It is always a big deal when you enter a new decade of your life. I feel as if I was just back in college counting down the hours till I was 21 (that first legal drink :)) and then in a blink of an eye I'm 30. I hoped that I wouldn't wake up Sunday morning with a full head of gray hairs or a wrinkle or two on my face, I succeeded!
Simply, it's a new age group. A new first number when writing down my age. A step towards maturity lol....It is also a new chance. My 20's had so many moments. Some good and some not so good. I feel liked I learned a lot and have plenty more to learn. I begin my 30's with a wonderful career (a career I would never have imagined a decade ago), an amazing group of friends and family, and an incredible goal.
If you had asked me when I turned twenty what my goals would be for the next decade, I would have had many responses. To graduate college, become a successful teacher, make new friends, and travel would have been just a couple. However, some of my greatest accomplishments of this past decade would never have been spoken of when the decade began. Run 25 marathon (are you kidding me) in 13 states (that's a good one Dave). I hope you see my point.
Now as I turn 30 and enter what is going to be an even better chapter in my life, I know of at least one major goal that lies ahead. Ironman Lake Placid on July 27, 2014. The name and date flow off my tongue like it was my own name. I'm sure people are already sick and tired of hearing me talk about it but yet I promise not to shut up about it for a long time. Where these next 8 months will take me will defy all that I know. I will push myself to the ultimate finish line in the Olympic Oval. An oval that once housed the greatest athletes in the world. A place, in 1980, where Americans were given a second chance to believe in there country by a hockey team that wasn't suppose to do anything.
I will, in my own small way, attempt to redefine the word possible. I will do it through the tremendous support of my friends and family. Here is to the next 10 years and the journey that is sure to be amazing!!
Please consider supporting my cause for Ironman Lake Placid. You can donate at my webpage, http://www.active.com/donate/14mmrfimlakeplacid/davidcorbett
Thanks so much!
Friday, November 22, 2013
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Lake Placid Here We Go
Over the past 8 years I have learned to love being active. Running, the simple sport of putting one leg in front of the other has turned from a weight lost technique to a passion. Until very recently I had never seen myself as anything more than a really active runner. Well that is all about to change over the next 9 months.
What could be more challenging than trying to push myself to sub 3 hour marathon performances? Perhaps an ultra but that's not really my style. There is always the Ironman! Yes you only have to run 26.2 miles but there is that 2.4 mile swim and 112 on the bike before you get there. Perfect!
Over the next 3/4 of the year I will challenge and push my body to perhaps its physical limits. I will learn to accept doubt and continue to push through the voices that say it's to much. Why would I do such a foolish thing? Because it is the Ironman.
The Ironman! The ultimate endurance event that challenges everyone who throws themselves into the arena.
I hope you will follow me on my journey to the finish line I will likely dream about almost every night. I also hope you will all consider giving to the Multiple Myeloma Foundation. It is thanks to them that I can dream so big and give back in my own small way. Simply visit my fundraising page: athttp://www.active.com/donate/14mmrfimlakeplacid/davidcorbett
Anything you can give means so much to me and I thank you so much in advance!
Here is to the journey that will lead to July 27, 2014 :)
What could be more challenging than trying to push myself to sub 3 hour marathon performances? Perhaps an ultra but that's not really my style. There is always the Ironman! Yes you only have to run 26.2 miles but there is that 2.4 mile swim and 112 on the bike before you get there. Perfect!
Over the next 3/4 of the year I will challenge and push my body to perhaps its physical limits. I will learn to accept doubt and continue to push through the voices that say it's to much. Why would I do such a foolish thing? Because it is the Ironman.
The Ironman! The ultimate endurance event that challenges everyone who throws themselves into the arena.
I hope you will follow me on my journey to the finish line I will likely dream about almost every night. I also hope you will all consider giving to the Multiple Myeloma Foundation. It is thanks to them that I can dream so big and give back in my own small way. Simply visit my fundraising page: athttp://www.active.com/donate/14mmrfimlakeplacid/davidcorbett
Anything you can give means so much to me and I thank you so much in advance!
Here is to the journey that will lead to July 27, 2014 :)
Sunday, March 24, 2013
2 seconds
I firmly believe that you are judged in life not by the simple decisions you make but by the decisions made when life might not be so simple. The same can be said in running. It's not the races when everything feels easy and you achieve an amazing time (that is still wonderful) but rather when things get challenging and you keep moving forward. The courage to succeed is in all of us and it's not about how talented a runner you might be, it's about pursuing your dreams no matter what anyone else says.
For six straight years I have toed the line at the Eastern States 20 miler. At first, it was the challenge of the distance and over time the challenge has turned to how fast can I cover the distance. I never arrived at the Eastern States believing that a sub 2 hour 20 mile effort was possible. I had run as fast as 2:04 but this year was different. My times have been improving at rates that seem alarming fast, especially considering the pace I attempt to run at. Could I cover 20 miles in less than 2 hours? I had dreams that it was possible but it's not about what you dream about the night before but what you do when the moment arrives.
The race started at everything felt fast. Yes, I know I run fast but it felt to fast. I tried to dismiss the thoughts but everything in the first 4 miles told me that race day had arrived and I didn't have it. I was clicking off fast miles but was struggling to hold it together. I passed the four mile mark and began to feel better. For the first time I thought my legs are finally warmed up. I passed through the 5 mile mark at 29:42 and made a mental check in my mind. I was on pace.
5 miles later, the pace felt great. I had a smile on my face and genually felt happy to be out there. There was a light eastern states breeze coming from the side and a group of 3 of us running 4th, 5th, and 6th respectively. I rolled through 10 miles in under an hour and made another mental check mark. Two more boxes to check off and I would be there.
I took the next four miles in stride and when I arrived at the 14 mile mark I was feeling good. I was hoping at that point that I could make a strong final effort in the final 10k of the race. Mile 15 clicked at 5:58 and I was through 15 miles in under an hour and 30 minutes. One check mark left.
Like I said at the beginning, it's not about the races that you feel great in the whole way through. It's about the races that try to beat you down and you refuse to let it happen. By mile 15 I was working my ass off and I knew it. I rolled through mile 16 at 6:04 and then mile 17 at 6:08. The effort was still there but I was fading. 12 seconds had been given back in 2 miles and I didn't have a lot of time to work with. By the time I arrived at the 19 mile mark, my watch read 1:54:08. I was 8 seconds behind pace and needed a killer 20th mile to pull out sub 2. 19 miles into a race there are a lot of thoughts running through your mind. Unfortunately, none of those thoughts involve speed.
Still, I continued to push. I willed myself to run as fast as possible and hoped that I had a 5:51 mile left in me. As the finish line approached I took a quick look at my watch, I had less than a minute to get there. Driven by pure determination, I sprinted. It was that final push where I felt like at any moment I could fall to the ground in total exhaustion but still I sprinted. I finally got my eyes on the clock and saw that I had just a few seconds to round the corner and get across the line. 55...56....57....58....stop. I had the race official shout the time as I crossed, 1:59:58.
Impossible is nothing.
For six straight years I have toed the line at the Eastern States 20 miler. At first, it was the challenge of the distance and over time the challenge has turned to how fast can I cover the distance. I never arrived at the Eastern States believing that a sub 2 hour 20 mile effort was possible. I had run as fast as 2:04 but this year was different. My times have been improving at rates that seem alarming fast, especially considering the pace I attempt to run at. Could I cover 20 miles in less than 2 hours? I had dreams that it was possible but it's not about what you dream about the night before but what you do when the moment arrives.
The race started at everything felt fast. Yes, I know I run fast but it felt to fast. I tried to dismiss the thoughts but everything in the first 4 miles told me that race day had arrived and I didn't have it. I was clicking off fast miles but was struggling to hold it together. I passed the four mile mark and began to feel better. For the first time I thought my legs are finally warmed up. I passed through the 5 mile mark at 29:42 and made a mental check in my mind. I was on pace.
5 miles later, the pace felt great. I had a smile on my face and genually felt happy to be out there. There was a light eastern states breeze coming from the side and a group of 3 of us running 4th, 5th, and 6th respectively. I rolled through 10 miles in under an hour and made another mental check mark. Two more boxes to check off and I would be there.
I took the next four miles in stride and when I arrived at the 14 mile mark I was feeling good. I was hoping at that point that I could make a strong final effort in the final 10k of the race. Mile 15 clicked at 5:58 and I was through 15 miles in under an hour and 30 minutes. One check mark left.
Like I said at the beginning, it's not about the races that you feel great in the whole way through. It's about the races that try to beat you down and you refuse to let it happen. By mile 15 I was working my ass off and I knew it. I rolled through mile 16 at 6:04 and then mile 17 at 6:08. The effort was still there but I was fading. 12 seconds had been given back in 2 miles and I didn't have a lot of time to work with. By the time I arrived at the 19 mile mark, my watch read 1:54:08. I was 8 seconds behind pace and needed a killer 20th mile to pull out sub 2. 19 miles into a race there are a lot of thoughts running through your mind. Unfortunately, none of those thoughts involve speed.
Still, I continued to push. I willed myself to run as fast as possible and hoped that I had a 5:51 mile left in me. As the finish line approached I took a quick look at my watch, I had less than a minute to get there. Driven by pure determination, I sprinted. It was that final push where I felt like at any moment I could fall to the ground in total exhaustion but still I sprinted. I finally got my eyes on the clock and saw that I had just a few seconds to round the corner and get across the line. 55...56....57....58....stop. I had the race official shout the time as I crossed, 1:59:58.
Impossible is nothing.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
March check in
I feel like my training is starting to come together nicely. I had a good reality check about 3 weeks ago in Hyannis and it was a huge wake up call. Despite nasty weather conditions, my "effort" in Hyannis left something to be desired. A week later, with low expectations and high motivation I ran my ass off at Stu's. I stood on the starting line more worried about my effort than my time. It payed off.
On a hilly course I came through the half marathon at nearly the same time as Hyannis (much flatter) and continued to throw down quick miles. The time of 1:53:49 was nearly four minutes faster than last year and stood out more in my mind than the 2nd overall finish. Although, I was happy to drop to runners late to take second overall.
An 84 mile week on the back of Stu's didn't hurt my progress and now it feels like the nice weather is on its way. It's always nice to be able to log quality miles in 40 - 50 degree weather than it is in 20 - 30 degrees. The weeks will continue to be big for another 6 weeks and then a nice taper into Fargo.
Eastern States looms on the horizon in only a week and half. This will be my 6th straight year at Eastern States and one that I'm really looking forward to. I had an excellent race last year (2:04:23) with an impressive final 10K. This year I will focus more on the same hard effort and see what time that can produce. A sub 2 hour Eastern States is not out of the question and would go a long way for my confidence.
More to come. Thanks for reading.
On a hilly course I came through the half marathon at nearly the same time as Hyannis (much flatter) and continued to throw down quick miles. The time of 1:53:49 was nearly four minutes faster than last year and stood out more in my mind than the 2nd overall finish. Although, I was happy to drop to runners late to take second overall.
An 84 mile week on the back of Stu's didn't hurt my progress and now it feels like the nice weather is on its way. It's always nice to be able to log quality miles in 40 - 50 degree weather than it is in 20 - 30 degrees. The weeks will continue to be big for another 6 weeks and then a nice taper into Fargo.
Eastern States looms on the horizon in only a week and half. This will be my 6th straight year at Eastern States and one that I'm really looking forward to. I had an excellent race last year (2:04:23) with an impressive final 10K. This year I will focus more on the same hard effort and see what time that can produce. A sub 2 hour Eastern States is not out of the question and would go a long way for my confidence.
More to come. Thanks for reading.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
2012 Male Runner of the Year
A year ago I was honored to be able to give away the Male Runner of the Year award to one of my greatest friends, John Kelly. At the time, I thought this was just the beginning of so many great moments I would share with him. I had no idea it would be one of the last. A month and a half later, John was gone.
Life as I knew it had changed forever on a cold week in January. Now almost a year after loosing John, I'm honored to be the 2012 Mystic Male Runner of the Year. I like to believe it means a little bit more to me now because of who held it before. John was a fierce competitor and a great runner. He would always thank others before ever thinking of himself. In some ways, he gave me more credit for his great running then himself (despite the fact that the man put in more work than anyone else).
I made it my mission at the beginning of 2012 to honor John by giving everything I had to running. I believe I did that and some more. I knew John would watch over me and help me along the way.
What I didn't realize then but do now is how special a group of people the Mystic Runners are. The features that John possesed are also possesed by so many other people in this great group. After receiving my award last night I took a look around the room at all my friends. Moments like that are rare and sweet and I knew then how lucky I am. Without all my friends (you all know who you are) this moment would have been impossible. You all inspire me!
Thank you!!
Life as I knew it had changed forever on a cold week in January. Now almost a year after loosing John, I'm honored to be the 2012 Mystic Male Runner of the Year. I like to believe it means a little bit more to me now because of who held it before. John was a fierce competitor and a great runner. He would always thank others before ever thinking of himself. In some ways, he gave me more credit for his great running then himself (despite the fact that the man put in more work than anyone else).
I made it my mission at the beginning of 2012 to honor John by giving everything I had to running. I believe I did that and some more. I knew John would watch over me and help me along the way.
What I didn't realize then but do now is how special a group of people the Mystic Runners are. The features that John possesed are also possesed by so many other people in this great group. After receiving my award last night I took a look around the room at all my friends. Moments like that are rare and sweet and I knew then how lucky I am. Without all my friends (you all know who you are) this moment would have been impossible. You all inspire me!
Thank you!!
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