Racing for Hope Journal Entry 11 – Marathon #3

Just a couple days after finishing marathon #2, I was back to running and training for the next race. Five days after race #2, we celebrated my 37th birthday. It was a short celebration because we had to drive 3 hours to the location of race #3. Waking up and preparing for the race in a hotel room was a little different because Mandy and the girls were there. I tried not to wake them up until I had too. When I was ready to go, we all got in the car to drop me off at the start line.  It was the best way to start a race! I got a good luck kiss from all 3 of my girls! After telling them I’ll see them later, I started walking towards the start line. While walking, I meet a guy and talk to him about why I was running the marathon. I learned that his wife is a 15 years breast cancer survivor. After our cancer story talk, we talking about the race and wished each other good luck. I had no plans for this race. I just wanted to finish. Running a marathon 6 days prior and running while it was a sunny 75 degrees, I figured it was best to just finish. I haven’t had the opportunity to train in warmer weather yet. We started and again, I started way too fast. I wasn’t worried about holding on to that pace, I just ran. After 9 miles, I was still on pace to break 4 hours. It started to get super hot, and when I hit mile 17, I started run/walking. This time I could run/walk for a lot longer than the previous week. My pace continued to slow, but I was still doing great. I was also talking to people on the course and telling them about Racing for Hope and cholangiocarcinoma. I saw the mile 26 marker, and I started sprinting.  I knew my wife and daughters were there waiting for me at the finish line. I came around the corner and saw them. I asked Luna and Lily if they wanted to finish the race with me. They were so excited! I carried Lily across the finish line while Luna ran next to me. Even with stopping to finish with my daughters, I still set a new personal record!  It was my 3rd PR in this 12 race journey! I finished in 4 hours 28 minutes and 56 seconds. My goal since I started running was to break 4:30 and to beat Oprah’s marathon time! It was a great way to finish my birthday, and now on to more training. We only have around 6 weeks until race #4!