As the day that I leave for Basic Training nears, actually only 2 days away, I've realized that I haven't really adequately explained to everyone why I'm joining the Army. I think my family and, especially my kids, when they are old enough to understand, deserve to know why this decision was made, because it affects everyone. As I've been thinking about how to best explain these reasons, I realized that I've already done it. After I signed my contract with the Army, I also had to interview with the commanding officers, which happened to be based in Portland. This was done via satellite conferencing technology. Prior to this interview it was mandatory for me to submit a one page document explaining why I wanted to be an officer in the Army. There are obvious external reasons and perks to joining the Army, such as money, education, student loan repayment, exceptional retirement plan, bonuses, tight knit communities, one stop shops, and the list goes on and on. But for me, all of those things are only appendages of a core reason, patriotism. Therefore, I will let the one page document which I wrote and submitted to "the board" of commanding officers explain myself:
"The United States of America was founded on a pure and conscientious constitution, inspired to establish peace and freedom from oppressive circumstances. For generations she has lent a strong arm to stand up for civility and decency, equality and respect. The United States Army has stood by her colors since its beginnings, and continues to stand by her now. Soldiers current and previous have stood by her colors, and I choose to stand by her now."
"I seek the rank of Officer in the United States Army because my country and her citizens deserve my service, including my heart, mind and strength. My citizenship in the United States of America has provided me the freedom to worship how I choose, equal opportunity to education and employment, and a nurturing environment in which to raise a family. These rights and freedoms are challenged daily by domineering governments and terrorist groups both foreign and domestic."
"As I have grown to adult maturity, I have seen many who carelessly consume the freedoms that our country provides, yet few who give back. On this day, I choose to give to my country. I choose to give back to the thousands of soldiers of the dust who gave their lives for me, my wife, and my children. I choose to give to America, which so desperately needs smart and level headed military leaders to respond effectively and appropriately when the order comes. I seek the rank of Officer because I have received so much and still have much to give."
I stand by this statement with honor, loyalty and respect for my county and its citizens. I still believe that our Army is in desperate need of quality soldiers with moral integrity and good judgment, perhaps more now than ever, especially when considering the recent Ft. Hood tragedy. Please pray for me while I'm away; but even more, pray for Courtney and the kids, that they will be watched over in my absence. I love you all!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Newport Marathon Recap
So, amidst the moving back to the mainland I misplaced my USB, on which I had saved the following description of the Newport Marathon. I wrote this about a week after the marathon, I think, so the experience was still pretty fresh in my mind and the soreness was still apparent as well. Sorry it’s so late. Better late than never.
My first marathon experience had its highs, and it had its lows. First, I have to shout a huge thank you to grandma and the cousins for watching the little ones so Courtney and I could have a fun time. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Though I did not train much at all during the three months preceding the marathon, it was a wonderful and fun experience.
We arrived at race headquarters to pick up my bib at around 4pm. We were somewhat unprepared for the weather because Corvallis was so hot when we left, we didn’t think it would be so cold! After checking in for the race, we checked into our little hotel room, which was an interesting experience. That lady that checked us in was not the friendliest lady around and it seemed as though the hotel lobby area was the last place on earth she wanted to be. We were hoping to go to the pool, but when we found out it was a salt water indoor pool, our first reaction was, “I’ve never heard of a salt water indoor pool.” The lady became really hostile and rude, which was quite random and weird. Plus, an indoor salt water pool is typically not what you want be swimming in the night before a marathon because of potential dehydration. (Short salt water soaks are great for recovery after a marathon though). After checking into the hotel we ate pizza and pasta at a really good place in Newport. I used to eat lunch there sometimes when I worked in Newport. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of my pre-marathon carbo-loading experience. We even splurged on some cheese cake, which was great too. The night before the marathon was mostly just relaxing in front of the TV. I actually slept much better than I thought I would.
The marathon started at 7am. They let the only wheelchair guy go first and then started the runners a few minutes after. The start was much more crowded than I thought it would be. I started out extremely slow, too slow, and therefore was stuck behind some snail pace runners. Courtney got a video of me putting out my arm and lightly nudging a guy next to me, requesting that he kindly let me by. I was starting to get a little stuffy being so close to so many people. After 200 meters, I finally got by and I was able to open up a little and caught up to the lead pack, which didn’t last long. Ended up sticking with them for about ½ mile, and then slowly faded from their view over the next several miles. Though I ran alone for majority of the first 8 miles, running between 5:30 and 5:40 a mile, I was feeling much better in the beginning of the race than I had thought I would. Occasionally, a guy or two would pass me and I’d try to hang with them for as long as I could, and then I’d slow down slightly and see them disappear ahead of me. That’s a discouraging feeling, especially when the women started passing me! At mile 8, I hit my first “mile twenty”. THIS IS BECAUSE I RAN THE FIRST 8 MILES WAY TOO FAST! Many professionals say the marathon doesn’t really start until mile 20 because you are extremely fatigued, and you are basically reaching the breaking point. This is what I experienced at mile eight. So much so that I had to slow down significantly due to a very sharp pain in my knee and cramping in my quads. At that point I thought my marathon was potentially over. The pain felt so bad that I actually stopped to stretch it and rest it. I did some light walking and jogging on it to see if it would relax. This happening 8 or 10 miles into a marathon is not good at all. In fact, many professionals in that situation just drop out at that point to avoid long term injury. But, I was determined to finish, that was my goal. I remember having a wide range of thoughts and attitudes throughout the race, some more positive than others; however, I learned a huge lesson. When my thoughts were positive I was able to regroup and have a better experience. After a few minutes of getting down about my knee pain, I made a decision that I wasn’t going to have a bad attitude. Instead, I decided to focus on my environment, not myself and my problems. I began to really take notice of the beauty of the course. Many courses are not so aesthetically pleasing, nor as flat! I determined to congratulate and build up those that were passing me instead of thinking negatively about them. I noticed that the more I applauded and encouraged others, the faster I started to run! I felt better about myself and my performance because I knew the marathon wasn’t just about me, but about everybody. In fact, this approach helped me so much that I started to run a fairly respectable race pace again. Miles 15-19 were run between 6:15 and 6:30, which is much better than I was doing for miles 9-14. But…shortly after finishing mile 19, I hit my second mile 20! Oh boy, this hit me like nothing before. In all the races I’ve done, I’ve never felt so physically helpless and alone. My quads, hamstrings, calves and back felt absolutely exhausted. My legs had lost their flexibility and strength, which made it very difficult to lift and stride out normally. I slowed to a pedestrian pace of 10:30/mile, which also turned into a stop-go routine until the finish. Those last 7 miles were very long and painful. But Courtney drove the truck little by little and cheered me on throughout those last miles. She got some good pictures and video, which are pretty funny to look at. At one point, close to mile 22, I became very worried that I wouldn’t be able to finish. Even walking was difficult. Then randomly out of the blue another runner came up and asked what was wrong. I told him I had horrible leg cramps. He said, “Oh man, I know how that is” and he asked if I wanted a salt tablet, which I desperately did. I knew that I had taken in plenty of fluids throughout the race to absorb it well, so I said “that would be very helpful”. He gave me one, said good luck and ran off. Well, it only took about 10 or 15 minutes for the salt tablet to work its magic. I was soon jogging 10 minutes a mile pretty much non-stop until the finish line. When I crossed the finish line I felt extremely cold because I wasn’t running fast enough to stay warm. When I was crossing the finish line the announcer said, “and here comes Jeremy Van Tress from…all the way from Honolulu Hawaii?! Wow, you’ve come a long way!” I was thinking to myself, “You have no idea!”
After I finished, walking through the finishing area was slow and difficult because I was so sore. Courtney found me and brought me a sweater and warm ups to keep me warm. She had to put them on for me while I was stretched out on the ground. She was a very holy messenger at that time! I was so thankful she was there for me. It reminded me how much I needed her in my life and grateful I am for all she does in our family. After I got some warm clothes on, I devoured some fresh fruit, crackers, chips and granola bars. At the time, it tasted like a five course meal!
Though this marathon was a tough road, I learned a lot from it. First, I learned that the satisfaction of pushing through the hard times is much deeper than the relief of quitting in your tracks. Second, I learned that a positive mind can change your heart, and increase your performance, no matter what challenges lie ahead. Third, I learned that life is less about me and more about US. What I mean is this: All those years of running, I used to think that winning a marathon would make me happy; however, what I have found is that the journey of helping others enjoy their experience exponentially heightens my experience. A positive word or two of encouragement, or a kind heartfelt gift or gesture, such as a tiny salt tablet, can go a long way, especially when enduring tough trials. This race taught me that it’s not about the sole winner; it’s about everyone winning in their own way.
My first marathon experience had its highs, and it had its lows. First, I have to shout a huge thank you to grandma and the cousins for watching the little ones so Courtney and I could have a fun time. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Though I did not train much at all during the three months preceding the marathon, it was a wonderful and fun experience.
We arrived at race headquarters to pick up my bib at around 4pm. We were somewhat unprepared for the weather because Corvallis was so hot when we left, we didn’t think it would be so cold! After checking in for the race, we checked into our little hotel room, which was an interesting experience. That lady that checked us in was not the friendliest lady around and it seemed as though the hotel lobby area was the last place on earth she wanted to be. We were hoping to go to the pool, but when we found out it was a salt water indoor pool, our first reaction was, “I’ve never heard of a salt water indoor pool.” The lady became really hostile and rude, which was quite random and weird. Plus, an indoor salt water pool is typically not what you want be swimming in the night before a marathon because of potential dehydration. (Short salt water soaks are great for recovery after a marathon though). After checking into the hotel we ate pizza and pasta at a really good place in Newport. I used to eat lunch there sometimes when I worked in Newport. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of my pre-marathon carbo-loading experience. We even splurged on some cheese cake, which was great too. The night before the marathon was mostly just relaxing in front of the TV. I actually slept much better than I thought I would.
The marathon started at 7am. They let the only wheelchair guy go first and then started the runners a few minutes after. The start was much more crowded than I thought it would be. I started out extremely slow, too slow, and therefore was stuck behind some snail pace runners. Courtney got a video of me putting out my arm and lightly nudging a guy next to me, requesting that he kindly let me by. I was starting to get a little stuffy being so close to so many people. After 200 meters, I finally got by and I was able to open up a little and caught up to the lead pack, which didn’t last long. Ended up sticking with them for about ½ mile, and then slowly faded from their view over the next several miles. Though I ran alone for majority of the first 8 miles, running between 5:30 and 5:40 a mile, I was feeling much better in the beginning of the race than I had thought I would. Occasionally, a guy or two would pass me and I’d try to hang with them for as long as I could, and then I’d slow down slightly and see them disappear ahead of me. That’s a discouraging feeling, especially when the women started passing me! At mile 8, I hit my first “mile twenty”. THIS IS BECAUSE I RAN THE FIRST 8 MILES WAY TOO FAST! Many professionals say the marathon doesn’t really start until mile 20 because you are extremely fatigued, and you are basically reaching the breaking point. This is what I experienced at mile eight. So much so that I had to slow down significantly due to a very sharp pain in my knee and cramping in my quads. At that point I thought my marathon was potentially over. The pain felt so bad that I actually stopped to stretch it and rest it. I did some light walking and jogging on it to see if it would relax. This happening 8 or 10 miles into a marathon is not good at all. In fact, many professionals in that situation just drop out at that point to avoid long term injury. But, I was determined to finish, that was my goal. I remember having a wide range of thoughts and attitudes throughout the race, some more positive than others; however, I learned a huge lesson. When my thoughts were positive I was able to regroup and have a better experience. After a few minutes of getting down about my knee pain, I made a decision that I wasn’t going to have a bad attitude. Instead, I decided to focus on my environment, not myself and my problems. I began to really take notice of the beauty of the course. Many courses are not so aesthetically pleasing, nor as flat! I determined to congratulate and build up those that were passing me instead of thinking negatively about them. I noticed that the more I applauded and encouraged others, the faster I started to run! I felt better about myself and my performance because I knew the marathon wasn’t just about me, but about everybody. In fact, this approach helped me so much that I started to run a fairly respectable race pace again. Miles 15-19 were run between 6:15 and 6:30, which is much better than I was doing for miles 9-14. But…shortly after finishing mile 19, I hit my second mile 20! Oh boy, this hit me like nothing before. In all the races I’ve done, I’ve never felt so physically helpless and alone. My quads, hamstrings, calves and back felt absolutely exhausted. My legs had lost their flexibility and strength, which made it very difficult to lift and stride out normally. I slowed to a pedestrian pace of 10:30/mile, which also turned into a stop-go routine until the finish. Those last 7 miles were very long and painful. But Courtney drove the truck little by little and cheered me on throughout those last miles. She got some good pictures and video, which are pretty funny to look at. At one point, close to mile 22, I became very worried that I wouldn’t be able to finish. Even walking was difficult. Then randomly out of the blue another runner came up and asked what was wrong. I told him I had horrible leg cramps. He said, “Oh man, I know how that is” and he asked if I wanted a salt tablet, which I desperately did. I knew that I had taken in plenty of fluids throughout the race to absorb it well, so I said “that would be very helpful”. He gave me one, said good luck and ran off. Well, it only took about 10 or 15 minutes for the salt tablet to work its magic. I was soon jogging 10 minutes a mile pretty much non-stop until the finish line. When I crossed the finish line I felt extremely cold because I wasn’t running fast enough to stay warm. When I was crossing the finish line the announcer said, “and here comes Jeremy Van Tress from…all the way from Honolulu Hawaii?! Wow, you’ve come a long way!” I was thinking to myself, “You have no idea!”
After I finished, walking through the finishing area was slow and difficult because I was so sore. Courtney found me and brought me a sweater and warm ups to keep me warm. She had to put them on for me while I was stretched out on the ground. She was a very holy messenger at that time! I was so thankful she was there for me. It reminded me how much I needed her in my life and grateful I am for all she does in our family. After I got some warm clothes on, I devoured some fresh fruit, crackers, chips and granola bars. At the time, it tasted like a five course meal!
Though this marathon was a tough road, I learned a lot from it. First, I learned that the satisfaction of pushing through the hard times is much deeper than the relief of quitting in your tracks. Second, I learned that a positive mind can change your heart, and increase your performance, no matter what challenges lie ahead. Third, I learned that life is less about me and more about US. What I mean is this: All those years of running, I used to think that winning a marathon would make me happy; however, what I have found is that the journey of helping others enjoy their experience exponentially heightens my experience. A positive word or two of encouragement, or a kind heartfelt gift or gesture, such as a tiny salt tablet, can go a long way, especially when enduring tough trials. This race taught me that it’s not about the sole winner; it’s about everyone winning in their own way.
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