It takes a TEAM.

The marathon is nearly here. I can see myself at the finish line already. All the people who have fought with me will be represented. It's time to WIN. I have put in the hours, failed my first marathon, still haven't broke 22 mins on a 5k. But I have put in the work and the stage is set. This marathon is mine.

Nobody can tell me that I don't have passion. I have wanted this my whole life. I want to be great. I want to win. I want to hit a new goal.

Training-

This has been going pretty well. The weeks are flying off and with just under 10 days to go. I feel very confident on my feet and feel as though I can go the distance. My lifetime miles just broke 1000. The Philly Marathon will mark my first full year of running as a sport. When I look back I see the incredible journey, the people I have met, the sweat equity, the food. Wait catch that last one.......the FOOD.

So where do we go from here?:
I go to the finish line and I don't stop until I win. But guys catch this.......forreal catch this!!!

"I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion." 

All that passion at the beginning isn't VANITY. Guys I have passion as a result of every last person who has taken the time to stop and invest into me.

Here I come Team DEteriminate. We are gonna rock the house for cancer research.

Oh and I got new glasses....tehehehe < that is a very manly funny laugh btw ;)

I will also very shamelessly plug my Halloween outfit which was legit.

But just remember one thing today.......it takes VISION. > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOy0YgUDwDg

You DESERVE to be GREAT everyday that your alive. Stop accepting average.

Raising Hope

Hello friends.....to my dismay it appears I have been rather behind on my post's on here. ahh where to begin?

I have kept up with my running. I am training very aggressively for my first 50k which I am registered for in January. This one I have already signed the papers on...no waiting list. I cannot wait I know it will be a great experience.

I saw this poster by Barry Sanders...It sparked my imagination to try something new!

 

I Applied to Fully Fundraise my 2nd marathon. I would support the American Cancer Society. You ask why?

When I was just four years old, I spent many nights in and out of A.I. DuPont hospital at my big brother’s side. He had been diagnosed with Leukemia at a very young age, and we battled many years of ups and downs. We experienced different laughs and different struggles. I watched my brother Neil, at such a young age, FIGHT for his life against a circumstance he had no control over. Neil has been in remission for several years now and claims it to be a sheer VICTORY. Through extensive help and support from charities like the American Cancer Society, he was able to regain a healthy life. He has a truly amazing wife now and even a little baby, Xavier. This charity has a very special place in my heart. Just as I saw my brother go through these obstacles and WIN, I want to give as many children as possible the same opportunity.

This greatly affected my entire week last week. I didn't do any elaborate promotion. I simply sent a few messages via email, and spoke with a few people in person. However, what I did do, something I was taught quite sometime ago, was thank each individual person through a personalized email and a shout-out on FB. I had a few people who supported the cause even say, I just wanted to hear someone like yourself speak such kind words about me. I love it!

In just 7 days this happened!

We ARE changing the course of cancer!

Through all the help and support of the people you see in the scrolling banner below, we have been able to donate $1,000.00 to the FIGHT against cancer. Friends, I never could have raised this money alone. I consider it a sheer VICTORY in the race for the cure. We aren’t done yet; in support of all your contributions, I will be running 26.2 miles for the cause. I know… Can you believe it? Who would run all that distance?! It is a tremendous blessing that I can showcase my athleticism for OUR support to such a fantastic charity. As I continue training in the weeks to come, you will all hold a special place in my heart. When I toe the line on November 17th, showcased on the front of my jersey will be the names of the people who have/are FIGHTING cancer, and displayed on the back will be YOUR names: the army of volunteers that are FIGHTING alongside people like my brother.

Look for pictures on November 17th, and thanks for volunteering to FIGHT!

I cannot express how deeply moved I am at this feat. None of which is on my accord. I would have done none of this without the support of so many people. I just want everyone who is reading this to know YOU INSPIRE ME TO WIN. 

I'll be back and forth with different running updates, statistics and that nonsense we fill space with, but this.....this is something GOOD happening in the world.

FIGHT on!

Ryan

till DEATH do us part...

Wow! The greatest stories I have heard or watched on TV tend to be struggle victories. You know, for some peculiar reason they keep me so engaged to the very last moment. It's just something about seeing or hearing the person at their whits end, and still to every last breath they are pushing through every last barrier. Ahhh I love those so much, so inspiring and captivating. Why do I bring up such a random tangent or thought?

The Struggle:
One week ago I found out that my 40 mile race would need to be postponed. This was for multiple reasons and truly was a very logical decision.

It had come to the point in my training where I was not excelling beyond where I needed to be. I wasn't hitting certain milestones and wasn't in the range for total mileage needed to survive such an endevour. 

On top of being at my whit's end with my actual running, I had a few conscious decision to make in regards to my personal business. The entire trip for me, being at a distance, would have cost a portion of money that could be allocated in other areas to strengthen other people. 

I was distraught on every level with every facet of my life.

The Victory:
I began reading and serving other people. 

One thing I have learned recently is that we are very selfish creatures. Left alone to our own vices, we would probably sit around and wallow in self-pity and anguish over such a decision(My Opinion). I was often told just go and serve other people and read you way through a problem or situation. This will take the focus of yourself and turn that huge mountain inside your head, into the molehill it truly is.  

I mean lets be honest there are races literally everyday all across the US, it's really not that serious. 

The voices flooded in though, 'Ryan you trained for this, you deserve this, this is your race, how could you do this". It felt like I couldn't escape "me was getting the best of me".

I pushed through it all, and made a decision that would be of greater impact 5 years from now. 

The Resolve:
I decided to post-pone my October 5th 40 mile race. I will be training for an even bigger, better race. It is set in the early portion of next year. I am continuing to train as it is a 50 mile road/gravel/trail race. It will surely be one of the most beautiful and amazing experiences I have ever be on, and I couldn't be more happy. 

I'm excited to be able to blog a different part of my journey now moving forward. 
This one.....kinda just like a marriage. When both parties say their vows to each other and they share their heart deepest intricacies, they always end with "Till death do us part.." 

Part two of the journey starts now. Till death do I part with this DREAM.


Ryan 
 

The great eschew......

Well this week was a phenomenon week. It seems as though when a person is headed in one straight direction it upsets the chemistry of everyone around them. You may be thinking well of course that is true it happens all the time......and what does that have to do with running? or your training? are you going to tell me something helpful? and what does that weird word in the title mean anyway?

This entire week I have been battling and overcoming(Notice I claim it as a VICTORY!) various bouts of negative energy and discord. One thing I have learned, is several other influences can make you more susceptible to ingesting this energy into your body. Which is never a good thing. We were created to be good, wholesome, amazing creatures, our bodies feel right when positive pure energy is flowing through it.

So this week I had literally reached a breaking point! My spirit had enough and I was becoming aggressive, I would take it out on the trails multiple days a week. It just wasn't helping though...I couldn't release it. My runs were getting tighter, including many sub-8 miles inside the trails, which is monumental to me and my training plan. I wasn't growing as a result though. This was supposed to be a journey, a transition, a new breath, challenge, something to strive for...had it come up short? NO!

That tangent brings me to Saturday morning. A 5am alarm and a 20mile adventure awaited.



For the first time since my full marathon, I logged 20 miles straight. That day I was awake for 23 hours straight!?!!!? How in the world I did that I haven't the slightest clue. I had a BREAKTHROUGH. My body was cleansed and purged, completely rid of the stain that negative energy had left on me. That run renewed me, my spirit, my life.

Long story short....hahaah does that count if I already told the story? and its long? Anyway today I'm exhausted but for a good reason!

I hope that you never forget your DREAM! But this week taught me, I hope you don't think your DREAM will be easy.


Small side note:(I promise)
Yesterday Was a huge cheat day after that week of training and the long run. I completely binged out on unwholesome food and high carbohydrates and calories. Today is back to the grind on my partial vegetarian lifestyle. I will dream about yesterday though, because those wings and soda.....they were amazing! This week taught me to listen to my heart and stick to whats true! You should consider a cheat day for mental health.

Ryan