Iâve written about my first marathon in bits and pieces throughout this blog, but Iâve never written anywhere about my entire recollection of that 1983 Orange Bowl Marathon. This upcoming January 22nd will be the 39th anniversary of my race. So, before my memories keep fading away, I better put all I can recall into paper (or digital format).
I was a 17-year-old high school senior living in Caracas, Venezuela. I always kept active by running, practicing karate, baseball, soccer, tennis, hiking, swimming, biking and whatever came along. Running a marathon was a goal somewhere on the backburner, but, thanks to my dad, I got the chance to fulfill it earlier than expected.
I believe we arrived in Miami the day before the Saturday race. We stayed in a hotel in downtown and went to a spacious hotel ballroom nearby, to pick up our bibs. I remember being blown away by the technology of the day, when my bib was printed before my eyes, instead of being ready ahead of time. I donât recall an expo, but that doesnât mean it wasnât there. I read, maybe in that dayâs Miami Herald, that none other than the legendary Bill Rodgers was the favorite to win.
This is the only picture I have from the race, but it is one of the best running pictures ever taken of me. Check out the detail of the untied shoe with no socks, to which I make reference, later in the post.
I also recall my dad buying me a Casio stopwatch, so I could keep track of my marathon time. I had that Casio for years. I donât remember how I lost it or when it broke, but Iâve seen it in pictures from the early 90s.
On race morning we met with the Venezuelan runners, most of them where my dadâs buddies, at the hotel lobby. The one thing I vividly remember was asking for a coffee at the hotel bar and getting a gigantic cup of black, diluted, disgusting American coffee. At home, a small cup of good coffee with a generous amount of milk would start off the day.
One of the runners had rented a sports car and somehow, more people than was safe crammed inside for a short drive to the majestic (at lease in my eyes) Orange Bowl Stadium. This is where the Miami Dolphins, who were playing the Super Bowl next week, held their home games.
Before time chips, you had to present yourself and your bib to the organizers, so they knew you were at the starting line. Somehow, we could not find the registration table. We were looking for it like crazy until we realized this was going to be based on the honor system.
I recall nothing about the starting gun, crossing the starting line or conversations along the way. I do remember, though, my dad constantly reining me in because I was going too fast. He also reminded me to take water every so often, as the humidity was exceedingly high.
My dad has one indelible memory of the race. After a rainy patch along the way, we found ourselves running next to a woman with a drenched, white outfit that left nothing to the imagination. At  17 and with raging hormones, I couldnât but get distracted by the magnificent side show. My dad had to bring me back to the race at hand. There is no marathon talk in my household where this story doesnât come up.
The course had two in-and-out segments (Coral Way and Coconut Grove). Both times, as we were going in, the pack led by Bill Rodgers, was coming out. For a 17-year-old kid from Caracas, seeing the legendary Bill Rodgers, running in the same race within a few meters from each other, was the highlight of the event. It was the equivalent of participating in the same Monaco Gran Prix with Niki Lauda or playing in Veterans Stadium, side-by-side with Mike Schmidt. It was that improbable.
Sometime during the Covid lockdown of 2020, my friend Starr Davis invited me to participate on a Zoom call with Rodgers. At the end, I had the chance to asked him what he remembered form the 1983 Orange Bowl. Surprisingly, he recalled a lot. Starr recorded the interaction with her cellphone. I invite you to check the video, which I have included right here.
Most of my memories of the 1983 Orange Bowl Marathon are from the last 7.2 kilometers (4.5 miles). I recall them vividly because I suffered miserably. My dad and I agreed to run together for 35 kilometers (21.8 miles), and from there, each one would run his own race. By kilometer 35.1 he had already left me in the dust. I slowed down and started walking. I was drenched, tired, hungry, and questioning what the fuck was I doing there, instead of being at home in Caracas, maybe getting ready to play baseball with my buddies.
At one point, it had to be closer to the end, I took my shoes off and started walking on my socks. The shoes were heavy, and I considered just tossing them to the side, but then I thought of my dad getting upset, as they were the shoes he let me borrow, so I decided to keep them. Wise choice.
A friend of my dad, the late Jose Ortega, saw me close to the end and ran a bit with me with words of encouragement. I promised him I would finish so I discarded my socks, put on the shoes, which I did not tie, and started running. The next memory I have is of my dad and some Venezuelan runners at the entrance of the stadium, cheering me on. As I hit the grass, I started sprinting like crazy. To this day I canât figure out how my shoes didnât fly off my feet. Check them in the accompanying picture. Not only untied, but open at the top.
37 years later, I got my hands on a medal from the race
I lifted my arms as I crossed the finish line and, one way or another, I found my dad and collapsed. My first thought was: âWhen are we doing the next one?â
I knew my time was around 4:11 but I did not know for sure. I wouldnât find until months later when I got my finisherâs certificate in the mail, that my official time was 4:11:11. I also got a proof of one picture in case I wanted to order it. It is the only image I have from the entire experience. Thank God is one of the best pictures ever taken of me running.
In those days, medals were not ubiquitous or for everybody, and I did not get one. In September 2020 I found one on eBay and jumped on it. If you care to read about the 37-year medal saga you can check the blog post I wrote about it by clicking here.
Sorry if this blogpost ran longer than usual, but I am trying to recall as much as I can. Yes, I could have waited until next year, the 40th anniversary, but by then, I may forget something else. And I can always repost.
In my New Year Running Resolutions for 2022 post from last week, suggestion #8 was to âread at least one running bookâ. As much as I believe this is an important resolution, I confess that I kind of threw that one in at the last minute, mostly because I was selecting the running books I want to read this year.
A few readers contacted me letting me know this is a clever idea and they will either pick or have already picked their running book for 2022. As an avid reader, I canât but be delighted on the reception this suggestion had. Now, one of my readers (and dear friend), asked me that, based on this suggestion, what is âthe one bookâ I will recommend for someone to read in 2022.
If you want to get better, learning about our sport is as important as putting in the miles. Being knowledgeable is always an advantage
The question was so broad that I didnât pay much attention to it, at first. But as the week progressed, I kept circling back to it. Sure, there is not a straight answer to it but there must be a way around it. Somehow, this remained in my brainâs backburner and would not go away. So this is what I have come up with:
There is no way to recommend just one book. No one book encompasses everything, nor it can satisfy the curiosity of every reader. In the post, I stated that âIf we want to get better at our sport, we must learn about its science, its practices, its history, and its top performers. Personal experience is important, sure, but it is not the wherewithal to become the best runner you can be.â
Based on this, I decided to segment that suggestion and propose one book from each category. So, based on your particular interest, you can have âThe One Bookâ. It is not what was asked but I hope it fits the bill.
Science âThe Science of Running, by Steve Magness: If you want to geek out and dig deep into the science of what happens inside your body when you run, this is the book for you. It is dense, full of biology, scientific references and it is not the most fun to read. But if you decide to go through it, you will come out with a deep understanding on the physiology and mechanics of what happens when you run and why.
Practices âRun for Your Life, By Dr. Marc Cuccuzzella: The author has run Sub-3 marathons for over 30 consecutive years. In this book he mixes science and personal experience in an easy-to-read narrative, without geeking out on the science side of things. He explains the importance, the right way, and the approach to human movement so you can do it smarter, stronger, and springier. This book is as much for a sub-3 marathoner as it is for a walker wanting to complete a first 5k.
Reading while running is neither safe nor necessary. This is a real photo.
History âKings of the Road, By Cameron Stracher: This is the story of Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, and how they fueled the first running boom after Shorterâs marathon gold in the Munich Olympics (1972). It shows how running went from a niche activity by a bunch of crazies to the foundation of the New York City Marathon. This is the base for what came later, and thus, what we are enjoying, today. These were the pioneers who brought marathoning to the mainstream of participation sports.
Top Performers â There are great bios out there on Rodgers, Shorter, Johnny Kelly, Steve Prefontaine, Haile Gebrselassie and many more. But if you are delving into running bios for the first time, 26 Marathons, by Meb Keflezighi could be a good place to start. Beyond his running acumen, most of us can relate to him because he is a contemporary figure. We can also learn plenty from each one of his 26 incursions into the 26.2 monster.
Special Mention â Â Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall: An indispensable read for anyone interested in understanding how the human body was built to run, told through superb storytelling. This book has become a classic and there is a good reason for it. Just beware that his praise for minimalistic running shoes and barefoot running has been disproven. But other than that, it is a gem.
 I set up my website sometime in 2019, so I could one day launch my coaching services business. But life, work and training got in the way and my two original blog posts stood there alone for quite a while. But, after having a wonderful experience coaching a handful of runners in the 2020 Miami Marathon, I decided to resuscitate my writing and wrote about it. Promoting the post through social media I was surprised to get a solid reaction in the running community and, from there, it just took off. 23 months later, and having missed only one week since, I am happy to announce you are currently reading the Foultips.run blog post number 100.
A sampling of some of the blog posts from earlier 2021.
These 100 blog posts have become my labor of love for running. I spend a lot of time looking for stories, reading books, magazines, talking to people in running forums or figuring out topics that will be of interest to the running community. Some friends have pointed me to remarkable people they know, and this is stories like âThe Inspirational Story of Marie Bartolettiâ, or âRunning with Lymphomaâ by Coach Annemarie McCormick Howell, were published. Both became some of the most read post.
Through the blog I met Coach Mia Braithwaite, who wrote âThe Journey of the Fat Runnerâ, which is the most read post in the history of my blog. Miaâs story and passion about including athletes of all sizes into the running community got her a profile in the latest issue of Runnerâs World Magazine.
Even though book reviews have not turned into the most popular posts, as I would have liked, I still enjoy reviewing running books, because if one day, someone can benefit from it, my effort will be worth. And suddenly, this came true the Christmas when a coaching client posted a book he just started reading. I replied letting him know it was a terrific book and he told me his wife visited my blog to find him a running book Christmas. My faith in book review posts has been rekindled, so be prepared for more.
The blog has allowed me to share information on the science of running, exercises, firsthand experiences about my running life, and recommendations to keep safe during challenging times. I have been lucky to have about 15 contributors in these two years. Runners who have graciously either written original pieces or gave me permission to repost their content. Special thanks to them.
In the last two years, 9515 readers have visited the blog, reaching its peak in April 2021 with 1,425. Visitors from the United States make up most of my readership and if someone can refer a runner in North Dakota to my blog, I can finally complete all 50 states. Canada, India, Venezuela, and United Kingdom complete the Top-5 geographic locations of my readers. Overall, visitors from 78 countries in six continents (nobody from Antarctica yet) have honored me with their visits. These include visits from faraway corners of the world such as Mauritius, Vietnam, Guernsey, Uganda, and Saudi Arabia.
9515 readers form 78 countries have visited Foultips.run within the last two years.
Twenty-eight of my 99 previous posts have reached at least 100 reads. This may mean nothing when compared with the big blogs around the world, but this is a one-person show and to know that my readers come back and find interesting running information about their sport, keeps me inspired to keep going.
I confess that at times I feel unmotivated, deflated, and wondering if my blog reaches enough runners to be meaningful. If it makes any difference or if it matters at all. But, from time to time, a runner goes out of its way to let me know they enjoy my blog, or leaves me a comment, or lets me know they applied something they read here to their running life, that one of my stories has inspired him/her, and I realize it is worth continuing.
So, as 2021 comes to an end, I want to thank every single person who read the first 100 posts of this blog, even if it was just once. It is because of you that I live to write another post.
 For this weekâs blogpost I want to do an introspection to reflect on what the year that is coming to a close has been on a personal level. I just reached the 1000-mile mark last weekend. This alone is a miracle for me, even though I have reached the milestone several times before. 2021 came for me with many challenges that go beyond the Covid pandemic completing its second year. I faced serious health challenges that, held by the hand of the Lord and with the support of my wife, family, and friends, I have been able to overcome. It has been quite a journey.
This was me at the hospital, two days after my open-heart surgery
On June 23 I underwent open-heart surgery after two years of trying to manage the issue. My arteries had a wiring problem since birth that suddenly, at age 53 and having been active all my life, started becoming an issue. I also got a coronary artery by-pass.
Recovery was an arduous process. I started walking around the ICU floor, two days after the procedure despite having 13 different things connected to my body. Once I got home, I developed a circuit around my house (living room to kitchen, to living room to 2nd bedroom, to master bedroom to bathroom and back). I made sure to walk right by my medal rack so I could make sure to see where I had been and where I wanted to get back. Then the walk progressed outdoors to pick up the mail and then to half a mile. Finally, on July 10th, 17 days after my procedure, I was able to walk a full mile. One month from my procedure I was walking 4 miles a day, and after 2 months I started cardiac rehab. I had walked close to 200 miles since surgery.
By August 30 I was able to run five, one-minute intervals and two-and-a-half weeks later I ran 20 minutes straight and was released from cardiac rehab. From there I started a run/walk protocol to enhance my endurance and little by little was able to run more, walk less and rack up mileage. On November 3rd I completed my first 10-miler and on December 4th completed half marathon distance in 2:25. On December 18th I run/walked 17 miles and the next day I completed 1000 miles for the year. If it wasnât because I am the one doing all this, I wouldnât believe it was possible. I would need Strava proof to make sure nobody is trying to trick me.
Walking by this display kept me focused on the goal.
There is a reason why I write this, and it is not to toot my own horn. I am writing this because I am the living proof that having an active life is the key to develop a body capable of repairing itself promptly and efficiently. I have been active my entire life and have been running or walking non-stop for 14 years since my return to the asphalt. In my estimation, this has been the key to my miraculous recovery. So much that, with my cardiologistâs blessing, I will be participating in the Houston Marathon on January 16th, just 207 days after my procedure.
This could have not been possible without surrendering my health and recovery to God, while doing my part to assist. This could have not been possible without the devotion and dedication from my beautiful wife, Meki, during my recovery. This could have not been possible without the support of my family, who were ready to help in anything I could need. This could have not been possible without the support of my buddies from No-Club Runners, who epitomized why runners are such a special bunch of crazy people. This could have not been possible without being fit and healthy for a prolonged time.
So, as life got back to normal, I returned to work after seven weeks of recovery and the pandemic continued to wreak havoc in our lives; my cardiologist told me it is time to turn the page on this episode of my life. To move on to bigger and better things. And thus, as I reached the psychologic barrier of the 4-digit number of miles for this challenging year, I reflect on the year that was and the life I have left.
Note from the Editor: I am subscribed to the âRunning and Schmidtâ blog by Coach Shelby. A few weeks ago she wrote a funny post. It was funny only because it was real, and somehow reflected the true nature of every morning runner out there. Every runner will be able to find a little bit of him/herself in these random thoughts. I am publishing her post with her permission.
Feel free to contribute with your own thoughts in the comments section. Enjoy!
There are countless tihngs that go through the mind of morning runners. Some, funnier than others (Picture by libreshot.com)
If you wake up at ungodly hours to run countless miles, you can safely fall into the category of \”crazy morning runner\”. You know them, you see them, you are them: we are the ones with headlights, neon vests, half opened eye lids and enough coffee in us to fuel a small rocket.
Most of us don\’t run with headphones at that time of the morning, for safety, so we have A LOT of time to think. Have you ever run more than three miles without headphones? I donât love it. It allows me to have WAY too much time to think and my mind is like black hole with no end in sight.
While my endless thoughts just wonât stop, every once in a while, I come up with some gems that I canât help but share.
So, with that being said, I present you:
Internal Morning Running Thoughts
WHY am I up this early!?!?
When does the time change for it to be brighter earlier? (Then repeats âspring forward fall backâ and try to do math at 5am to what time it would actually be).
Passing the same house you did earlier but now they have lights on: âOhhhh look whoâs awake now.â
 Seeing someoneâs garbage/recycle full to the top: âDamn! did someone have a party?â
 When you see another runner like you crazy enough to give up sleep: âDid we just become best friends?â
 Seeing a dark object that I canât fully make out: âIs that a human/dog/ wild animal.â
 When a car seems to be slowly coasting along past every house: âWhat is that car doing? Iâm gonna break out my ninja movesâwatch out!!!!! Oh itâs just paper delivery l, carry on.â
 Literally, every time I bump my pepper spray against myself: âPlease donât let me pepper spray myself.â
 Passing houses with lights on: âDoesnât anyone sleep around here!?!â
 When there is a mound of tree clippings taking up half the sidewalk or road: âDo they have any trees left?!?â
 When anyone comes around a corner, otherwise of the street or basically into existence remotely near me: âStay awayyyy!â
 I know I canât be the only one to have these thoughts and Iâm sure that everyone has their own!
What are some of the thoughts you have?
 *Shelby Schmidt is a running coach certified by RRCA. You can follow her in Instagram at @runningschmidt, and read her blog at https://www.runningandschmidt.com/
As athletes, especially as runners, we are usually very fit people. It doesnât matter if you weigh 120 pounds and look like a Kenyan world-record holder or if you are on the 200+ or 250+ side of the scale with an overhanging gut. Being fit does not mean being healthy, and it doesnât mean you have a heart disease vaccine.
In the 1982 New York City Marathon, when my dad ran his first 26.2, a French runner collapsed and died. He told us that he passed this guy in the middle of the ruckus, which made it to all the newspapers next day. It must have been quite an impression on a 16-year-old kid, for 39 years later I am telling you this story.
Just a couple of weeks ago, a 24-year-old runner passed away from a cardiac issue during the Montreal Half Marathon. Unfortunately, this is one of the handful of cases that happen every year, where a fit athlete goes out for a run and, sadly, doesnât comes back.
Jim Fixx wrote one of the most influential books in the history of running, yet he passed away from a cardiovascular issue, suddenly, at age 52.
If the father of the running boom in the United States is Frank Shorter, the Godfather must be Jim Fixx, author of the mega 1977 best seller âThe Complete Book of Runningâ. In a pre-internet, pre-Google era, this book popularized access to the knowledge of the sport, including the cardiovascular benefits of jogging and running. This guru went for a run on July 20, 1984, at age 52, and died of a fulminant heart attack. He was in great shape, but his autopsy revealed he had atherosclerosis, with one artery blocked 95%, a second 85%, and a third 70%. His father had died at age 43 of a second heart attack.
During the Marathon Trials for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Ryan Shay, a 28-year-old, high-performance athlete with a 2:14 PR, collapsed 5.5 miles into the race and was pronounced dead 40 minutes later. Autopsy report said: âCardiac arrhythmia due to cardiac hypertrophy with patchy fibrosis of undetermined etiologyâ. Whatever that means, it doesnât sound good.
But there have been many cases of runners luckier than Fixx and Shay. One of the most active and fit guys you will ever meet is Dave McGillivray. You may know him as the Boston Marathon Race Director since 2001. His athletic accolades include running across the United States, (3,452 miles) in 80 days, running the Boston Marathon every year since 1973, 9-time Hawaii Ironman finisher and has participated in over 1000 organized races. Yet, in October 2018, at age 63, underwent triple bypass surgery. His family cardiac history was against him, regardless of how fit he was. He is one of the lucky ones that is telling his story.
Ryan Shay, a young marathoner with a 2:14 PR, passes away suddenly at the 2008 Olympic Trials.
These are just three relevant cases from many that time and time again prove that just because you are fit, doesnât necessarily mean you are cardio-vascularly healthy. These are two concepts that are not inclusive.
And there is a reason I bring up this subject, today. And it is because of my personal experience, which I would be dishonest if I did not share with my readers. Two years ago, during my yearly medical check-up, my doctor told me that even though a stress test wouldnât do much for me because I was a fit marathoner, I should do it anyway âbecause you never knowâ. And guess what? you do. A congenital issue in my arteries was discovered. Unoxygenated blood was recirculating while bypassing the lungs, which created such a stress for my heart it could have provoked a heart attack. Fast-forward two years, and on June 23, 2021, I underwent open heart surgery to fix the issue. This âunneededâ stress test potentially saved my life. Now, very shortly, I should be cleared to run again.
The moral of this story is to make sure that you understand that even though you keep an active and healthy lifestyle, you are not immune to the genetics of your ancestors, cardiac birth defects or the sequels of your unhealthy habits prior to your active life. Get checked up. You never know. I am proof of it.
NOTE: If you are having or had a cardiovascular issue and you are an athlete, one of the best support resources Iâve found is the Cardiac Athletes Facebook group. I invite you to check it out.
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