by Dan | Sep 13, 2015 | Etc.
My “Goofy ” Challenge Training Partner, Steve Hauck, and I after finishing our Goofy Challenge last year. It was at Disney, and it involves a Half Marathon, 13.1 miles on Saturday, followed by the Marathon, 26.2 miles the next day. The goal was to finish, and to pace ourselves evenly to do it. It was an incredible goal, and it felt great after we finished…but…that was not the greatest accomplishment that came out of this. The greatest accomplishment would be being able to do this with my training partner…together…after everything he had gone through.
The beginning of the journey started a year and a half prior to this event. Steve wanted to run a marathon to celebrate turning 50. I was helping him train, and we were going to do the Fargo Marathon. 3 weeks prior to the marathon, Steve began having issues with his heart, and went into a rhythm called atrial fibrillation. We had to shut him down, and he underwent tests and treatment for this, including what is called an ablation to treat the abnormal rhythm. It was a success, but he could not do Fargo. I ran on my own, with Steve watching…I don’t know who was more bummed…
…me running alone, or Steve not being able to run. I held my medal up to his heart after, and we vowed we would do this again. Steve wanted to get going with a marathon, and decided that it would be the Disney marathon 7 months later, so that was the new goal. Well, he did it. Here we are coming down the finish, celebrating the finish of the marathon for him!
Steve accomplished his goal of completing a marathon, and I had a healthy training partner/friend to celebrate it with! And celebrate we did!
We splurged on the “good stuff” after the race…reward for working our butt off! Of course, we had to be hamming it up for the camera the rest of the vacation as well!
Here we are showing off our medals with Mickey! It was a great trip, and Steve finished his first marathon. But, something was missing. He wanted to go back to Fargo to finish what we had initially started…so, off training again to get ready for it in another 4 months. It was a much smoother training period this time around, and we did it…finishing the Fargo marathon that May of 2013.
Our running did not stop after this. We challenged each other again by doing the Goofy Challenge in Januray of 2014…and made it. The stories we can now tell…who knows, most of them later when we tell our grandkids may actually even be true! But, we have pictures to prove it. The bottom line with all of this is we can set goals, and try to achieve them, but the fun in all of this is the journey along the way. As I mentioned last week with Tom…we did lots of talking, solved lots of problems, and learned a lot about each other. Those are the memories that will last forever. The marathon finishes are just the icing on the cake. The shirts we wore say it all…Success…A Journey, not a Destination!
Absolutely no doubt in my mind about those 2 years being a success! Just remember, nothing worth doing means it will be easy…if it was, it would not be a challenge. If you can do this, you feel like you can take on anything that life throws your way. We all know that there are ups and downs in life, and the secret to how it goes depends on how we handle it…our attitude dictates our success. Never say never! Be safe and faster your seat belts…the ride of life can get bumpy at times! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2907
by Dan | Sep 6, 2015 | Etc.
Tom Beaudry…my first marathon training partner…with me here following one of our Grandma’s Marathon races. We trained together for many years… many long runs. We did lots of talking, lots of listening, solving the worlds problems on those long runs…if the rest of the world would have just listened to us! We spent many a times getting ready for multiple marathons…Grandma’s in Duluth, MN; Twin Cities marathon in St. Paul/Minneapolis; Rock and Roll Marathon in Phoenix. All special memories…and they won’t be forgotten. Running has brought us to a lot of events that we have either participated in, or helped create, including our Hospital Hill run.
Next year we will be getting ready for the 20th Annual Hospital Hill Run!
Those marathons have taught us a lot about not only each other, but ourselves. Each one brought with it many challenges, and obstacles…but all worth it in the end. Here are some shots of us in one of the Twin Cities Marathon.
Some went better than others, but it is safe to say the Marathon was only the final point. The journey and adventure came by our training together for 4 months before each marathon. This was the important part. This is the bond any training partner has. It is the reason why we kept doing these. The day of the race may have been the ultimate goal, but the adventure was leading up to it. The times we would spend with our family at these events was also one of the may highlights of that one day.
Here Tom and I are with our wives, Sarah and Sue (Sue is taking the picture), my twin brother Don and his wife Michele, and my youngest brother Rich. Great times going out to eat and talk, and creating memories. This one was in Phoenix for the Rock and Roll Marathon.
Tom was a great training partner, but more important, a GREAT FRIEND! Earlier this year Tom had health issues and had to have a cardiac stent placed, and was out of running for awhile. He is back at it again, but not those long runs like we previously had. Those long runs don’t matter, as we still get to run together. That is what matters. I want my friend around to spend time with. We just make our conversations shorter! The hard part is we are runners…things like that are not supposed to happen to us! But, we are human, and those things unfortunately are, and we will have to deal with those things when they come up. I did a long run yesterday, and Sarah was going to go with me for part of it, and then ride her bike the rest of the way with me. She got called in as one of her OB patients was going into labor, and going to deliver. I did the 20 miler on my own. Tom was out by the Lake (Don’t know if you were out there to go fishing), but he pulled up beside me and asked me if I needed anything! I was at 16.5 miles of the 20…What I really wanted was my training partner to help get me through those last 3.5 miles! You fired me up though just seeing you, and I kept thinking of those past days while I worked my way in. You helped me even when you are not running beside me!
Thanks for all of the years of running training partner…Friend! Here is hoping to many more years of it as well!
Below is a recent photo of my main marathon training partners, Tom Beaudry, and Steve Hauck, at the Fargo event a few years ago. Next posting will be talking about Steve!
Keep moving everybody! Keep in mind those people important to you, and spend time with them!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2900
by Dan | Aug 30, 2015 | Etc.
Well, today finally came. We took Nick down to SF to get started at Augustana this morning. It has been a whirlwind…good and bad. Excited, anxious, worried…stressed. Hopefully, we have set the tone, and he is prepared for the next phase. He has decided for now not to run competitively, but he is going to run on his own. He understands the importance of using exercise as a means to help not only stay fit, but to relieve stress. We have enjoyed running with him, and watching him. As parents, we have worked hard to get him to this point. I have said many times that one of the reasons Sarah and I workout is so we can take care of our health, and be around for our kids. This was one of those moments! Now, we can sit back and worry about how he is doing there! All 3 kids away at college, and all different ones yet too. It may be time for a run myself!
We got him all loaded up and then moved in. Molly even came down from Brookings to help. He definitely appreciated his big sister being there to help ease his “jitters”. Thanks Molly! You were a big help today! Sarah did well holding back the tears. Here she is with Nick after we loaded him up, and then Nick getting the feel what it will be like studying! Hopefully this is the case!
Of course, we are not the only ones who are going to miss him. Here is Zeus last night…he knew something was going on as we were doing all of the packing. Even Nick was pretty bummed this AM saying goodbye to Zeus! At least he won’t be too far away!
Good luck at College Nick! And as always, continued good luck to my Molly and Megan in college as well!
Keep moving everybody! Remember those that care about you the most!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2893
by Dan | Aug 23, 2015 | Etc.
Everybody’s running begins somewhere. You have heard my beginning already, and now I will talk about the beginning of the marathon for me. I was in my 3rd year of residency, and 2 of my attending physicians, Dr. Brechtelsbauer (Dr. B) and Dr. Kemp, were interested in running a marathon, and talked to me about it. We decided on Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota because Dr. B had some relatives there. It would be in the middle of June, 2 weeks prior to graduating from residency. I decided to give it a go. Usually the weather there was upper 70’s, and could be even a little cool. That was not the case on this day! It got to over 90 degrees, and very humid. I had never run a marathon before, but was still running regularly. Normally a goal for a lot of people doing the marathon, which is 26.2 miles, is to try and break 4 hours. I foolishly told Sarah that I would be done by 3 hours. I had no clue what I was getting into. The longest I had run was a 17 miler, again, not having any idea what it would take to do 26.2. Needless to say, at mile 19 of the marathon, everything started falling apart. I seriously began to wonder if I was even going to finish, especially in this heat. I was running the entire way with Dr. Kemp, and we had to walk through every water station beginning at mile 20, and they were every mile now. We did make it, and came in at 3:48. Now, this was even before chip timing, so everybody started at the same time, but when there are over 8000 people in the race, it takes several minutes to even get to the start line. I had trouble walking for a week afterwards! I realized what the hand rails on the stairwells were for after that! Doing a marathon is not to be taken lightly…you need to have some kind of an idea what you are getting into, but even with how many I have done now, once I get past 20 miles, it is a new adventure every single time. Those last 6 miles are an entirely different race. Some experts say the marathon is split into 2 sections, the first 20 miles, and the last 6 miles, which feels like another 20! After that was done, I felt like I could accomplish anything. It was the ultimate challenge, and I learned a lot from this. The marathon is a lot like life…you are cruising along just fine, no worries, then things get a little tougher, and you can still fight your way through. But then life really can throw a curve ball…just like that 20 mile mark, and you have to start figuring out what you are going to do on the fly. Sometimes you literally feel like you are just winging it, and hope that everything will turn out well. Sound familiar? I think it sounds all too familiar. Everyday, there can be “marathon like” challenges, and you need to keep going, push on, and work it all through to the end. Some of the conclusions may not be what we wanted, but many are, and you can hold your head up high and feel good that you accomplished another goal/solved another problem! The pictures below show me sitting under a tree after it was done. Of course, my medal for finishing, and my results. I have one of myself with Dr. B and Dr. Kemp posing afterwards, and then a few of me running along with Dr. Kemp. Next will be other upcoming marathons, and the people who helped me through…family, and all of my training partners. How can life be dull with all of this? Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2886
by Dan | Aug 16, 2015 | Etc.
Things change a lot over time, but my running really took off after high school. I started Cross Country at Augustana College my freshman year, just to see if I liked it enough to keep going. Well, I guess I did. I ran indoor and outdoor track that first year as well, and then continued with all of it the duration of my college days. This also continued when I went on to medical school. For both college and med school, the running was a great escape, and a great stress reliever. No matter how hectic things got, or how busy I was, there was always time to go for a run! This helped immensely to help clear my head and get ready to take on the next day, and project. You can only study for so long, and then you need a break, mentally, just to gear up and go at it again. This also carried over to residency. The hours could be grueling at times, but that run time was my time to unwind, and gear up for the next day. There were lots of road races going on then as well, and Sarah and I would join in for a lot of them. Some of the ones that stood out the most were the ones we would dress up in costumes for the Halloween run they would have every year. We had many costumes we had gone through! It was another way to make the running even more fun. The running is also how I started dating Sarah, as we started going out our second year of medical school. Sarah noticed me running by her house a lot (this was on purpose!), and she was a runner as well. This was a great way to strike up a conversation at that time. We eventually started running together, and one thing led to another, and we were destined to be together. Running brought us together…and has continued to help keep us together as well. Many fun days with this back then. Below are some of our costumes from different events/races we did back then. Also, some pictures of some of the material we had to know when we took our first set of Boards after our second year of medical school. The volume was incredible, and overwhelming, and the running helped keep my sanity. Also is one picture of my Augustana days competing. All great memories, and all kept the fire going to continue running. It has been fun looking back on all these. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2879
