breathinstephen.com » Race photos

More images from the 2010 Boston marathon

Stephen — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:38:23 +0000

During this trip I took close to 500 still photos and about 20 different video clips, which I still haven’t sorted completely.
I’ll be adding more photos to these albums as I get them.

______SOME SCENES BEFORE THE RACE______

______SCENES DURING THE RACE______

______SCENES AFTER THE RACE______

Still more to come about this amazing experience…Stay tuned!

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By Blogsdna

Boston marathon video highlights

Stephen — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:35:07 +0000

Rather than bore you with a mile-by-mile account of everything that happened during this entire 7 hour-17 minute very fun but challenging, and at times a excruciatingly painful journey, this year I decided only to post what I can consider to be the highlights. The experience was a little overwhelming and with so many pictures , videos and texts to prepare and post, I’m gonna have to dole them out little by little over the coming days.

But, first let me start by acknowledging some wonderful people who helped make this a truly special day for me.

My walking partner in the race, Mike Mc Bride.
Our super cool spotters, John and Chris from the BAA
Our fantastic crew, Pete from Apria Health Care, and Tom and Brett from Caire Medical and Brett’s wife Shay.
The wonderful folks at the University of Pittsburgh’s Asthma Institute
And finally, our special course guide, the one and only Lis Shepard , who drove the spectators wild and who stuck by me the entire distance just so she could cross the finish line with me. A pretty awesome lady I’d say!

Introducing
“TEAM WHEEZY”

(hey…where’s Lis at? )

( Oh that’s…right, she’s yacking it up with the Boston Globe reporter dude)

*******************************************************************

So here’s a collection of unedited short clips that I took with my phone camera. Sorry, the video quality isn’t too good, but I wanted to give you a sense of what it’s like to be the first AND last people out on the Boston course. This pandemonium goes on goes on for 7 FULL hours!! See if you can hear my name being shouted during the middle and end portions of the clip. Every time my spotter John would see I was having problems with my breathing or my legs, he’s get the crowd cheering for me. It was like a magic potion that kept me going.

26 miles and 7 hours later , watch how Lizzy works the crowd and helps me make it to the finish line 6 minutes later. Again, this clip is a little long, but I wanted give you an idea of just how many die hard spectators waited for us to finish and how much fun it was to have Liz along for the ride.

I’ll have tons more photos and video clips in upcoming posts….

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By Blogsdna

Rock&Roll Race Report

Stephen — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:16:20 +0000

Sorry, this race report is a little late in coming, but I didn’t want my little prison stint to over shadow all the good things about this race.

First let me say what a pleasure it was to finally meet the famous Miss Dizzy Lizzy and some of the other Mc Govern alumni who trekked in from all over the country to do this race. Talk about a ball of energy, Liz has enough enthusiasm for 100 racewalkers!

Liz and a friend of hers, Elizabeth and myself, all met up at the race Expo on Friday. Inside the Expo building they had this huge banner that actually had Lizzy’s photo on it, that they had captured at this very same Rock&Roll race 2 years ago. Naturally she had to take a picture of herself standing in front of the image of herself…..pretty cool.

We did a once through of the Expo, I didn’t buy anything, but Liz bought a pair of her favorite shoes .After that we all headed over to the hotel coffee shop and chit-chatted for a couple hours. It was great hearing everyones race stories.

On the morning of the race I managed to get to San Jose a little before 6:30 am. I parked over at the HP pavillion arena where there were already hundreds of people beginning to fill the parking lot. Good thing I got there an hour and a half early. From the parking lot, it was a full mile walk to the starting area of race.

This was a much bigger event than I thought it would be. They had something like 12,500 participants doing this race and the streets were filling fast. They had 13 starting corrals extending out about 4 blocks from the actual start line.One thing I noticed right off the bat, was how many Porta potties they had set up. I kid you not, there were hundreds of them lined up side by side , on both sides of the main street and dozens more on the side streets. This is the first event of this size Ive been too , where there were NO lines to use the johns! . At an event this size , you can usually expect to wait 30 minutes to use the toilets. In fact, thats one of the reasons I wanted to get here early. Hats off to the promoters for that one.

At about 15 minutes before the start , Liz called me and we all somehow managed to find each other in this massive crowd. Liz made it easier by wearing her famous “Ears”. After some quick photo taking, we all went over to our respective corrals ( which they packed like sardines) and waited for this huge sea of people to start moving. Once the gun went off, it took about 10 minutes for the runners in the 12th corral to make it across the starting line.

And were OFF….. As always ,I waited till the pack thinned out , which happened pretty fast, and then I pulled over to the left side of the road. I didn’t really have a chance to stretch before the race, so for the first mile or so, my shins were killing me. I knew though, that as I warmed up, the pain would diminish. The next couple of miles would be my warm up mode. This is usually the part of a race where I try to find a comfortable pace and the easiest position on the road itself to walk, usually the center or the crest of the road where its more even. If theres a yellow or white dividing line on the road , I’ll usually hug that line and racewalk right down the middle of it. ( it’s a good way to practice your technique too).

The course itself had a very suburban feel. It was basically flat and meandered in and out of various neighborhoods, most of them tree lined , upscale and very beautiful….Lots of mansions too. I can see now why people pay so much to live here.

Somewhere around the mile and a half mark , I passed Elizabeth. I was going to walk with her for a while, but decided that I needed to bank some time while I still had my lung power. I told her that she would probably pass me up in the last miles of the race. Some how that never happened, and I didn’t see her again until after the race.

It was about mile 2 where we hit the first watering station and thats when it really hits me, of just how long a 13 mile race really is. I would have to pass 6 more of these aid stations before finishing the race. It was also about this time, that I got in the mood to racewalk more and more. With my headphones and music cranked up, I was pretty much oblivious to what was happening around me. The diversion of music also gives me the courage to racewalk in huge crowds without getting too embarrassed. One runner lady who did pass me, tapped me on my shoulder and told me what a nice butt I had , and how she had been been watching my hips for the last 1/2 miles. I just laughed and continued to racewalk. I had seen lots of other walkers on the course swinging there arms, power walking or speed walking (which is not real racewalking), so I felt totally comfortable doing my thing. Mind you, I might not be the best racewalker, but I am a real racewalker. I follow all the rules.

The next 10 miles were actually pretty boring. To break up the monotony I decided I would racewalk the rest of the race. I racewalked on and off as much as I could and even when I would slow to a snails pace to catch my breath, I would try my best to stay in legal form (that’s racewalking lingo for, maintaining technique…ie forward knee locked and one foot on the ground at all times).

Miles 10 through 13 were the toughest. It was starting to get really warm , the sun was shining right in my face and I could actually feel myself overheating. I forced myself to drink both the electrolyte and plain water that was offered at each aid station, but I could still feel my calf muscles and left IT band wanting to spasm and lock up. I was also starting to breath pretty heavily, which is not a good thing for me, because it means that Im gonna be trapping a lot of air in my lungs. The problem with breathing fast, is that I cant exhale fast enough to make room for the next incoming breath. The longer this goes on, the more air that gets trapped in the smaller airways of my lung .Eventually my lungs will blowup like a balloon.
For most of the race I was averaging an inhaler hit about once every half mile, but that increased to about 2 hits every half mile the further into the race I got. In total, I used my puffer about 20 times. It sounds like a lot ..I know, but not unusual for me.

There was nothing really special about the finish line, except that I was very happy to see it. I tried to pace myself through the last 1/10th mile of the race , so that I could racewalk through the finish chute and look good on camera, but I ran out of steam just a few feet short of the finish mat and ended up just walking across it. Oh…well, they didn’t take my finish line photo anyway.

I walked into the finish area, a little disoriented and trying to catch my breath. I got my medal and made my way to the Family reunion area where I spotted Lizzy’s Mouse ears poking up in the distance. She had finished about 10 minutes ahead of me and looked as fresh as she did before the race. I, on the other hand, looked like crap! Anyway, we rested a little and waited for the others to arrive. Elizabeth came in about 15 minutes after I did and looked good as well. Both Lizz’s and the rest of the gang walked with me to pick up my gear bag, we took one last picture as a group, said our goodbyes..and that was it. My 9th half marathon…completed!

Due to a glitch in the electronic timing system, my actually finish time has to be manually verified , which will take a few more days, but I think I finished somewhere between 3:00-3:10, which is much faster than I anticipated. Not a PR for me, not even close, but considering everything, I think it a respectable finish time. I performed well in this race and I’m proud of myself.

Some after thoughts While it’s obvious that pushing myself too hard during this race may have contributed to my asthma exacerbation and hospitalization that followed, I’d like to point out to the naysayers ( the people who criticize my involvement as an asthmatic in these types of events) that out of the 14 races Ive done in 3 years ( 5 of those being full marathons), Ive only gotten sick 2 times as a result of them. Id also like to that say, that even “healthy” people get sick after doing marathons and MANY of them end up in a hospital! I train very hard for every race I do, and if I get sick now and then from over- doing it… big deal. I’m not going to stop doing what I love and what keeps me alive.

Sadly, 2 young runners died during this half marathon. Both collapsed close to the finish line.

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By Blogsdna

Farewell Megawalk

Stephen — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:52:00 +0000

A great time was had by all this past Sunday , as racewalkers of all ages and abilities merged on the town of Seaside California to compete in this prestigious and USATF sanctioned 10K racewalking event.

Though Kelly appears to be airborne, her front heel is actually touching the ground .To a racewalking fan, her racewalking form… is a thing of beauty!

( more pics) The Megawalk race is a tribute to my friend Hansi’s father, and racewalking legend, the late Giulio De Petra .
The event was conceived and put together by Hansi and her Monterey Peninsula walking club ” The Walk Walk Walk Club” back in 1981 . It’s been a must- do annual race ever since.

In addition to organizing this event, she also competes in it!
This women is amazing. She’ll be out there setting up tables, coning off streets and making sure everything gets done…then she’ll join the race herself!
As this that’s not enough, after the race… she cleans up the course and heads-off to a rented auditorium where she puts on an awards banquet….complete with hot lunch and desert! … it’s quite a production

But , alas.. all good things must come to an end. It was announced at the luncheon that this would be the last year for Megawalk.
As Hansi explains, ” As the years go by, fewer and fewer people remember my father, an continuing to put this elaborate event every year has just become to difficult”.

(Hansi, Rachel, Me, Brandon.)

Hansi will continue to compete in occasional racewalking events, as racewalking is in her blood. Hansi is also considered a world class runner and will continue to concentrate her efforts in that sport.

Thank You Hansi and the rest of the Walk Walk Walk club members for 25 years of MegaWalk.

Here’s a clip I put together at the finish line.

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By Blogsdna

SF Marathon 2007

Stephen — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:44:00 +0000

You might not know it by looking at these pictures, but this was not a good race for me.
I felt fine at the starting line and was even able to jog a little bit during the first mile, but all the moisture in the air from the dense morning fog really exacerbated my asthma, and the seemingly endless hills made my leg muscles cramp up almost instantly.. (You know, I’ve done this same race three times , and I swear ..they added a few more hills!)
By mile 3 , I was so short of breath, I pretty much walked the rest of the way. My legs and lungs just couldn’t handle it .

After only the first 6 miles, it was evident that this was going to be a torture race. Instead of racewalking parts of the course as I had cleverly planned, I ended up going into total survival mode , propelling myself forward any way I could without cramping up.

I think what saved me from dropping out of the race all together , was my fixation on the 3 hour pace runner and her big yellow sign . Hovering just above the pack and within constant eyesight , I could see the bouquet of balloons she was carrying– It gave me something positive to focus on. We had been passing each other on and off, and towards the end, she knew I was struggling. When we got to mile 12.9 ( mile 26) she slowed slowed down, reached out for my hand, and literally pulled me into the finishing chute.. What a sweetheart! She hit her target goal 2:48:45 to the second! and let me finish a few seconds ahead of her.

As for the event itself, in my opinion it’s a bit over rated. It was way too crowded(over 14,000). Runners were treated like cattle at the finish line, and as always… the post race food sucked. (c’mon, a bottle of hot lemonade and a dried- up biscuit? )
They need to take a few lessons from the Portland Marathon organizers and start treating all of their participants like winners, not just the ones who finish in 2 hours.
Hey I love San Francisco, but I don’t think I’ll do this race again.

What made all this torture worth while , was getting to spend the weekend with some very special people( you know who you are) and the kindness of that pace runner ( whoever you are) .

(me and my friend Ann who left me in the dust back at mile 15)

Next race is in eight weeks

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By Blogsdna

Little Pics

Stephen — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 00:06:00 +0000

Why the small pic? Because I was too cheap to buy the full size ones…lol

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By Blogsdna

2:52:45

Stephen — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 07:47:00 +0000

Without going into a detailed mile by mile re-play, let me just say that you couldn’t ask for a better day to hold a marathon or a better group of friends to share it with. It was a beautiful , slightly warm, fog-free day in the city by the bay and that I’m tickled pink (and partially in shock) that I finished in under 3 hours. Amazing ..when you consider that just two days ago I was in the yellow zone with my breathing, dealt with a major sunburn on my back and chest, topped by 3 days of total insomnia from the prednisone which I started when I was in the yellow zone.

For this race I did a combination of regular fitness paced walking mixed with some legal racewalking. I would basically walk a city block, then racewalked a city block or walk the uphills and then racewalk the downhills. etc etc. Surprisingly, I was able to maintain this 1:1 ratio until about the tenth mile when my lungs started to catch up with me. After that it was more like a 1:5 ratio. I won’t tell you how many times I used the albuterol , but it was way too much.

I think my body handled the walk well except for those darn leg cramps and my usual breathing problems …..Breath Stacking ( basically the inability to exhale completely)

It was a hectic but fun weekend. I think we all achieved our objectives. Now Im taking a week off.

Kudos to Brandon , Rachael, Ann, Vickie and Jim —- WELL DONE!

21st Century Mom , it was good talking with you.

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By Blogsdna

Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon and 5K

Stephen — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 16:38:00 +0000

It was a perfect day for a race in San Francisco’s Ocean beach. This was a much bigger event than I thought.( 8,000 runners) Nevertheless, it seemed to be well organized and it started right on time

I’m not the best writer but, let me see if I can recap my day at the race.

Well, I ( we) got up at the usual 4:30 am , took off for the city at 6am and arrived at ocean beach just before 7am. It was then that I realized that this was a larger event than I had expected. There were thousands of people lining up to catch what seemed like an endless caravan of shuttle buses . Traffic was total chaos ,so my partner dropped me off and went to look for parking. I wanted to make sure I could get some warm up time in before the race, so rather than take one of those yellow school buses into the park, I decided to walk it. Little did I know that the starting point for the race was 2 miles away. Anyway, I made it to the staging area with 20 minutes to spare,though a little worn out. I met up with a couple of my friends and before I knew it the starting gun went off.

Since I was at the back of the pack, there was the usual bottle neck at the starting gate and it seemed like it took forever to get moving. According to my Garmin , which I set when the gun went off, it took me over 3 minutes to get from the back of the pack to the starting line. Since this race was not chip timed, that’s 3 minutes that I would have to make up on the course to break even. OK… so now we’re off! During the first half mile or so the course was still quite congested, even the runners were walking. Finally after mile 1 , people started to thin out. The runners doing the 5K had split off onto a side road, leaving even fewer people on the course that I was on.

The next few miles took us from the center of the park out to the center of the Haight Ashbury then back into the park. Unlike most of the days that I’ve walked this Golden Gate , today it was fairly warm and not too shaded. Miles 5-7 were mostly downhill. I think it was at this point that I got a pebble in my shoe and had pull over and get it out. Because it was downhill from there, it only took me a few seconds to catch up with the others whom Id been pacing with earlier. Mile 7 took us out of the park onto ocean beach. It was here that I began to get really short of breath. I was starting to breath-stack which was making me feel very uncomfortable and I had already used my inhaler 4 times during the first 6 miles and didn’t want to over do it. So, to compensate, I started to walk slower , it was either that or risk having a full out asthma attack. This slower pace seem to help for a while but, I still had to purse-lip constantly. At this point I decided I would ration out my albuterol to 2 puffs every mile. I knew that the last 6 miles of the course was completely flat and as long as I didn’t try to increase my pace, that I would make it. Well, as soon as I crossed mile 12, I could tell I was starting to get into real trouble. For one thing, I was getting way to tight and on top of that ,I didn’t drink enough earlier in the race. Then I got this bright idea that I would make up for it by gulping down the bottle of Gatorade that carried with me. Now, I’m not so sure if that was such a good idea. As I was approaching the last corner to the finishing area, I got really nauseated and diaphoretic. With less than 50 yard to the finish line, I nearly collapsed . I had to get down on my knees because I thought I was going to pass out. Then I started having the dry heaves. Talk about embarrassing. Here Im on my knees puking, while this lady pushing a baby stroller , is staring at me . (babystroller and dogs on the course, thats another story). Anyways, when I tried to stand up ,my feet and legs started to cramp big time. One of those roving paramedics on a bicycle saw that I was having problems and came over and helped me massage the cramps off. They asked me if I wanted some food or wanted to lay down. With the clock still ticking, I told em, I just want to cross the finish line. Appx 3 minutes after this incident…….I did just that.

Today, I’m suffering the usual post race aches & pains and blues . My asthma has also flared up and Im now back in the yellow zone. I’m not sure if this is due to the stress of yesterdays activities or just coincidence but, Im sure my immune system took a major hit. As far as the heat stroke incident, ( if that’s what is was?) I think that was my own fault. I was extremely dehydrated and had been hyperventilating for nearly 3 hours. I just wish I would I have collapsed on the OTHER side of the finish line. That would have shaved a few minutes off my finish time. Ironically, someone who had been observing me throughout the entire ,race made this statement ” You made it look so effortless” If they only knew……..

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By Blogsdna

And the winner is……………………………

Stephen — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 23:08:00 +0000

Certainly not me….

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By Blogsdna

WE DID IT !!! ……. But someone stole the medals

Stephen — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 20:54:00 +0000

My friends and I crossed the finish line at the US Half Marathon today but, didn’t get our medals because someone stole them! We got to the end of the rainbow and there was no pot of gold… (Actually, there were several hundred people that didn’t receive their medals). Can you believe it? Someone apparently took off with a box of finisher medals… Its not like they have any kind of street value. What kind of idiot would do something like that? Anyway, then we were told that we would have to” email the race director” and they would send us one . I’m sorry but receiving a medal in the mail isn’t quite the same. By then, the moment is long gone.

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By Blogsdna