Almost 3 years ago to the day (May 10, 2002), I would have never predicted the turn of events that have come upon me. That was the day that I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. After my recovery and current remission, I responded to an invitation from Amy Kluth, the Exec. Dir. of the Wellness Community, Orange County. She diabolically planted a seed to start getting in shape to run a marathon. After running my very first training run with our trainer, Peter Cross, I knew I had a whole lot of work in front of me. I could barely finish 2 miles without tanking out. Finishing all 26.2 miles of a marathon to me seemed like a pipe dream. Fast forward to May 1, 2005... I had dedicated a year and half of training to finally toe the start of my first full-distance marathon, the Adidas Vancouver International Marathon. The weather was slightly chilly and I felt a lump in my throat. this race meant very much to me. I was thinking about my dad who had passed away last year on Father's Day. He was able to see my medal from the half-marathon that I had completed in Vancouver as well. Thoughts of him flooded my heart knowing that I was racing in memory of his fighting spirit as well as all of the cancer community and for my own recovery. The start went off without a hitch; I was able to run at a consistent pace. My target finish was to finish under 4 hours. The first 8 miles felt great. I even managed a few miles at under 9 minutes per mile, which would have definitely gotten me a sub-4 hour finish. A highlight here was running with a fellow Strides For Hope participant, Carol, from the Maryland-based Wellness Community. Carol eventually dropped off the pace I was keeping around mile ten and I found myself running through Gastown with a new running companion, Marnie, a Vancouver local. In Gastown the CEO of the Wellness Community, Kim, spotted me and she cheered, "Go Sterling!! You rock star!!" To back up a bit, I had just dyed the top of hair a bright fire engine red to amp me up to run this race. My whole racing outfit colors were red and black.
I found myself turning into beautiful Stanley Park around mile 12. The park was awe inspiring. There were just huge trees everywhere. The entire course in Vancouver is very scenic with great views of the city and sea. I just wished around this time I didn't start feeling a little bit tired, so that I could enjoy the view a bit more; I was still on pace to finish in 4 hours. My half marathon split time was 2 hours and 1 minute. After finishing my loop through Stanley Park, I had my first date with the Burrard Street Bridge at Mile 17. It is a long climb, about a half a mile of energy-draining work. I could feel myself slowing down and dropping off some off of my target pace. The second half of the course was definitely more challenging with the some pretty large rolling hills. The weather started warming up (it felt like mid 70's to me), so the very friendly volunteers started distributing sponges dipped in ice water to help us cool off. Marnie had now dropped off my pace, by this time as well.
I faced the last 5 miles without anybody to chat with. Before the 21 mile turnaround on a long incline in Jericho Beach, I saw several racers writhing on the road in agony with really bad cramps. I said to myself that will not be me. So I made sure to keep myself hydrated and taking my electrolyte tablets to prevent that from happening to me. I was definitely feeling tired by now and the heat combined with the hills slowed down my pace even more. I had resigned by now that I was not going to be able to finish in under 4 hours anymore. I was telling myself just to give it my best effort and to finish strong. At Mile 23, I was definitely feeling fatigue setting into my legs. I allowed myself to walk through the water station just to give myself a little break. It was the only time I allowed myself to walk during this race. Mile 24... Hello darkness, my old friend. The return trip on the Burrard Bridge back to the city was sheer agony. The return of this bridge is even more difficult because it is steeper going back into the city and longer in distance as well. At the top of climb, a lone supporter held up a sign that read, ‘There are no quitters today." I logged my slowest mile of the race here, 10 minutes and 21 seconds. I felt really drained after climbing the bridge again. Back into the city, there was a small steep hill. I began walking a few steps and I couldn't believe that I was walking. I had to finish this race running. thinking about my dad definitely gave me enough motivation to finish as best as I could. At Mile 26, I rounded a corner where I could see the finish line. I let out a primal scream. The crowd on the side was definitely louder here and my eyes began to well up with tears. After crossing the finish line, I gave the cute little Chinese girl that draped my medal around my neck the biggest bear hug that I could manage. My finish time ended up at 4 hours and 7 minutes.
In closing, I want to thank everybody that supported my special endeavor. Special thanks goes to everybody in my support group and staff at the Wellness Community, OC. Especially my teammates this year. I am so proud of all of you guys: Martha, Erica, Gary, and Naomie. Thanks for all the laughs we had up in Vancouver. I am definitely ready to do this again for you all on Jan. 15th, 2006 in Phoenix at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. I want to finish in under 4 hours this time. Anybody care to join me? Special mention to my Mom and brother David. Thanks for understanding my crazy training schedule. I look forward to spending some time recouping at home. Thanks also to my dear friends at Epic church. I look forward to getting reacquainted in what is going on with everybody there. Also a big shout out to my 'long' running buddies in Long Beach from Runner's High and Limericks: Susan, Cyndi, Donny, Dana, Gary, Leticia, Laurie Jo, and Liz. Thanks for all the smiles and support when it counted.