Thoughts on my Chicago Marathon

Marathons hurt and are hard!

 

But also make you feel proud of having accomplished something remarkable.

 

Although deep down I am disappointed of not being able to record a personal best at this distance after the extensive training I did… I am still over the moon that I was able to finish.

 

I am very fortunate to have had the chance to run another “major” marathon.  The tour of the city was enjoyable even if my stomach issues at Mile 20 slowed me down.

 

Also, it was an honor to attempt to keep up with the one and only Clot Buster INSPIRATION MAN Eric O’Connor… We did not get to start together but I was able to catch up with the 3:10 pace group and stay with him until about Mile 12 when I finally lost him as I needed to dial things back if I had any hope to survive.

 

And that brings me to my next question… WHY DO I ALWAYS GO OUT SO FAST?!?!?

 

I can’t pace properly to save my life.

 

Being competitive I was chasing butterflies attempting to keep up with a pace that was way out of my league.  Every time I do this.  EVERY TIME!

 

Seems to me that I need a serious kick in the pants to be realistic as to what I can achieve.  I missed an opportunity to improve my best performance and until the next marathon (whenever that it is) I have to bow down to the lady in our house as the fastest marathoner around… She gets the title because she is and always will be the BEST RUNNER under our roof!

 

At any rate, I will never forget this experience even with some of the issues I had.

 

 

Most importantly the CLOT BUSTER #StopTheClot polka-dots got called out by spectators all throughout the 26.2 Miles.  It was music to my ears to hear people reading off my shirt… I just hope that at least one person out there remember STOPTHECLOT.org and learns a thing or two about blood clots and blood clotting disorders.

 

It is AMAZING to see Blood Clot Survivors everywhere overcoming the challenges of their clotting incident and achieving their goals.  From the Chicago Marathon, to IRONMAN Races, to the Columbus Marathon, to the Marine Corps Marathon, to the New York City Marathon the polka-dots are represented as survivors are getting celebrated and are inspiring others to overcome!

 

Thanks for reading,

 

The Clot Buster

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

 

 

 

October Athlete of the Month

2015 has been an impressive year as it relates to getting the chance to meet many new Blood Clot Survivors...

But for October's Edition of this post I have to CELEBRATE a Blood Clot Survivor that is TRULY an INSPIRATION...

This Blood Clot Survivor is tireless...

This Blood Clot Survivor simply cannot stop...

This Blood Clot Survivor CANNOT be stopped...

Back in October of 2012 I had the honor to feature this individual and ever since I've been just trying to just keep up with him.

Please see the link below to re-visit the story I posted about this amazing individual...

http://clot-buster-triathlete.blogspot.com/2012/10/october-athlete-of-month.html

ERIC O'CONNOR Please never stop doing what you are doing...!

Honestly I have a hard time keeping track of what this guy has accomplished this year.

From running 24 STRAIGHT HOURS on a Treadmill to create awareness about STOP THE CLOT...

To running ALL OVER THE COLORADO ROCKIES...

To running in the upcoming CHICAGO MARATHON and I will be there to see him simply torch that course... There will be some very fast STOP THE CLOT polka-dots running in Chicago and those will be Eric's!

It has been a pleasure to be able to follow this amazing individual and I can't wait to see what is next for him down the road.  If I am lucky enough I hope to tag along and have a pair of STOP THE CLOT polka-dots taking on the next challenge to spread the word and create awareness.

Thank You for Reading!

The Clot Buster