesterday however… that 14th mile reaches up and grabs you by the butt pretty directly. I felt my calves and feet begin to complain for the first time in a long time. They just got louder. So I slowed down. Took a couple self-assessments and decided to keep up with my mantra “keep moving.” Luckily, I still had not seen the final pacer yet so I felt a little safer.
There were a few dips on the charts below that indicate dropping out of my run and into walks. That was advice I had gotten from a colleague who is a very good runner. He had done half marathons splitting them into 5k’s. Going full steam ahead for him running a fast 3 miles and then dropping into a brisker walk pace for the next 3. His finishing time was pretty enviable. Remembering this, I used it to finish the event. Parker, I owe you.
And so it was that I was dead last in my age group. I think I was the next to the last person to cross the line. Looking back, I should have held back and finished with her. Truth be told though, it took everything I had to break into a run for the last half mile. I don’t remember actually thinking at that point anyway.
Now that I know I can run a longer distance, I’m excited by the prospect of the next phase of my marathon training goal. My next race is the Brokeman’s Half, which was my first half… ever. I was motivated to run last year after my heart attack. Depending on how my body feels, I may lay out the cash for the Columbus Full with the knowledge that I have a lot to learn about how to run that event. Or I may continue to train through Fall and Winter for the Rock’n’Roll Full Marathon in New Orleans in February… for my birthday. I’m leaning toward the latter race given what I took away from the Big Bad Wolf race yesterday.
I like to tell people that “running is a gift.” It’s how I feel knowing that one cardiac event, cancer diagnosis, bout of MS or any number of other life altering situations various people are facing everyday can do to a person’s ability.
Running is a gift to myself, wardrobe malfunctions and all, even at the very tail end of the wolf pack. Because I can.
TELL US: How does physical activity keep you motivated after a heart attack?
Someone once told me that every mile you run is an accomplishment. Everyone runs for different reasons. As a heart attack survivor, I run because I can.
Summer 2016 started with a dream. I was going to train for the Columbus Marathon in October. I suffered an ankle injury which derailed those plans and sent me into a little bit of an emotional quagmire but that’s part of the journey we all encounter. The best plans are, well, just plans.
As a litmus test, I signed up for the Columbus Running Companies Big Bad Wolf 20-mile race back in August. Races are milestones that keep me honest with my personal care. And while I kept running through the summer after my ankle mended, it was more aligned with half marathon training than full marathon. All that aside, I spoke with my cardiologist to determine if there were any risks in me jumping into the significantly larger challenge of a 20-mile run. He stressed the importance of hydration for heart function especially in endurance activities and to be careful not to push my body into an injury zone … but that I’d be OK and to have fun.
Arriving on a slightly crisp late September morning at Wolfe Park I was met by hundreds of other runners there for the 5k, 10-mile and 20-mile runs. The mood was cheerful and everyone was ready to put heels to pavement and enjoy the time spent together. If the day comes when I can’t run, I have a feeling that I’ll either volunteer or at least go and cheer for those future runners. There is a lot of pure hope and joy to be found along the race course.
It came time to head out. I was wearing a new hydration belt and a larger hand-strapped water bottle. The hydration belt was a wardrobe fail however which ended up pantsing me. Embarrassed, I swung off to the side to fiddle with the belt and see if I could tighten it some. Ultimately, I just tossed the $50 piece of equipment, along with my reading glasses, to the side of the course. By this time the end pacer came up behind me and told me that if I see her again, and she passes me, that I’m out of the 20 miler. I got the point.
It was a beautiful paved trail to run. I aimed to keep my pace at a steady 11.1 to 11.6 and heart rate around 146/8. That’s a nice maintainable pace for me where I don’t need to stop for walks … at least up to 13 miles anyway. As I learned yesterday however… that 14th mile reaches up and grabs you by the butt pretty directly. I felt my calves and feet begin to complain for the first time in a long time. They just got louder. So I slowed down. Took a couple self-assessments and decided to keep up with my mantra “keep moving.” Luckily, I still had not seen the final pacer yet so I felt a little safer.
There were a few dips on the charts below that indicate dropping out of my run and into walks. That was advice I had gotten from a colleague who is a very good runner. He had done half marathons splitting them into 5k’s. Going full steam ahead for him running a fast 3 miles and then dropping into a brisker walk pace for the next 3. His finishing time was pretty enviable. Remembering this, I used it to finish the event. Parker, I owe you.
And so it was that I was dead last in my age group. I think I was the next to the last person to cross the line. Looking back, I should have held back and finished with her. Truth be told though, it took everything I had to break into a run for the last half mile. I don’t remember actually thinking at that point anyway.
Now that I know I can run a longer distance, I’m excited by the prospect of the next phase of my marathon training goal. My next race is the Brokeman’s Half, which was my first half… ever. I was motivated to run last year after my heart attack. Depending on how my body feels, I may lay out the cash for the Columbus Full with the knowledge that I have a lot to learn about how to run that event. Or I may continue to train through Fall and Winter for the Rock’n’Roll Full Marathon in New Orleans in February… for my birthday. I’m leaning toward the latter race given what I took away from the Big Bad Wolf race yesterday.
I like to tell people that “running is a gift.” It’s how I feel knowing that one cardiac event, cancer diagnosis, bout of MS or any number of other life altering situations various people are facing everyday can do to a person’s ability.
Running is a gift to myself, wardrobe malfunctions and all, even at the very tail end of the wolf pack. Because I can.
TELL US: How does physical activity keep you motivated after a heart attack?
