03/11/2022
So I've run five marathons and as of now, up to 4 triathlons. More coming.
After my third marathon, which I'd run a 3:01, I think I had a mindset of, "I probably ain't gonna do better than that." For some reason, I started to think I don't want to run for just myself anymore. I want to think of ways I could help others. Either through charity or volunteering. Turns out I was going to do both.
I started running with blind people at Achilles Organization. We would meet Saturday mornings and Wednesday nights. The first day I went, they asked for people who ran a little faster pace. I raised my hand. I was introduced to Lamar Brown. He was from the Bronx and had been blind from an early age. We took off with our tether and I caught on pretty quick (A tether is a string each person holds on to as they're running). As you go, the guide leads his athlete through the Central Park loop and the tether is each others main source of connection...at the beginning. As Lamar and I ran more and more together, we became like one. We could just run together and our instincts took over.
It was amazing to learn how powerful Lamar's other senses were. He knew where we were in the park at all times. I remember we had been running for a little while and he had to go to the bathroom. He said, "we're in the upper west side now, isn't there a bathroom around here?" Seems innocuous, but I remember thinking, "how the heck does he know where we are?"
Another time we were running and in a zone (meditative state or trance when running). A girl passed us. He said, "she runs really soft." I was again, amazed. How did he know it was a girl and how did he even hear that?
Lamar and I ran together for a couple years. We did a couple races together, and became great friends. I got a knee injury from jiu jitsu and couldn't run for a while and he got partnered up with other people. When I was thinking of coming back he was too fast for me. Smile. We're still in touch. That's what I love about volunteering.
So I’m running for The Ironman Foundation and I’d love some help!
Please click the link in my bio and go to my fundraising page. Thank You!