Next!

Our fundraising efforts have finally come to a conclusion. After almost seven months of exhaustive training, mailing letters, and planning for any outcome imaginable...we have raised $4,072! I am extremely moved by everyone's dedication and warmth in helping with this cause. Between people showing up for Crawfish for Cancer, getting in touch with everyone on their mailng lists, pouring over details and scenerios for endless hours with me, and then also to those poor souls that went on training runs for hours on end to keep me company...the overall turn out was tremendous. I thank you all. Your efforts helped put a dent in the cancer front, but you also helped me glorify the memory of my Aunt Kathleen.

So, what's next?

Well, that's a loaded question. I'd like to finish the remaining 58 miles, but that may have to wait until after summer (it's just too hot in south Louisiana). In October I return to Quantico, VA to continue training as a Second Lt. with the USMC. In the more immediate future I hope to knock out as many races and triathlons as manageable. This coming weekend, Dave and I will travel to Lubbock, TX where I'll participate in my first Half-Ironman. In the future I'd like to do more ultra-marathons. I'm hopeful that it may one day be an olympic sport, but until then I plan on eventually doing the Badwater Ultra (135 miles through Death Valley) and doing the Western States 100 in California. I may even do a little fundraising along the way too (as that tends to be my style). My sister and I were contemplating doing the 100 Pound Challenge. This would be a timed event where I would see how long it took me to gain 100 lbs. and then turn around and lose it. I may save that one as the last physical feat of my life.

Thank you again to everyone who helped in any way. It meant a hell of a lot.

Run Hard
Brady Hendrix

Vaso-vagal Syncope

After I got home from the run and had rested for awhile I began checking stuff out on the web. Pat sent me a link to a site that pretty much describes what happened to me on the run. Vaso-vagal syncope is what brought me to my knees (literally).

When you stop physical exertion on the body, your blood psi drops slightly. However, when I sat on the edge of the truck bed, I further stopped the blood from coming up from my feet to my head as my knees were on the edge. This caused my BP to shoot down and the response known as the Vaso-vagal syncope. When I stood up to vomit, everything went to hell and my head was suddenly not getting the blood it needed...so I passed out, twice.

Now normally this wouldn't be such a big deal. I could rest for a few and then bounce back relatively quickly. However, I had just run 42 miles, vomited twice, and was losing my vision (also a product of low BP). I was spent.

So, yes, I'm irritated. The finish line was completely within my grasp. The athlete/perfectionist in me is very upset and I feel like a huge let down. I know, I know..."Brady, you ran 42 miles and raised a boat-load of $$ for Relay for Life. You won." I'm still not satisfied, though.

Big Dave broke it down for me later that night. He said that you have to remember how significant 42 miles is. If you were talking to some average Joe and told him that you passed out after 42, his response would be, "Well, duh, of course you passed out. You ran 42 miles!" I then had to remind him that he and I rarely associate with just average Joe's. I never really approached this as a 100 miler, it was just "the next race" and I lost. Worse, I logged a DNF.

I'm taking it in stride. Yesterday was very emotional, tears were involved, but I'm getting there. Part of the recouping process is planning on finishing the run. Hairy details are still uncertain, but I want to run the final 58 miles, probably here in Baton Rouge. This won't be for any benefit to RFL, just for my own closure and for my aunt. Keep checking back, I'll keep you posted.

Run hard.

Bittersweet

100 Miles or bust...bust.

Ali and I left for Natchez around 12 on Friday. After catching the tail end of the captain's meeting for Relay for Life, we headed to the hotel for a few hours rest before I began running.

I caught about an hour and a half of sleep before I woke myself up with butterflies in my stomach. I tried to mellow out with my iPod, but the weight of the feat ahead of me was fully on my shoulders. When we finally all met up at the head of the Trace, my spirits were slightly higher as we began running.

Ali had the first shift paralleling me on the bike and soon Pat showed up and he too ran with me. The beginning of the run was very surreal. It was hard to believe that it was actually starting. All the work and effort was culminating to this day.

For the first 32 miles I was having trouble getting into a groove. I never felt like my pace was completely dialed in and I was tired and forcing myself through wall after wall. I was very nervous and scared that maybe things weren't going to come to fruition like I had planned. I was also fighting the urge to vomit.

After mile 32 we began making scheduled stops every 5 miles. I would catch up with the chase vehicle and eat, change shoes and socks, whatever I needed. Now I was cooking with gas. I was feeling great. My spirits were soaring, I was moving at a steady clip that I felt in control of, and any discomfort in my stomach or legs was bearable.

True trouble reared its ugly head at mile 42. Pat went ahead of me to get things ready at the chase car so I wouldn't have to stop for long. When I caught up I sat on the back the truck to rest and eat, but had an incredible urge to vomit. I stood up to walk away and vomit, but didn't make it far. I passed out and hit the ground hard. I vaguely remember being helped back to the truck, but never really came around until a few minutes later. I was sitting on the ground and couldn't remember how I got there. My team looked calm and collective (I later learned they were quite nervous), but I was freaking out. I was remarkably incoherent.

They got me back on the truck where I promptly began throwing up. Then something very odd happened. We would figure out later that it was because of a drop in my blood pressure, but I was beginning to go blind. I couldn't see the people around me or the truck I was sitting on. Pat looked at me, very nervously, and said that he was about this close from taking me into the emergency room. I was terrified.

I ended up crawling into the back of the truck and sleeping for about two hours to see if I could regain any energy and clear my head. When I woke up at dawn my head was clearer and I did feel rested, but it was clear that I didn't have the energy I needed. In addition to everything else, vomiting had cleared my stomach of valuable nutrition. The race was over.

I'm irritated, obviously, that I didn't finish. However, there are a few things to take into consideration. First, it was never about the run. It was about raising money for the American Cancer Society (we are close to $5,000). Second, stopping was the right and safe thing to do. I had pushed through wall after wall, but this wasn't a wall. It was my body hitting the 'reset' button. Finally, not finishing was not a product of not being in shape. If I hadn't been in shape, I probably would have gradually declined until I was too tired to move. That didn't happen. I was strong right up to a certain point. Something triggered in my body and began shutting systems down. I was ready. Sometimes, there are just things beyond your control. I honestly believe that's what happened this day.

It sucks, but we did what we came to do...raise money and cancer awareness. A final thought, lets not assume that I'm finished with this challenge just yet. I am contemplating a final scenario, but still need to think about it and discuss it with the rest of the team. I'll write again later. I have many more thoughts about this run and want to share them all.

Run hard.

Game Day, Not Nervous

We are about nine hours from the gun going off later today. Still not nervous, actually just tired. I'll take it pretty easy today and try to stay off my feet as much as possible.

Ali and I are leaving around 11-ish for Vidalia where we'll try to catch the tail end of a Relay for Life captain's meeting. Then once in Natchez we'll start setting things up. People and team members will begin to arrive, I'll need to get changed and do some interviews, and then the gun will go off. I'm ready.

The weather is going to be interesting. Right now there are extremely dark clouds in the sky. Hope they blow over or at least hold out. Either way, I'm glad this day is here. It's really a relief to have this thing almost over. All the emotion and physical stress has been a crazy trip...and I'm glad that we're all finally seeing this to it's finalé. I'm also glad I'll be surrounded by my friends and people close to my heart. It couldn't happen without them.

God bless and pray for us.

Run hard.

(in memory of KB)

Ultraman Triathlon

“You remember that all difficult things come to an end. You focus on the ending, and then you can take anything.”
- Dave Groggins, SO1 (SEAL Operation First Class)

Dave Groggins is probably one of the more elite extreme athletes in the world today. He's a triathlete, having done Ironman, but in 2006 he finished second overall in the Ultraman Triathlon. This event covers nearly twice that of Ironman (6.2 mile swim, 261.4 mile bike and 52.4 mile run). During the run he averaged sub-8:30 miles- for all 52 miles. Your jaw may have dropped reading those distances (mine too), but it's possible. Anything is possible. We're all capable of so much more than the limits we think we know.

His quote above is taken from an interview where he was discussing how he made it through the intense Navy SEAL training. I think those words are applicable to tomorrow. Definitely.

Run hard.