Racing to Save Lives in 2010

Introduction

Let me start off by saying, once again, if I haven’t said it enough, thank you for your support of my running the Eugene Marathon in honor of those close to me that I lost in 2009. It was truly an amazing experience and an honor to help raise funds and awareness for cancer research and treatment. You helped me raise a total of $2,861.72 (127% of my goal) and my fellow TNT participants in the Eugene Marathon cumulatively raised over $210,000.

Team in Training

What can I say, TNT is amazing. From top-down, this is a world class organization. The management staff is extremely organized and dedicated to the cause. The coaches are incredible (and funny!). The mentors are motivating and energetic. And the participants are just a great group of people giving up a lot to help support the cause.

My Story

If you haven’t read it already, read it below at the bottom of this page. I lost five very close friends and family members in 2009 to five separate diseases and so I needed a release to heal my soul and help prevent future losses to cancer. I’m still able to collect donations but hold your funds for 2011, because I’ll be back!

I Was Not an Athlete

As a child, I loved watching TV, eating and avoiding the outdoors as much as possible. It took me a long time to find an activity that I loved as much as that until I discovered running about 3 years ago. I started running, lost weight, and loved the sense of accomplishment and victory that came at the end of every run. Then I started running half marathons and loved it more. Then I ran the Portland Marathon in 2008 and was completely hooked by the challenge of grueling training and overcoming the most excruciating pain that you can voluntarily do to yourself. I had to take a step back from my marathon training in 2009 due to the personal tragedies in my life but I vowed to come back in 2010 and run two marathons.

Training

As marathon runners know, the training is the hardest part. I trained from January-May up to 6 workouts per week most weeks. This meant running tempo runs on Mondays/Thursdays, sprinting/hills on Tuesdays, crosstraining on Wednesdays/Sundays, long slow distance on Saturdays, and rest on Fridays. I wasn’t perfect on my workout schedule but overall I did alright. I made some great friends along the way with my fellow vigilant group of TNT Eugene Marathoners.

The Eugene Marathon – The Start

Our small but enthusiastic band of purple-clad TNT runners set out for a light walk from our hotel down to the outside of Hayward Field for the start. It was a clear, cool and sunny morning and we all chatted nervously awaiting the starting gun to fire. In typical Eugene fashion, it was a very laidback start. There was no burst of mad runners pouring out of the gate, just a well-spaced group of well-paced runners. I passed right by my wonderful wife Moni who was leading my own personal marathon cheering squad.

The first mile took us down Agate Street and up a light hill. I was running with Jason (a TNT running friend) and Diane (another TNT running friend). In the first mile I learned that this was Diane’s first time ever in Eugene so she was getting the slow, scenic tour. The route wrapped around a few local campus neighborhoods before heading around a long out-and-back on Amazon Dr. Passing mile 3, we saw the Elites (the men and women who can run marathons in about 2:30 hours) rounding the corner as they finished mile 7 – yeah, they’re that fast!

Around mile 4 I felt a burst of energy so I took advantage of it and caught my race pace. I started going at a pretty good clip and I had no pain, no fatigue, no heavy breathing, plenty of water and Gu on me so I kept going at that pace for the foreseeable future. Only problem was that I was now on my own as I was outpacing Jason and Diane by this point.

Mile 7 took me through Amazon Park and down to South Eugene High School. I saw my parents for the first time at that spot and paused just enough to see them beam with pride and exchange a quick high five before hitting the biggest hill of the day.

The Eugene Marathon – The Middle

Coming up 18th street, I hit a long hill which was steep but not too bad. My coaches – Seth and Julie – met me at the base of the hill and chatted me up on the way to the “summit.” I passed by my fraternity, Sigma Chi, along 18th but wasn’t shocked to see none of the current undergrads standing outside to cheer on the marathon (in college, no way I’d be up that early either!). I rounded back down Agate Street to see Moni who gave me a quick boost of support and some new electrolytes. Then I hit a bizarre “potassium loading station” where they handed out bananas and left banana peels all over the road. It reminded me of Mario Kart and felt like I was going to spin out. I didn’t.

Still had my pace churning along as I crossed Franklin Blvd and down to the riverbank trails. The route took me to a fork in the road where there was one inept volunteer kind of steering marathoners to the right into Springfield and all of the half marathoners to the left down to their final miles. Lots of people got confused and one of my teammates ended up running 27 miles that day because of it. The route took us into Springfield which was painfully boring so I’ll spare the details. I found a couple of random people to chat with for a few miles before we split apart.

Passing the 13.1 mile halfway mark near Thurston High School, I still felt great. My pace was still on target for a 4:30 marathon and I was confident of hitting it. The route took me down a few miles until I saw the mighty Autzen Stadium at mile 16. I ran into my whole family there and let them know how confident I felt at that point. My dad attempted to play the Oregon Fight Song from his phone…”attempted” being the key word. I then ran into my coaches near mile 17 and also told them that I was feeling great.

The Eugene Marathon – The Wall

For some reason I didn’t expect, I ran out of gas around mile 19. It was just after I saw Monika and my cheering squad at Valley River Center. I had to slow WAY down to just above a walking pace to catch my wind again. I was praying that the marathon ended at 20 miles so I could finish on a high note because I knew I didn’t have anything left to power me through the last 6.2 miles.

I started seeing all of the people I passed along the way catch up to me and then leave me in the dust. I was waiting for a power surge to take me through to the end but it never came. I started getting frustrated as I watched my goal time slip from 4:30 to 4:45 to 5:00 or maybe more.

I took a step back to remind myself that my real goal was just to finish the marathon and not worry about the time. I still had a good spirit about it and was prepare to sacrifice a strong performance as long as I enjoyed the journey. So I kept busy by making bad jokes that only my dad would appreciate (so I’m not going to share them here, ha!).

The Eugene Marathon – The Finish

Near mile 24, my TNT friend Jason caught up to me and we tried to power through to the end together. He was hurting as bad as I was but we had different strategies to finish. My plan was to keep jogging slowly but steadily. Jason’s plan was a run/walk mix to rebuild energy. His plan worked better than mine as he took off and finished strong all the way to the end after mile 25.5 and I trailed behind.

There were a lot of other people also gassed and slightly delusional at that point in the race so it kept me entertained. It was still frustrating to have your mind tell your body to go faster but it just can’t do it. So here I was finishing the final mile at the exact same slow jog that I’ve had since mile 20.

I crossed Franklin Blvd and prepared for the final .2 mile. Another TNT friend Deborah (who finished the half marathon hours ago) helped keep me company in my slow jog and then handed me off to the coaches. I asked them if I won but I think they thought I was crazy. They got my spirits up for the last lap – a quick dash across Hayward Field to the finish line. THAT was awesome! Nothing like seeing my face on the scoreboard, watching my family cheering me to the end, and hearing the announcer say “welcome home, Dan Weinsoft!”

I practically collapsed after I finished. I collected my medal and space blanket and tried to walk off the pain in my legs and fatigue that made me want to lie down in the middle of the food section. I slowly made it back to reunite with my friends and family. I was so happy to see them! But I was happier to go relax and take a shower. And even happier still once I devoured a huge bacon cheeseburger washed it down with a Pale Ale and topped it off with a pizzookie.

In the end, it was an incredible experience and I loved every minute of it. Now I’m getting ready for the Portland Marathon this October. And I’m planning to come back to TNT next Spring for another one.

Original post:

After a dreadful 2009, I've set my resolutions in 2010 to do my part to help save lives and to complete running another marathon. In order to accomplish both resolutions, I've joined as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training to run the Eugene Marathon in May this year.

What I'm Doing in 2010

Running a marathon is a feat that I've accomplished once and was one of the proudest moments of my life. I trained hard for six months and finished the Portland Marathon in 2008 after fighting through "hitting the wall" at mile 16 and walking for the better part of 4 miles before finishing strongly in the last six miles. Needless to say, running a marathon is an incredibly difficult challenge to accomplish.

The Eugene Marathon is a great course that runs around Autzen Stadium, along the McKenzie River, and finishes at legendary Hayward Field. I'll have the opportunity to literally run in the footsteps of legends as some of the finest athletes in history have made their strides on Hayward Field - Phil Knight, Kenny Moore, Alberto Salazar, Mel Renfro (my dad's favorite), and of course Steve Prefontaine. As a proud graduate of the University of Oregon, it's been my dream to compete on this track and I'll finally get my opportunity this May...but it's a long road ahead.

Help Saving Lives in 2010

As many of you know, 2009 was a very difficult time for me and my family having lost 5 good friends and family members to diseases.

My Grandma, Marcia Weinsoft, passed away last July after fighting for several years with various heart and systemic diseases. The most difficult disease that she fought was her severe bout of dementia which caused her to frequently lose short and long term memories.

My Grandma, Evelyn Berman, passed away last August losing a battle against a number of infections. She was in decline since losing her husband of over 50 years - my Grandpa, Manney Berman - to a battle against Alzheimer's disease just two years prior.

My good friend and father-in-law-to-be, John Clark, tragically passed away in his sleep last August after a fatal condition arose due to complications with his Type 2 Diabetes. John loved my mother-in-law, Heidi Corbin, with all his heart and was such a blessing to have in our family and as a friend of mine. John was one of my biggest supporters when I ran my first marathon - Portland Marathon 2008.

My Uncle, Bob Skinner, passed away last September after suffering a sudden and severe heart attack one morning. The proud patriarch of my wife's family and father of four was only 49 years old at the time. His daughter's wedding was scheduled to occur just two weeks after his passing but we all knew he was there in spirit when the rainy weather broke and the sun came out in time for the beautiful outdoor ceremony.

My friend - and friend to everyone - Hannah Wiley, passed away last November after a tragic three year battle with cancer. She suffered through so much but never lost her optimism and faith in recovery.

This may be my first time opening up about these tragedies to you but I'm kind of a private person dealing with the losses in my own way. I'm resolved to make 2010 a happy and healthy year for everyone so I'm setting a ridiculous goal for myself and I need your help to get me there.

Make a Difference

Every five minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma. Research works - in just 25 years, the survival rate for children with the most common form of leukemia has increased from 4% to 85%.

Please support me by contributing to the cause. My goal is to raise $2,262.00 by April 1st. No amount is too small and every donation is 100% tax deductable. 75% of the money I earn goes directly to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to help save lives.

Here are the suggested donation amounts:

• $26.20 - total miles I will run on May 2nd
• $50 - makes it possible for patients and their family to have a Family Support Group
• $100 - helps supply laboratory researchers with crucial supplies and materials
• $500 - could provide patient aid for a year
• Any contribution helps!

On behalf of the thousands who are fighting for their lives, thank you for your support!