Trifecta

David Hamel

Description

This memoir chronicles the life of a runner celebrating the completion of 26+ years of 26.2 mile marathon races. His “Trifecta” comprises over 100 marathons, one in all 50 states, and two finishes in the coveted Boston Marathon. He shares a veteran’s personal journey of overcoming life’s challenges and disasters to achieving daily victories, with a focus on a runner’s WHY.
“You are a runner, a marathoner, the master of time management, meticulous planning, logistics, and travel. You are extremely versatile and adaptable. Somehow you make it all fit. Your WHY drives your WILL . . . it all comes back to your WHY.”—David Hamel

Sujets

• Sports
• Trifecta
• Runner
• Memoir
• Running
• Recreation
• Hamel
• David
• Marathon
• Sport
• Autres sports

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 20 juin 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665558785
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

TRIFECTA
26+ Years of 26.2: Chronicles of a Marathoner

DAVID HAMEL

 
© Revised 2021 and 2022 David Hamel (2018). All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: [phone]
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
 
Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6655-5877-8 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-5878-5 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022908355
 
 
 
Published by AuthorHouse 08/08/2022

CONTENTS
PREFACE
1. IN THE BEGINNING
2. MY FOUNDATIONS
3. EARLY DEVELOPMENT
4. TURNING POINTS
5. FIRST MARATHON
6. QUEST FOR BOSTON
7. MAINTENANCE
8. CALIFORNIA RAMPAGE
9. A NEW LIFE
10. OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING
11. BACK TO WHY
12. A NEW DIRECTION
13. MISSION CREEP
14. FAMILY MATTERS
15. EXTREME BALANCE
16. QUEST FOR 100
17. 50 STATES
18. BOSTON STRONG
19. POST TRIFECTA
20. RETURN TO OKLAHOMA CITY
21. POST RACE II
22. END RUN 2016
23. EPILOGUE 2017
24. AND BEYOND
25: CATCH UP TO COVID
26: COVID YEAR II
27: GLEN “BUB” DOHERTY
28: LANCE CORPORAL DYLAN MEROLA
29: BOSTON II
30: MY FINISH LINE
PERSONAL BESTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MARATHONS

 
Dedicated to all runners, past, present, and future ….
‘One foot in front of the other, one step at a time, at your own pace, running your own race, consistently.’
 

 
Boston Marathon April 19, 2014
Beyond 26 Miles during .2 …
finish line in sight!
PREFACE
My last marathon of the 2016 calendar year was a finish in the Cannonball Marathon in Greensboro, North Carolina in October. December 9 th of that same year marked the end of my 26 th year of marathon running. Unlike other anniversary celebrations, most notably at 25 years, it would just not be the same as, well, 26 years. And since marathoners go the extra mile it would make sense to go the extra year! As I celebrated that 115 th marathon finish, I began to reminisce about all these years of running marathons. By the anniversary date, the idea of writing about the entirety of that journey and how it all began started to sink in.
By this time, I had also wrote a book titled, “4:09 to 9:02” Boston to Oklahoma and New York Cities: Beyond the Bombings. But it focused on a particular marathon journey between three specific events. Thus, it would be impossible to tell my entire running story without revisiting some of those events during this writing, albeit in less detail. But what would I title this new adventure and why? So I asked myself, what are three personal milestones that I could attribute to being a very accomplished marathoner? And so after much thought, I came to the conclusion that completing over 100 marathons, with a finish in all 50 states, and a finish in the Boston Marathon were very high marks of success and of great satisfaction. And so, a “trifecta” of accomplishment was established … and the title of this book was created.
And so I now begin with, wow! 26 years of 26.2 mile races, all injury free, and completing every race I ever started in, never dropping out or not finishing. My journey from December of 1990 to December of 2016 and beyond is really quite amazing but it does begin with a single step … then many steps, from my base development in childhood, through various life stages, before even arriving at the starting line of my first marathon. To me, understanding that initial journey to the first race is just as important to build upon as it set the foundation to the lifelong races that would follow ... and of being a performer, not a spectator, in life. In addition, my New England sports teams and marathon heroes would also greatly inspire and motivate me when I needed it most.
Running is really about the road of dealing with life and overcoming the hills and sometimes mountains that often come with it … and the enormous feelings of elation after each successful finish line crossing. With camera in hand, come run with me!

Disclaimer: My memories are imperfect but I am sharing to the best of my knowledge and have changed identities where applicable. This story is a memoir based on my personal experiences from memory, photo albums, scrap books, personal diaries, airman performance reports, and discussions with other friend of the times.
1. IN THE BEGINNING
The lure of the marathon … that 26.2 mile foot race has to begin somewhere (.2 is 385 yards). It is surely something that you don’t just decide to do one day and presto it’s done! To complete such a feat, it really does begin with a first step somewhere … usually walking. Then a buildup to a 1-mile run, eventually to a 5K (3.1 mile), then on to a 10K (6.2 mile). For many, this is as good as it gets. But to make the leap to the half-marathon takes much more dedication, training, and planning. By this time, you usually know if you have reached your greatest plateau or are beginning to really get the runner’s itch. In all cases, it’s really about finding out and being all you can be. One, some, or all of these runner’s milestones are often goals on one’s “bucket list” of life accomplishments … but ya really gotta want it!
But, ah, the glory of the marathon also begins with the ancient fable of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, making a 25 mile run to Athens in 490 B.C. exclaiming “Nike!” (Victory!) over the Persians at the battle of Marathon before collapsing to his death ... or so the legend goes. And later the one mile and 385 yards (.2 miles) were added during the 1908 Olympics in London, England to finish in front of the royalty box at White City Stadium, which then became the standard marathon distance we know today. To me, the .2 is the most exhilarating part of the race as the finish line and clock are in sight, the fans are really excited, and you know that you are going to finish. It is often the slow motion memory re-played in one’s mind.
It also begins with a “WHY”? This is THE biggest factor of any event. It is THE very reason and inspiration of being there. WHY are YOU there? It is the cornerstone of YOUR motivation. YOU MUST have a WHY! Why? Because when your training or race is not going well, that WHY will be the ultimate deciding factor whether YOU quit or press-on. When the chips are down, the weather goes bad, the hills become too much, and everything hurts, you WILL ask yourself WHY are you even there! … YOU’D better have an answer! Your success or failure depends on it. Believe me, running is very much a psychological event as it is a physical one. Unless you are on a relay team, running is very much a solo effort. There is no one to lean on out there, especially in distance running like the marathon. You cannot coast like on a bicycle. Your feet stop, you stop … no wheels! You are often on your own and you will have to dig deep, especially when your fuel tank is running low or an old memory comes back to haunt you. Remember: You are running TO something … not FROM something!
But there are many good and great days when the sun is shining and you feel good and everything feels synchronized. You are a well oiled machine and today is your day! You feel total freedom and are in a sightseeing mood. There are days where you think you feel good only to find you just didn’t have the gusto after all. Then there are the days you simply feel miserable and just getting out the door is a major hurdle as you dread and actually fear the run ... but you somehow eventually make it out the door and you get out there … then everything seems to fall into place. Yeah, that is a very gratifying day … your WHY was strong enough to propel you!
I tend to dwell more on the WHY than HOW I train. I have found that no amount of training will be sufficient for your event if your mind isn’t in the right place. It drives your motivation to train. Want to lose weight, had your heart broken, pissed off at your boss, trying to think things through? … I’ve solved many a problem during these runs and also engineered great ideas. You can too! And sometimes it takes events that are out of your control that drive you in a certain direction ... you don’t know why but you know you must. It’s your gut feeling that’s telling you. Your gut can be your WHY. How much are you willing to listen or ignore it? It’s a compass that you develop over time. I certainly have developed one and I tend to be more aware and respond accordingly as I’ve matured (I try not to say as I’ve gotten older. But at 58 years of age my experience tells me so!)
But you also can’t ignore training. Set realistic expectations otherwise you set yourself up for failure. There are some days I plan for a 6 mile run, then I get out there and it just isn’t there. I re-adjust and re-adapt and maybe eke out a 3 miler. It’s Ok! There were many other days where everything does fall in place and I’d glide to an 8 miler instead! Trainin