I CAN do it

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Our house from St. Clair

More Egress

More block glass

Block Glass window. Installed in the fall.

Egress Window. Installed during the summer.

Drywall

We had a problem with our circuitry. Luckily we figured it out!

The soffit in a bedroom

Inside one of the bedrooms. Go through the door and turn right to get to the laundry room. Left goes to the bathroom.

hallway to the furnace room

bathroom appliances in the laundry room

Bathroom

Corner of a bedroom. Check out that sweet window!

Drywall in the bedroom. Walk-in closet in the back.

Putting in insulation

Standard photo

Monday, October 10, 2005

I am : EVIDENCE

If there's anyone out there in cyberworld who doesn't believe that Alex "One of the Two Dirtiest Guys on Campus" Hiller actually finished a marathon...well, here is some proof:

http://www.asiorders.com/go.asp?6861712

I'm also in the market for a new project. Here's what I have so far:

1. Become apprentice for auto mechanic. Work for free. Learn a ton about cars.
2. Return to former piano proficiency.

Any suggestions?

Sunday, October 02, 2005

I am : DONE

I am sitting here, on my couch, watching Joey Harrington almost lead the Lions to victory but predictably failing, with an assortment of emotions running through my head. Relief, pain, exhaustion, thankfulness, satisfaction, uncertainty, to name a few. Relief because the marathon is over. Pain, because I just ran 26.2 miles. Exhaustion, because I've been anticipating/training for this for 5 months. Thankfulness, because I'll get to that in a second. Satisfaction, because I exceeded my goals. Uncertainty, because I am unsure of the future of my running career.

On the one hand, today was easily one of the most memorable days of my life. The run was great, the people were spectacular, I had a complete blast. On the other hand, the training that is necessary for such an endeavor is considerable, and must be weighed against what I'd have to sacrifice. So, I'm not sure. We'll see how I feel after a week.

On to my thankfulness. I'd like to thank the following people specifically (if I leave you out, and you read this blog...um...sorry!)

Kennedy: For being my first running partner and for listening to me rant about nutrition for an hour.

Jake: For dealing with a tired and grumpy roommate who has dedicated himself to something completely orthogonal with your own life.

James: For being patient with a tired Alex on those saturdays at the house.

Herb Groom: For your excellent training advice. Truly, it helped, and I'm thankful.

Marianne Skowyra: For your excellent course knowledge and bits of wisdom.

Tyler: For being a complete rock-star at the marathon. I can't say enough. I owe you big time.

Grace: For being so supportive and loving, for the backrubs and hugs, and for all of your smiles.

I got up at about 5:30 this morning. I went to bed at 10 last night, so while that's not quite 8 hours of sleep, my excitement for the day more than made up for it. First thing I did was eat a carbed out breakfast of a bagel, peanut butter, and a banana. Then I covered my body in "body glide" so that I wouldn't chafe during the race. Dressed and nervous, I headed out the door to meet Marianne Skowyra at her house on Summit and Cretin. Marrianne is the mother of a kid I tutor, and she has been giving me running tips these last 5 months. She's been running for years, and this marathon will be her 60th. So, yeah, I just kept asking her questions and soaking up all of her advice (which paid off, I'll get to that). The roads were already blocked off, so her husband Ray took us by backroads to the Metrodome. Parking must've been a bee-yotch, because there were thousands of people were coming and going. Marianne said that the TCM has added more than 3500 people to the race over the past few years, and it was evident by the crowds. We made our way inside the metrodome were runners were milling about, stretching, eating, laughing, meditating, focusing, listening to music, pacing, blah blah blah. We carved out our own little spot and she continued to give advice as we stretched. Thankfully I had gone #2 before I left, so that wasn't a problem, but I did have to pee 3 times over the next hour. Mostly because of my full bladder, but also because of my nerves.

I found a pen and wrote some inspirational things on places on my body where I would be able to see them. It is a mental race as well, and I needed a few last minute "mental stretches". *HOKINESS ALERT: If you are in any way allergic to extreme hokiness/cheesiness, please skip the next section.* On my left forearm I wrote "Gazelle" because I knew that late in the race I would be feeling sluggish and I would need an image of something light and fast. Also on my left forearm I wrote "I CAN do it"...for reasons that should be clear by now. On my left hand knuckles I wrote "B-F-F-M", because that lifestyle made this whole thing possible. On my left leg, above my knee and so that I could read it: "Don't Stop" and on my right "Believing", again, to help me get up Summit when everything about my body wants to stop. On my left arm, starting on the shoulder and going down "T-L-A-V" (Tom, Lisa, Alex, Victoria, my family.) I had to have help writing on my upper arms, and the woman I asked, for some inexplicable reason wrote an "F" instead of a "V". She tried to change it, and she felt really bad, it was kinda funny. Tori, if you read this...um, sorry. On my right shoulder "G". For Grace. *HOKINESS OVER*

So, I was all tatted up and ready to roll. Of all the advice that Marianne gave me, two pieces stood out, pieces which contributed heavily to my over all race experience. First: "Everyone hurts. The Kenyons hurt." This helped me alot. No matter how terrible I would feel, EVERYONE was feeling like that. So I shouldn't feel sorry for myself, and just keep going. The second, and this was more specific strategy than general advice: "Go slow for the first 10k (6 miles). Slower than you think. The biggest mistake a beginner can make is to go out real strong, think things are going well, and the just die later on...at Minnehaha Falls, Franklin Bridge, or most likely...Summit". I'd heard this before, from others, but this was the first time I was given specific numbers and places. My goal for the marathon was 3:30:00, which is a shade slower than 8min/mile. For the first 10k I made sure that I ran no faster than 8:15 mile, but most of them were closer to 8:45. Several times I had to consciously slow myself down. On my runs in the past, I didn't make this conscious effort.

*Funny Moment* Somewhere around mile 3 there was a 90 degree left turn. This is still pretty early in the race so there are a lot of people crowded and running. Tyler is at the turn screaming at me "LEFT ALEX! LEFT! THERE IS A LEFT TURN RIGHT HERE! DON'T FORGET TO TURN LEFT!!!!" All of the other runners and spectators were looking at him like he was insane. It was hilarious. This was the first of many times that having Tyler there helped my run.

So, I was taking it easy, feeling good, and when I hit the 6 mile mark, I decided I had to take it up a notch. I slammed a "Gu", asked Tyler for some of my special Willard Water, and started kicking. Suprisingly, they didn't have every mile marked. At least, I didn't see every marker. So, I was unable to calculate all of my exact splits. But, based on my experiences, I think I sped up to about 7:15 min/mile. I felt great, the run was going awesome. People were cheering me on, yelling "Let's go G!" I was passing people left and right. You see, due to the enormous quantity of people at the start, I was unable to get very close to the starting line. There are these "Pace Teams", which are a group of people who will run the race at a very specific pace. They define this based on finish time. So, there are 3:00:00 pace teams all the way through 5:30:00 pace teams. I wanted to keep my eye on the 3:30:00 team. But, like I said, there were TONS of people, so I started the race around the 5:00:00 team. Therefore, after the first 10k was over and I started speeding up, I was going way faster than most people. Luckily I didn't run in to anyone or knock anyone over. Grace made a cameo at mile 8 which I didn't expect, so all I did was high-five her and say "hey".

Let me interupt at this point to apologize for the lack of coherence in this narrative. There is so much to share and tell that I can't really get it all down in a clear way. I mean I could if I wanted to, but...that'd be hard.

Months ago Tyler expressed his extreme interest in this Marathon. He planned to take the day off to support me. What I didn't expect was the level of support he was planning on. He wanted to meet me every five miles with a bottle of water and "Gu". If this was all he did, it would have been more than enough, and far more than I could've asked anyone to do. But, it wasn't all he did. Around mile 8 or 9, a bike path appeared which ran alongside the route pretty much all the way to Summit. Tyler would appear and we would talk for awhile, then he'd drop away. Then he'd come back, and we'd chat again, and again, he'd fall away. Sometimes we wouldn't even talk, he'd just bike beside me (not alongside or in front, he didn't want to force my pace...but a bit behind, VERY smart) and keep his eye on me, sometimes asking "Doing alright, buddy?". He forfeited his right to sit and watch the marathon in order to help me do well, and for that I am extremely grateful. Thank you Tyler.

Where am I? Mile what? Well, everything was going great. I passed the half-way point. I hit mile 15. I was doing awesome. At mile 20 I crossed Franklin and ran into St. Paul. Down along the west river road. Now, at this point, I was expecting Grace to show up, I just didn't know where. She appeared after the hill leading to Cretin with a huge green sign reading "YOU CAN DO IT ALEX". She knew. So, I ran over to her, slowed a bit, and had her kiss me on the cheek. Any time I lost doing this was more than made up for with renewed motivation and mental strength.

I knew Summit was going to be hard. It was the end of many of my long runs, and I knew it was going to be brutal. Which is why I went slow to start the race. "Save it for Summit". I said this to myself repeatedly during the run. You've got to save it for Summit. Passing people on Summit was much more motivating than anywhere else. It is just so hard up that hill, being able to run past people is unbelievable.

Now, the first 20 miles or so were actually fun for me. With the people, the music, and the atmostphere, it was quite the thrill, and I managed to stay ahead of my pain. I even made phone calls to people with Tyler's phone! I was having a blast. Passing the 3:40 pace team. Passing the 3:30 pace team. Things were going great.

Then comes the slow grind of Summit. But, I had saved a little bit in the tank, just for this portion. So, I dug deep, went into myself. Looked at my knees. "Don't Stop Believing". My arm. "I CAN do it." and "Gazelle", and started to pick up the pace. I know the distances between landmarks on Summit, and I was able to start throwing down 7 min miles. I was speeding up! I knew my friends would be meeting me at Summit and Hamline, and I started going even faster. I reached them, high fived them, and kept going. Now, its just me. A little more than 2 miles to go. My legs are stone. Everything hurts. My mind is telling me enough is enough. This can't continue. 16 more minutes of this?!? Impossible.

But, then I thought of all the time I'd put into this. Everything I gave up. Running while on vacation. Squeezing in a run before my parent's anniversary party. Squeezing in a run between tennis lessons. Running 15 miles in torrential rain. Running at night. In the morning. Running with people. Running alone. Having good runs, bad runs. Not stretching and tightening up. Running, running, running. All for this, my chance to show what it was all for. I couldn't slow down now. I couldn't give anything but my best. I look behind me, and there's Tyler, on his bike and quiet. If I need water, he's there. Thanks again Tyler. Here I go.

Here comes Lexington, there it goes. Another half mile to Victoria. Hey! Here's Victoria. Speed up a little. Dale street, mile 25. 1.2 to go. Summit bends toward the capital. There are hard core runners stopping all around me. Stopping to walk. That won't be me. I pass Western. Virginia. I hit Selby, the trees clear, and I can see the Capital. Beneath it is the finish line. I pass the Cathedral. A sign appears restricing access to only runners. I lose Tyler. Now, its just me and the finish line.

At this point let me just say that until you have pushed your body and mind like this, its hard to understand what begins to happen. My body is aching to stop. Screaming at me that this is it, you can't go any farther, you have to stop. And I want to stop. Oh, do I want to stop. But then, a funny thing happens. All of the things I talked about (sacrifices, time, effort, etc...) floods my brain. Everything I've done has come to this exact moment. Its time to finish. I speed up. Faster, and now I'm sprinting, passing really strong runners. My face is completely distorted. First from the pain of the race, second from the pain of this sprint, and third, from a bit of a quivering lip. Not crying, just a quivering lip as my emotions start to come forward. The line nears. My name is announced among the countless (10,500) others, and I finish.

I come to a stop, stunned. I did it. I actually did it. My time? 3:22:02. A 7:42 min/mile. 640th place. My goal was 3:30:00. I beat it by eight minutes. I can't believe it. Someone wraps me in a silver blanket. Someone gives me powerade. Someone gives me a banana. I'm not sure exactly what's going on. I'm just stunned. Tyler shows up and shakes my hand. I thank him, not sure that I fully express my gratitude. Grace shows up and I hug her tightly. Its over, and I did it. I CAN do it? I DID do it!

Miles Since 10/2/05: 26.2

Saturday, October 01, 2005

I am : MARATHON

I can't really think of anything to say. I've been focusing on this point for almost five months now. I have sacrificed friday nights in favor of sleep. Saturday mornings in favor of running. I chose the pavement of St. Paul over the company of friends countless times. All for this.

All for the singular goal of finishing a marathon.

I can't even remember what I was thinking when I signed up. Oct 2 was a day way off in the future. One of those days that is not really meant to ever arrive. A day that is nice to talk and dream about, but still mostly fanciful. But, now its here. Now its time for all of my training to be put to use.

When I first began running seriously I had never run more than six miles, and I had only done that two times. The first was in high school during soccer tryouts. Of course, that was also when I was a bit lighter, and I was running every day during practice. The second time I was when I was in Hungary. I wasn't really in shape...my time was terrible and it hurt really bad.

When I first began training for the marathon I weighed 205 pounds. Slowly, gradually, as my knowledge of nutrition improved, as my weekly miles crept up, the weight began to fall off. Which, in turn, facilitated the high mileages. My very first long Saturday run was 8 miles. I was very nervous, I wasn't sure how it would be. Luckily I was able to do so with a running group, and they were very understanding of my quest. They helped me along and thankfuly there were people who ran at my slow pace. My miles crept up. Soon I was running 8 miles during the week, and double digit miles on Saturdays. On may 28 (Frank's birthday!), I ran my first half-marathon, and it was thrilling! For almost 4 consecutive weekends, I ran more miles than the week before, which meant that each of those runs was the longest of my life.

My first real experience with genuine, debillitating fatigue came the first time I tried to run 18 miles. I started strong, but didn't know much about how to run at those lengths, and my finish was terrible. I stumbled back to my car feeling awful. My stomach was in knots. My legs were full of lead. What was I missing? Nutrition. Foolishly I wasn't giving my body fuel during the run. The next time I tried to tackle 18 miles I had Willard Water and Honey Packets. These things made a world of difference. My times were faster and I felt much stronger at the end. Soon came my first 20-miler. Armed with nutrition and a wisening run-sense, the 20 miles was hard, but possible. I worked my way up to 24 miles in about 3 hrs and 20 minutes. As of right now, thats the furthest I've ever run. My last big run of my training was a 20 miler which didn't go all that well. I've already discussed this. I finished my training with a tapering of miles and times, designed to rest but also reenergize and sharpen my mind and legs.

Now, I am ready. I CAN do it. My mind, my body...they have been in training for the last 5 months. I am now ready to put myself on the line, to run further than I have ever run, to accomplish something that few accomplish, and to be satisfied doing it.

Thanks for listening.

Miles Since 4/23/05: 626

Friday, September 30, 2005

I am : HELPED

I will definitely admit that the mental strain of running for 3 and a half hours FAR outweighs the physical demands. Will I get bored? Will I give up? No of course not, but that doesn't mean that it won't be hard. That said, the promised support of my friends is GREATLY appreciated. I can't say enough how much you all will help me cross the finish line. I couldn't do it with out you. Breaking the 3.5 hours down into 45 minute segments between seeing friends makes the entire ordeal much more manageable. So....here is my proposed meeting times and places for those of you that have generously offered to help me finish this marathon. I would like to have someone meet me with a gel and a water bottle every 5 miles:

Mile #5 (~8:40am): On the west side of Lake Calhoun between 32nd and 36th (Tyler and Kennedy??)
Mile #10 (~9:20am): Minnehaha Parkway, just west of Portland Ave (James and Anna??, Grace??)
Mile #15 (~10:00am): Minneaha Parkway, just east of Hiawatha (James and Anna??, Grace??)
Mile #20 (~10:40am): East River Road, between St. Anthony and Eustis (James and Anna??, Grace??)
Mile #25 (~11:20am): Summitt, between Dale and Mackubin (Jake and Beth??)

Whew. Those times are fairly approximate. Those are all at an exact 8min/mile pace. The problem is that I don't know when exactly I will start. The whole thing starts at 8am, but since there are 10,500 people, there are two waves, and I'm in the second wave. They also say that the first mile or two is fairly slow because of all the people. So, I'd say if you want to meet me somewhere, come 5 minutes before you think I'll get there, but stay at least 10-15 minutes until after you'd expect me to be there. So, Grace, Tyler/Kennedy, James/Anna, Beth/Jake....thank you!

Miles Since 4/23/05: 625

Thursday, September 29, 2005

I am : WAITING

Here I sit, darkened room....

My student didn't show up, so I have an hour to kill until Ann gets here and I we work on stats.

I am waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

Sunday is October 2. A day that I have had in my mind for nearly half a year. Never in my life has a single DATE been the first thing on my mind when I awake and the last thing on my mind when I sleep. All day, every day, it is there. Certainly I have been able to accomplish other endeavors (house, test, etc...), but in the back of my head I was always planning my next run...or my next meal...or my next rest.

But, the time of waiting is almost through. Soon will come Sunday morning 8am, and I will begin to run. And run I will for 3.5 solid hours. When it is over I will relax, regroup, and promptly begin a new phase.

For I have the rest of my life.

Miles Since 4/23/05: 626

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

I am : CALM

Including today, there are 5 days until the Marathon. Yup, 5 days. The last two weeks I have been in taper-mode, and now I'm on a time-measured program. I don't run for distance, but for heart rate and time. Quick 30-min runs at an easy pace. This will allow me to simultaneously rest my body as well as sharpen it in preparation. I am trying not to feel excitement for the big day. Not that I am not excited, but if I allow myself to get too worked up, I will start feeling anxious. That anxiety might lead to other less desirable emotions, so I'm just nipping it in the bud. I am calm, I am rested, I am preparation. Sunday will come and I will do great.

Alright you spectators -- if you are planning on coming to watch the marathon, check out the official website. Go to the spectators section and check out the spectators guide. Scroll down a little bit and there will be a chart outlining what time you can expect a given runner to be at a certain point. I will be on the 3hr 30 min pace. Tyler: I will need someone to meet me at at least 5 different points to give me my nutrition: water bottles and gels. I really don't want to have to carry that stuff, so I'd REALLY appreciate the help. You don't have to do it all yourself. Maybe we can coordinate something with others.

Alright, I need to meditate.

Miles Since 4/23/05: 621

Ever onward...

: Name: Lord Alex; Location: St. Paul, Minnesota, United States

I was born in Seattle, but grew up in Oregon. First, in a small town in the Cascade foothills, then in a small town in the desert. So, I'm a small town guy, which is probably why I went to a small college. Now, I'm working as a math tutor in st. paul, and living with my lovely girlfriend.

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