The Last 75 Days
October 29, 2009
Nike+ Human Race Quick Links
What have you done over the last 75 days? Have you run your first race? Have you lost weight? Have you gotten faster? Have you accomplished one of your life goals? Or have the the last 75 days just passed you by? When I asked myself that very question, I realized I had experienced something special.
08.11.09
5:00 am: My alarm had just gone off. Normally, I hit the snooze button at least twice before I roll out of bed, but it wasn't any normal Tuesday. I knew I was going on a business trip later that day. And this wasn't any normal business trip. I showered, ate, and headed out the door, dressed in business attire, ready for another busy day in the office. The work day was just like any other. I got my cup of coffee to start the day. I analyzed financial statements, talked with a business owner and their accountant, and underwrote and structured their loan. And after ten hours sitting in a gray partitioned cubicle in a window-less building in Pasadena, I jumped on to a plane to a place I'd never been...Nike World Headquarters in Portland, Oregon. I had been selected as one of ten Nike+ Human Race Ambassadors.
08.11.09 - 10.24.09
Over the next seventy-three days in between my trip to Nike World Headquarters and the 2009 Nike+ Human Race, I had an unbelievable time. There are so many different experiences I couldn't possibly write about all of them in a short blog. But throughout my experience as a Nike+ Human Race Ambassador, I did do this:
Made new friends: It started the night of August 11th, when I met some of the other nine Ambassadors: Amandah, Drew, Erin, Heidi, Ken, Petey, Sarah, Shannon, and Toto. We were all strangers in Portland for the same reason and we only spent 2 days together. But we formed a tight-knit friendship and had a common goal: To have fun while promoting the Human Race. And because of this goal, we have all met and made friends all over the world. I went to a Ladera Center coffee shop to run with a small group of local runners. I ran with over a hundred Club Run LA runners at Niketown Beverly Hills. I met random walkers and runners while running around the Rose Bowl. I challenged Nike+ runners to distance races, fastest runs, and recruiting their friends to the Nike+ community. And while the Nike+ Human Race has finished, I will continue to make more friends throughout the world through Nike+.
Had fun: The experiences I've had and the friends I've made over the last seventy-five days have been amazing. I ran more over the last seventy-five days than I had all year. I introduced people to the benefits of Nike+. I have become stronger. I trained with people in California, Arizona and New Jersey, as well as London, Thailand, and Japan. I raced against the WORLD! Running with Nike+ and being a Nike+ Human Race Ambassador has been fun to say the least, and I'm sad that it’s over. I am so thankful to Nike for the opportunity.
Achieved my goal: I was asked numerous times why I was running the 2009 Nike+ Human Race. My answer was simple: To run the entire race. Since I had to walk the majority of the 2008 Human Race due of health reasons, it was very simple setting my goal for 2009. For some reason my stomach was a bit weird before the race. But as soon as we were off, I got into a zone. In no time we were at the 5K turnaround. We were turning around but not going back. I felt good throughout the race and received continuous verbal encouragement from friends and strangers. With my girlfriend with me stride for stride, the kilometers were flying by. And then I saw it: the bright lights of the finish line. We gave it our last kick and we were done. The time at the finish-line read 42'30". But it wasn't about my time. I had achieved my goal, run the entire 10K, and finish STRONG.
10.24.09
3:30 am: My girlfriend, Angela, and I had walked into the house about forty-five minutes earlier. We had just gotten back from the Nike+ Human Race in Los Angeles. We were just two of 8,500 runners who had run through the streets of Downtown LA at midnight a couple hours earlier. Nike Elite Athlete, US Olympian and Trojan alumnus Torri E. kicked off the race. The course was flat and fast. Throughout the course, there were groups of musical performances that kept the energy high and the runners running. We even got glimpses of the other races around the world as they projected images onto the sides of huge sky rise buildings by the Staples Center and LA Live. When we were done, we received finisher's dog tags, refreshments, and enjoyed the spinning of the turntables by DJ Wellz. We didn't want it to end, but like everything else, it had to. After a short drive home, my adrenaline was still pumping and I couldn't wait to share my story. I had such a great time at the race, but it was late and I had to get to sleep.
10.26.09
4:15 pm: I head back for a check-up with my doctor. He had analyzed the most recent blood tests. The news was not good. I had been Graves' free for 75 days. But it is back. Most people would get discouraged. I take it as a challenge. I have battled my Graves' disease since July 2008; struggled to make it through a couple days, not running for eight months straight, but also knocking it down a couple times. I will continue to fight this disease. And one reason why I will beat it is because I run. I run today to spend time with my girlfriend and her dog. I run today to hang out with friends. I run today to relieve stress at work. I run today because I can. It's fun and I enjoy it, with no added pressure, no times to beat, I'm just running to run.
Throughout life, everyone is thrown curveballs. It's not how you dodge them, but how you deal with them. So enjoy every day as it comes, make the best of every opportunity, stay strong, and keep running. Continue to walk, jog, and run to achieve your goals, whether it be to lose weight, beat your friends, get faster, run farther, or be healthier. The countdown to the 2010 Nike+ Human Race has begun. I will be at the starting line. Will you be there with me?
Run Fast, Run Loud, Run Hard, Run Strong. Just Do It!
08.11.09
5:00 am: My alarm had just gone off. Normally, I hit the snooze button at least twice before I roll out of bed, but it wasn't any normal Tuesday. I knew I was going on a business trip later that day. And this wasn't any normal business trip. I showered, ate, and headed out the door, dressed in business attire, ready for another busy day in the office. The work day was just like any other. I got my cup of coffee to start the day. I analyzed financial statements, talked with a business owner and their accountant, and underwrote and structured their loan. And after ten hours sitting in a gray partitioned cubicle in a window-less building in Pasadena, I jumped on to a plane to a place I'd never been...Nike World Headquarters in Portland, Oregon. I had been selected as one of ten Nike+ Human Race Ambassadors.
08.11.09 - 10.24.09
Over the next seventy-three days in between my trip to Nike World Headquarters and the 2009 Nike+ Human Race, I had an unbelievable time. There are so many different experiences I couldn't possibly write about all of them in a short blog. But throughout my experience as a Nike+ Human Race Ambassador, I did do this:
Made new friends: It started the night of August 11th, when I met some of the other nine Ambassadors: Amandah, Drew, Erin, Heidi, Ken, Petey, Sarah, Shannon, and Toto. We were all strangers in Portland for the same reason and we only spent 2 days together. But we formed a tight-knit friendship and had a common goal: To have fun while promoting the Human Race. And because of this goal, we have all met and made friends all over the world. I went to a Ladera Center coffee shop to run with a small group of local runners. I ran with over a hundred Club Run LA runners at Niketown Beverly Hills. I met random walkers and runners while running around the Rose Bowl. I challenged Nike+ runners to distance races, fastest runs, and recruiting their friends to the Nike+ community. And while the Nike+ Human Race has finished, I will continue to make more friends throughout the world through Nike+.
Had fun: The experiences I've had and the friends I've made over the last seventy-five days have been amazing. I ran more over the last seventy-five days than I had all year. I introduced people to the benefits of Nike+. I have become stronger. I trained with people in California, Arizona and New Jersey, as well as London, Thailand, and Japan. I raced against the WORLD! Running with Nike+ and being a Nike+ Human Race Ambassador has been fun to say the least, and I'm sad that it’s over. I am so thankful to Nike for the opportunity.
Achieved my goal: I was asked numerous times why I was running the 2009 Nike+ Human Race. My answer was simple: To run the entire race. Since I had to walk the majority of the 2008 Human Race due of health reasons, it was very simple setting my goal for 2009. For some reason my stomach was a bit weird before the race. But as soon as we were off, I got into a zone. In no time we were at the 5K turnaround. We were turning around but not going back. I felt good throughout the race and received continuous verbal encouragement from friends and strangers. With my girlfriend with me stride for stride, the kilometers were flying by. And then I saw it: the bright lights of the finish line. We gave it our last kick and we were done. The time at the finish-line read 42'30". But it wasn't about my time. I had achieved my goal, run the entire 10K, and finish STRONG.
10.24.09
3:30 am: My girlfriend, Angela, and I had walked into the house about forty-five minutes earlier. We had just gotten back from the Nike+ Human Race in Los Angeles. We were just two of 8,500 runners who had run through the streets of Downtown LA at midnight a couple hours earlier. Nike Elite Athlete, US Olympian and Trojan alumnus Torri E. kicked off the race. The course was flat and fast. Throughout the course, there were groups of musical performances that kept the energy high and the runners running. We even got glimpses of the other races around the world as they projected images onto the sides of huge sky rise buildings by the Staples Center and LA Live. When we were done, we received finisher's dog tags, refreshments, and enjoyed the spinning of the turntables by DJ Wellz. We didn't want it to end, but like everything else, it had to. After a short drive home, my adrenaline was still pumping and I couldn't wait to share my story. I had such a great time at the race, but it was late and I had to get to sleep.
10.26.09
4:15 pm: I head back for a check-up with my doctor. He had analyzed the most recent blood tests. The news was not good. I had been Graves' free for 75 days. But it is back. Most people would get discouraged. I take it as a challenge. I have battled my Graves' disease since July 2008; struggled to make it through a couple days, not running for eight months straight, but also knocking it down a couple times. I will continue to fight this disease. And one reason why I will beat it is because I run. I run today to spend time with my girlfriend and her dog. I run today to hang out with friends. I run today to relieve stress at work. I run today because I can. It's fun and I enjoy it, with no added pressure, no times to beat, I'm just running to run.
Throughout life, everyone is thrown curveballs. It's not how you dodge them, but how you deal with them. So enjoy every day as it comes, make the best of every opportunity, stay strong, and keep running. Continue to walk, jog, and run to achieve your goals, whether it be to lose weight, beat your friends, get faster, run farther, or be healthier. The countdown to the 2010 Nike+ Human Race has begun. I will be at the starting line. Will you be there with me?
Run Fast, Run Loud, Run Hard, Run Strong. Just Do It!
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