by Dan | Oct 10, 2016 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
It was a busy, but fun weekend. 18 weeks of training together over the Summer to get ready for this marathon culminated in one day. One day of fun, work…heartbreak! We all had a goal we wanted to accomplish…first, we all finished. Many did not get the time we were shooting for. But, it is disappointment for a short time. Until you are in the marathon, you have no idea what it takes to finish, much less achieve a time you had in mind. We already achieved more than everybody who did not run the marathon. Here is the reward for finishing…waiting for us at the finish line!
Nothing makes you more proud than to have this hanging across your chest! The people along the way were incredible for cheering you on, and helping you to get to the finish line. I had this printed on the front of my shirt, and had people calling out my name from start to finish.
This came into even more help when I began struggling at mile 24. My legs were doing ok, but my stomach was not. I started cramping, and then starting throwing up! 4 times from mile 24 1/2 to 25 1/2. I would keep walking, but as soon as I started running, I would get sick again. I did not know how I was going to get in. Jen and I were running together until mile 19, and then when I looked to my side, then behind, I could not see her. What happened? She was just beside me. I put my head down and tried to keep going. When I was really struggling at this point, the people were literally screaming at me to keep going…”You can do this”; “You are tougher than this race”; somebody waved a sign at me that said: “If this were easy, I would be doing it. You are almost there! Don’t quit now”. I tried to keep going, and then I heard a familiar voice behind me. It was Jen, and she was screaming out “don’t you walk now, we are almost there!” I told her I could not stop throwing up, and she told me she could not feel her legs anymore. Go! I started running again, and then felt a surge because I saw a flag hanging down, and looked back at her and said “there is the finish…let’s go!” Only to find out the finish line was still 0.2 miles from there! But now people were jammed packed on both sides…there was no place to go off and try to hide if I had to throw up, so I told myself “just get across”! And then it was there! We had finished, and Jen was just behind me. We endured. We made it. We dug down deep, just like everybody in that race did yesterday!
I also kept thinking of one of my patients throughout this whole run, and a good friend of mine…Don Hauck. He was suffering from pulmonary fibrosis, and had been put on hospice last week. His son Steve was one of my training partners. I kept thinking of him, and when I was getting short of breath, I thought of him. I was choosing to be short of breath then, he had no choice. It helped give me some motivation to keep going. Things had gotten worse over the weekend, and I am glad I did not know it. I received a text message at 5:45 Sunday afternoon from Steve telling me his Dad had just passed away! The marathon no longer had any meaning for me at that moment…I had run with Don on my mind the whole race. You will be missed Don.
Jen received a bracelet from one of the spectators during the time she was struggling…I think it now has more meaning to her than anything of this race!
“You got this”…and it kept her going!
The marathon will always remain a mystery to me. This was now number 13 for me, and I learn something different every time…not just on how to do this race, but about myself. You put yourself through a lot during the training time, and then the actual race. You figure out how to become a better you! You find out what you are made of, and what you can accomplish. You become unstoppable!
You also begin to realize that anything you do in life becomes possible!
And after all is said and done, you realize that is was all worth while…even if we fall a little short of our specific time goal. Jen and I were trying to break 4 hours…I came across in 4:02:24, and she was just over 4:03. Owen came across in 3:10,and needed a 3:05 to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Jill cut 35 minutes off of her personal best, and Paula finished here first Marathon ever! And Jim signed up Monday last week to run the marathon with Paula! I have to say, it was still quite an accomplishment for the Watertown Area Run Club! The back of my shirt I ran in sums it up…
It was a successful training time, and a successful marathon day. This marathon will teach us a lot about ourselves going forward, and again, what we are made of. Don’t ever lose sight of what you can achieve. Never lose sight of your dreams and visions. Ever! Work at becoming a better you!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3300
by Dan | Oct 2, 2016 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Wellness/Health
It is time to begin a new series, one that I have titled “Becoming a better you”. Remember, over time, our goals change. We need to keep updating our goals to help us to live our dreams and our visions. We should never lose site of these dreams and visions. When you keep looking back at your goals, this overall becomes much easier to do. My family is always part of my vision and dreams…my goals. I am thankful that Sarah is with me along the way to help with all of this too. The exercise and running over the years has also been a great escape…a time to think. It helps give me a purpose, and I found this quote which helps sum things up well.
When we have a purpose, things in life are much easier to accomplish. One thing to remember as well, we have all been given our own personal gifts, talents, and abilities…and a short amount of time in which to put it all together to live our lives to the fullest. Don’t waste time…it already goes by too fast.
The exercise has created a bond like no other…it has allowed me to make adventures I never would have experienced otherwise; to meet people I would have never met otherwise; to achieve goals and accomplishments that I thought would have never been possible. It has helped me become a better me, and it can help you “become a better you”.
The activities that you can do as a family are memories to have forever. Nobody can take them away. Yes, you work, but that does not mean you can’t have fun, and enjoy life better as a result. You also get to have different ways in which to spend time with your own family more! But…the running, exercise, activity…teaches you more about yourself than you could have ever imagined. When it comes to trying to achieve something good in your life, it takes time, energy, and interest. You have to work at it! It will not just fall in your lap…you have to earn it. You have to work for it. All good things in life worth having are worth working for. The lessons it teaches you can be unlimited. Give it a try!
So, as I begin on this series, I will cover topics that can help you become a better you. What you can do in your life that can benefit you in many ways, both physically and mentally. In short, how to better know yourself! I will still continue on my “adventure” posts when different events, races, etc come up. The Twin Cities Marathon is next weekend…I am sure this will have new adventure stories in store! We are in charge of our own happiness. Just get going!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3292
by Dan | Sep 18, 2016 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
We all want to be healthier, and be able to have the energy and stamina to do things, but it is important to be having fun along the way. Here our run club is getting ready to go for a run…and we are ready! Ready to not only go for a run, but to have fun, and spend time with friends as well. We all have goals in our life, and we want to improve with our goals. When we are running as a group, our times for how fast we run are really not important. It is a social time, and a time to see how everybody is doing, and how things are going for them in their lives. Many of us on our run club is getting ready to do the Twin Cities Marathon in 3 weeks, and many of us also ran last weekend in Sioux Falls doing the half marathon. In events like this, our times can be more important to us then, as we are continuing to drive and improve for ourselves. The next few pictures show Jill Makepeace checking her time as she crossed the finish line, and then the expressions of her face when she realized she had just set a personal record for her finish time.
This is also a driving force as to why we keep trying. We want to be healthier, but we are trying to improve ourselves along the way. If you don’t push yourselves at times, you have no idea how far you can go. Over time, we can amaze ourselves. As individuals, you can look back on your accomplishments, and really can see changes as to the progress that is made…it is also a great motivator! Our minds are usually our limiting factor, not our bodies. It is important getting support from people in our lives who help support us, and who help us achieve our goals. More importantly, they are usually the people who we have fun with as well.
Paula and Jill are having a good time following the race, and both celebrating accomplishments they just achieved. Our run club really can show off the fun we can have.
We can all be “goofy” together! After taking these pictures, we finally got back to running after we got done posing. So everybody get ready, and “jump” into better fitness and health!
Keep moving everybody! Exercise for the health of it! But, have fun along the way!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3278
by Dan | Sep 11, 2016 | Exercise, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Sarah and I, along with quite a few of the Watertown Area Run Club members were in Sioux Falls this AM for the Half Marathon. It was a little windy, but the temperatures were very nice for running. I forgot what kind of hills there are in SF! It was a great morning for a run. Yesterday, they had an expo at the Arena where they would sell different things related to running. One of the booths had a truck where one side of it had the names of those doing the marathon, and the other side of those doing the marathon. We found our names pretty quickly!
I managed to take a picture of Sarah coming across the finish line. It got a little crowded at the finish. The medals were very nice this year as well.
Another adventure down! It was a nice run. It is always good to run with other people, and there was always somebody around you. If you have never tried, do it! Start with a mile walk/run, or a 5k. You might surprise yourself what you are capable of. We all have to start somewhere. Our bodies are usually not the limiting factor…it is our minds!
Remember, you cannot finish unless you start! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3271
by Dan | Sep 4, 2016 | Etc., Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
When it comes to running, or exercise in general, it is always easier when you have a training partner. Someone else who can help you be accountable, to help push you, motivate you…just to help be there with you. A training partner is someone who has the same interests as you when it comes to exercise. They can be a friend, relative, pet…anybody who will help push you. This is a recent picture of our run club. We all help each other with exercise, and we all like to run.
Over the years I have had multiple training partners. I have had several where I have included my dogs as well, and for this one today, I won’t include them. My training partners over the years include:
Tom Beaudry, one of my first training partners, and continues to be.
Steve Hauck, who is my neighbor, and have run several Disney marathons with, and Fargo.
And of course, my wife Sarah, who has been my training partner since we started dating. In fact, this is how we started dating.
Susan and Chris, my past nurse, and current (and always!) nurse. They have helped each other out immensely with achieving their goals.
As of these last few days, one of our run club members, Jen, got hurt. She is struggling with this, frustrated by this, and wants to keep running. She is going to be running the Twin Cities Marathon with us in October. The rest of us found out about it yesterday. Ever since then, it was like something was missing. When the rest of us were out running this AM, and she was not, we all felt bad for her. We are worried about her! We want her back running with us. She was out at about the 16 mile mark today to provide water, Gatorade, and oranges. She was still helping us out, but you could tell she was very disappointed that she could not be out running with us. We have all had injuries where it has limited what we as individuals can do to recover, but it is just as disappointing when someone you have been training with can’t join you. Something is missing. It is just not the same. Here she is trying to look happy, but getting ready to start doing some of the exercise and suggestions I gave her to help get over this quicker.
It was not the same running without you! You helped out the rest of us today with the water/Gatorade breaks, and it was greatly appreciated. I would have gladly carried my own water if you would have been able to run. I made her be a part of the group picture this AM. She is part of this group, and always will be!
Here is hoping for a speedy recovery. I know you really want to be getting ready for the Twin Cities, but bottom line, we just want you back running with us! We may all be training partners, but more importantly, we are friends!
We are there for you…thinking of you…wishing you were joining us! Here is to a speedy recovery. We will help get you ready for October. Just heal up! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3264
by Dan | Aug 28, 2016 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Accomplishments are something we need to be proud of, celebrate, and take pride in! When it comes to exercise, if it were so easy, then it would not be such a struggle to get people interested, or motivated, in doing it. Accomplishments can come big or small, and any improvement, and attempt at improvement, is an accomplishment.
Dig deep, keep going, those accomplishments will come. It is no different than starting to exercise, or lining up for your first walk/run 5K. You have to start sometime, somewhere!
You have to start in order to accomplish anything! Making that decision is probably the hardest part because convincing ourselves of that is what is hard, not the actual activity itself.
Is it a struggle some days to get out and get moving? Absolutely. Is it a struggle sometimes to finish? Absolutely. But, what you can really only describe by actual feelings after you have accomplished something challenging in your life is what it is all about. Words can only come close, but that feeling when you finish something, cross a finish line, or whatever that accomplishment may be, is truly exhilarating!
Pride! Joy! Relief! Happiness! “I did it!” Nobody can take your accomplishments away from you, and you are the one setting the tone! Go for it! Is it easy? No! Nothing worth working for is!
But when that work is done, you can sit back, relax, and truly enjoy the ramifications of that accomplishment, or the view that you can see afterwards! It can open up an entirely different perspective on your life!
Take it all in! After all, you earned it! Then relax, think about what you just accomplished, and I will bet you will tell yourself, “you know, that really was not that hard! Now what can I do next?” The sky is the limit!
You earned it. Celebrate well. Enjoy all the benefits you will get after being successful with what you accomplished. Then, put your head down, take a deep breath, and decide what you are going to do next! Just remember, make your accomplishment attempts reasonable. They don’t have to be like watching an episode of “Mission Impossible”. You set the tone. They are for you! Keep reality in perspective, and enjoy the ride along the way! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3257
