Jacqueline Onassis Reservoir

Jason on January 19, 2012

Reading Time: 3 minutes

A Reservoir Run

This is what the Jackie Onassis Reservoir looks like on a warm summer’s morning. The colors are magnificent, the surrounding park is breathtaking and the city skyline reflects off the water.

In the novel Marathon Man, the main character muses that, “Whoever invented the reservoir must have done it with him alone in mind. It was without flaw, a perfect lake set in the most unexpected of locations.”

Anyone who has ever run, walked, or stood watching the sun rise or set over the water feels that same way. There’s a sense of space and solitude here, unlike any other part of the Park.

Unfortunately, I did not experience this particular scenery as I took a last minute trip to visit my sister in Manhattan before she jet-setted across the pond to study abroad in the UK. As usual, I stayed with my youngest brother Jared in his apartment and we had another epic weekend in the Big Apple which included many delicious meals, a handful of alcoholic beverages, some shopping at his favorite store UNIQLO, a Knicks game (where one team showed up), and of course, a run for the Run4Papa campaign.

Location: Jacqueline Onassis Reservoir, Manhattan, New York.

Temperature and Time: a brisk 19 degrees (not including the wind-chill), High Noon.

Running attire: beanie for head, scarf for neck, winter coat, two pairs of sweats, socks and running shoes (gloves were a big oversight).

Who wanted to be at Central Park in these conditions: not my brother (but he was a good sport).

What did the reservoir look like in January at eye level? See below.

Without much hesitation, Jared quickly filmed a segment on location and I jogged the couple mile route around the reservoir as my brother patiently waited for my return (his ears getting redder by the minute!). Not surprisingly, there were other people running and even one maniac in shorts and short sleeves! Despite the weather, the scenery was beautiful. The skyline was reflecting off the water and with the many of the tree leaves gone, you could see for miles and miles.

Throughout this journey, I have relished training in a variety of unique weather and terrain elements because it makes you constantly reassess your breathing and pace. Whether it’s a shorter run like this one, or a longer one like trail runs or half marathons, training in a tougher environment helps to minimize running mistakes such as jogging at too quick a pace and fighting through mental walls throughout a given race.

My philosophy has always been and will continue to be: “Running is 80% mental, 20% physical.”

And while my training methods are neither regimented or normal by anyone’s standards, I believe they provide consistent and improving pacing results in every race. A more concerted effort toward maximizing my training runs ultimately leads to less wear and tear on my knees and ankles. Through a strong sense of visualization and will-power, I will continue to put one step in front of the other toward this campaign and every run ahead.

To watch video commentary of this run, go to: Run4Papa Meets Jackie Onassis Reservoir

To see photos, go to: Jackie Onassis Reservoir

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Most Marathons Run In A Year

Jason on January 7, 2012

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Texas Lawyer R. Laurence Macon Eyes Guinness Record

http://bit.ly/YNflWo

SAN ANTONIO, Jan 3 (Reuters) – R. Laurence Macon didn’t win Saturday’s New Year’s Double Marathon in the Dallas suburb of Allen. He didn’t even come in second.

But the prominent San Antonio trial lawyer hopes that he won something else: a new world record. The race was the 113th certified marathon that Macon completed in 2011, he said. And he did it on his 67th birthday.

“It’s a great birthday gift,” Macon told Reuters after completing the course.

The current record for the most marathons completed in one year by a male runner is 106, according to the Guinness World Records website. South Korea’s IM Chae Ho set that record in 2009 and Macon matched it in 2010, the site says.

“If Larry did complete the 113 marathons and sends in required documentation for our records management team to review, he will have broken the current record,” Sara Wilcox, a Guinness public relations and marketing assistant, told Reuters in an e-mail on Tuesday.

Macon, a partner with the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld who has collected hundreds of millions of dollars in damages in lawsuits, said he sometimes does business while running marathons.

Once, he said, he conducted a conference call regarding a multimillion-dollar civil case while running in the Boston Marathon.

“The opposing counsel doesn’t seem to be bothered by my heavy breathing,” he told Reuters.

Macon, who said he is in “lousy” physical shape for 67, said he just “goes out there and puts one foot in front of the other” and doesn’t attempt speed records. In fact, he said his fastest marathon time is four hours, 45 minutes — twice the
usual winning time.

It is not unusual for him to run seven marathons in a week. He said that in February, for example, he ran a marathon in South Carolina, ran another the following day in Maryland, and a third the day after that in California. Each time after crossing the finish line, he drove to the airport, he said.

“I generally change clothes in the car,” he said.

Macon, who didn’t start running until age 49, estimates he has run 2,938 miles in marathons this year, gone through 12 pairs of shoes and logged 200,000 miles in the air.

“I was talking to some other lawyers at the county courthouse,” he said. “I bragged that I was planning on running a marathon, and the other lawyers said, ‘Why don’t we throw you a party after you finish it?’ So I was stuck.”

He said that while his marathon career may have some people convinced that he’s crazy, he hopes it inspires other middle-aged people to “get some exercise and have some fun.”

“I have left specific instructions that if I die on the course, my friends are supposed to drag my body down the rest of the course and across the finish line,” he said. “And then lie about the results.”

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Hope is a four letter word

Jason on January 4, 2012

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Aphasia” the Movie

The film “Aphasia”, the true story of actor Carl McIntyre who, after suffering a massive stroke and losing his ability to read, write and talk, struggles against overwhelming odds to redefine his life.

I had the great pleasure to sit down and meet Jim Gloster (Producer/Writer/Director) and Donna S. Scott (Executive Producer) of the movie “Aphasia” last night at a local bar called Sir Edmund Halley’s in Charlotte, North Carolina. I was referred to these two wonderful people through a Twitter mixer many months back. Everyone at this meeting was telling me to get in touch with Jim and Donna and boy was I pleased to have this opportunity to speak with them about creating more awareness for PPA and Aphasia worldwide.

The movie is based on Jim’s friend of 20+ years named Carl, an actor who suffered a severe stroke on September 15th, 2005. Immediately following the stroke, Carl was virtually unable to speak, a condition know as Aphasia. Jim and Donna along with two other team members created this impactful movie to educate those within the medical community, those unaware of Aphasia’s symptoms, and to help bring a voice to patients and families fighting against this disease day-in & day-out.

More than 100,000 Americans develop Aphasia annually. Aphasia affects about one million Americans, or 1 in 250 people. It is more common than Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy. However, most people have still never heard of Aphasia. While the most common cause is a stroke, Aphasia can also result from head injury, brain tumor, or other neurological causes.

In 2008, Carl began making presentations to Speech-Language Pathology classes about his experiences during the stroke and his subsequent recovery process. These engaging presentations also examine Carl’s technique of picture association which enables  him to remember specific words.

It is the success of these presentations which sparked the idea for the film project and the development of other presentations. The success of the film “Aphasia” has led to Carl’s new career as a motivational speaker. He has captivated audiences nationwide with his inspiring story.

Both Jim and Donna travel across the United States as well as international locations such as Australia with Carl for speaking engagements where they screen their movie. Following the movie, Carl comes out and speaks to the audience about his story. There is also an ensuing Question and Answer session after his speech.

They have over 30 speaking trips planned in 2012 alone!

This was a tremendous honor to speak with both of these inspirational people who are doing everything in their power to help bring “Aphasia” onto the national stage. I know they will be successful with this project and their future endeavors.

Jim, Donna, and Carl will be showcasing their movie at ReelAbilities: New York’s Disabilities Film Festival on February 12th and 13th: http://newyork.reelabilities.org/films/view/aphasia

Please take a minute to “like“ their Facebook page at AphasiatheMovie

You can also follow them on Twitter @AphasiatheMovie

Lastly, Carl and the film can be booked through carlmcintyre.com.

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Headed to the Capitol

Jason on December 29, 2011

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Next Stop…Washington, D.C.

2012 Rock ‘n Roll Half/Marathon

I have just registered for the Rock ‘n Roll half marathon in Washington, D.C. on March 17th, 2012.  This is one of several half marathons I intend to run in preparation for the Great Wall of China Marathon in May of 2012. I will be heading out there with my good friend Adam, who will be running his first ever FULL marathon as a precursor to the run in China.

I am pumped to be heading to the nation’s capitol  to run alongside the Potomac River, the National Mall and some of the city’s most majestic monuments!

No doubt the atmosphere will be spectacular! If you have any run this race before, please feel free to chime in…

A Must See

Jason on December 21, 2011

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Budhia Singh ran 48 marathons by the age of 4! A coach and a slum boy. Divided by the world.

Gemma Atwal’s dynamic epic follows four-year-old Budhia, rescued from poverty by Biranchi Das, a larger-than-life judo coach and operator of an orphanage for slum children in the eastern Indian state of Orissa. When Budhia displays an uncommon talent for long-distance running, Biranchi nurtures his gift, heralding him as a folk hero for the impoverished masses, and maybe even for India itself. But after golden child Budhia breaks down during a world-record 65 kilometer run at the age of four, public opinion begins to turn on the guru and his disciple, and soon the two are swept up in a maelstrom of media controversy and political scandal. Following Budhia’s roller-coaster journey over five years, Marathon Boy is a Dickensian tale of greed, corruption, and broken dreams set between the heart-racing world of marathon running, the poverty-stricken slums, and the political intrigue of a modernizing India. Nothing is what it seems in Budhia and Biranchi’s story, and Atwal continually shifts viewer identification to tell both a shocking story of opportunism and exploitation, but also a touching portrait of an authentic bond between a parent and child.

Turkey Bowl V…For Papa and PPA

Jason on December 1, 2011

Reading Time: 4 minutes

 F.A.M.I.L.Y. 10, Dark Team 7 

Day 135 of 315: Turkey Bowl V pushes overall donation total past $30,000!

The 5th Annual Turkey Bowl began like many years before with each team getting together for their own pre-game rituals (which will remain behind closed doors for tradition-sake), and meeting at Andover Field at 9am sharp, on Black Friday morning. The F.A.M.I.L.Y. always rides together while The Dark Team inevitably drives separately per their mantra “You are family. We are individuals” infamously coined by Andrew Sherman, #15 of the Dark Team. As we approached the football gridiron, we could see The Dark Team warming up. We always try to arrive before them, but alas, they beat us every year.

Like many traditions (seemingly superstitions repeated because they worked in years past), The F.A.M.I.L.Y. locks arm-in-arm and walks toward the field only to sprint from the end zone to the 50 yard line. This year, we added a new element to the mix by taking a knee (not an homage to Tebow for you Gator lovers) and screamed at the top of our lungs “Faaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmily” followed by the blowing of a shofar (for effect of course) and sprinted to midfield to warm-up.

Before Turkey Bowl V officially kicked off, our special guest of honor “Papa,” walked out for two ceremonial acts. The first presentation was on behalf of both teams who graciously came together in support of Papa and PPA for our annual game. We raised $1,650 from players, friends and family in support of the Run4Papa campaign going directly to fund research at the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Northwestern University. Secondly, we were honored to have Papa flip the coin for possession. He was so excited to participate that at Thanksgiving dinner, he was showing me his coin flipping motion time and time again. Michael, the captain for the Dark Team chose tails, and as fate would have it, it turned up heads. “You brought a ringer” one of the players shouted and with that intensity level, Turkey Bowl V was underway.

Each touchdown is worth 1 point and the first team to 10 points wins. The F.AM.I.L.Y. chose to defer until the second half and started on defense. We got an immediate 3-and-out and went on offense. Neither team could score on its first 3 possessions. Eventually, The F.A.M.I.L.Y. went ahead 1-0 only to be matched right away by the Dark Team. The nerves and tension were palpable and with no timeouts, subs, or stoppage in the game besides switching sides or temporary injuries, players have to be ready for an adrenaline filled morning. At 2-2, The Dark Team’s rookie quarterback, Dakota, threw an interception which ultimately led to a 3-2, then 4-2 lead for The F.A.M.I.L.Y. At 5-2, the Dark Team made several interceptions (Rogers) and defensive stands of their own to close the gap at 6-4 by halftime.

Last year, the game was 5-5 at halftime. The Dark Team ended up running away with the game winning 10-6 convincingly and we vowed not to let this repeat happen again. Two hours into the game, the jawing continued and emotions were running high as The F.A.M.I.L.Y. led 7-4. The Dark Team was gaining solid yardage by transitioning to a “hurry-up” offense which forced us to adjust from zone to man-to-man coverage; that is, until yours truly got beat on back-to-back plays! As a result, we switched back to zone defense. With the score at 9-6 in favor of The F.A.M.I.L.Y., player’s calves were cramping, their bodies were hurting and each stop was vital to maintain momentum. But like all great rivalries, neither team nor player would EVER admit to hurting and broke through numerous mental and physical walls because of what the next 364 days brings for the loser: utter disappointment and shame.

The last touchdown is always the hardest.

We couldn’t score and we were having a tough time stopping their rookie Quarterback. He was elusive and poised throughout the afternoon. As the score tightened to 9-7, and after every cliché had been spoken in the huddles and between teammates, our quarterback Dustin lead our team down the field by scrambling like a man determined not to be defeated. He lead our team all day and toward the end zone for a 10-7 victory!

The 3-hour melee finally came to an end. Both teams shook hands and we posed for a couple post-game pictures as is our tradition. As players left the field, each person signed the check that was presented to “Papa” at the pre-game ceremony. We all headed off to a local pizza joint called Buddy’s to eat homemade minestrone soup, salad and some of the tastiest square slices the great state of Michigan has to offer.

As part of our newest tradition, the winning team gets to choose the charity of choice for next year…o, and enjoy the victory for the next 364 days!

Watch the pre-game festivities video: Run4Papa Meets Turkey Bowl V

To see photos, go to: Turkey Bowl V

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Pre-game Festivities

Jason on November 30, 2011

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Game Day


What happens when arch rivals come together ONE day a year to battle in an aggressive game of football for a greater cause?

Watch the pre-game festivities video:

To see photos, go to: Turkey Bowl V

Turkey Bowl V

Jason on November 17, 2011

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Turkey Bowl V…For Papa & PPA

GameDay: 365 Days of Waiting…0 days to go!

Who wants it more?

 

To donate, go to: PPA Research and Education Fund (Run4Papa)

Where & When? Andover Field –  November 25th, 2011, 9:00 AM

What happens when arch rivals decide to come together ONE day a year over Thanksgiving weekend? Time to pick a side!!!

For years, we have had an annual Thanksgiving day game in Detroit and I am not referring to the Detroit Lions. The game is known as The Turkey Bowl and always kicks-off on Black Friday in our hometown of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The rules are simple: whichever team scores 10 touchdowns first wins. We play an aggressive game of 2-hand touch where inevitably someone is walking off the field injured. Not surprisingly, our shirts are white and theirs are black (insert any creative metaphor you like here). Make no mistake, this is an extremely heated rivalry between two teams: F.A.M.I.L.Y. versus The DARK Team.

BUT this year, we have the notion of a greater good being a fundamental staple for our annual game. We want to come together to support a cause by fundraising for not only this year’s game but all future games down the line. With that premise, we present: The Turkey Bowl V Meets Run4Papa Challenge  to help raise awareness and funds for those fighting PPA each and every day.

The minimum goal is a $1,000. 

Each player is going to pledge X amount as well as promote the game and cause together in hopes of spreading the word about PPA and getting others in the community to be part of this annual event. 100% of all donations go to fund research.

The winner of the Turkey Bowl gets to choose the charity for next year so besides bragging rights and pride, this incentive adds so much more to the rivalry.

The F.A.M.I.LY. – consists of my younger two brothers, my first cousin, and 3 of our closest family friends. We have no egos, we are unselfish, we have no names on the backs of our jerseys and we don’t care who scores so long as we come out victorious. We are unified.

The Dark Team – a bunch of highly fueled competitors who we have grown up with that come together one day a year to go up against us. They constantly replace teammates on a yearly basis if they don’t perform. Nonetheless, do not be fooled. They are highly individually talented, but when put together, things can get chaotic. “You guys are family. We are individuals.” – Andrew Sherman, member of the Dark Team.

Officially, The F.A.M.I.L.Y. leads the overall series 3-1; however, the DARK team won convincingly last year and are looking to retain the title and repeat. Just like Michigan v. Ohio State, both squads look forward to this game for 364 days a year and bragging rights are everything. Losing last year has left the most sour taste in our mouth and I can’t fathom how they dealt with it the previous 1,095 days before!

We have a couple special surprises in store and look forward to competing head-to-head on the field.

If you have any questions, please email: [email protected]

*DONATE NOW*

2. Enter $$$ next PPA Research and Education Fund (RUN4PAPA) – then continue to step 2
3. Scroll to the bottom: In the comments section, write Turkey Bowl V
4. Fill out personal info and you’re finished making a difference and enriching the Turkey Bowl

The 32 Rules of Thanksgiving Touch Football

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