When a race is much more than a race

The look on people's faces when I told them how I spent my birthday weekend didn't scream envy or jealousy. Explaining that I decided to take a trip to Tennessee to start my outdoor racing season the day before my birthday didn't get many to give that "Aww you're so lucky!" vibe. And although I got some sun, the wonderful Chicago winter that seemingly has a stranglehold that won't let go took that away pretty quick. But for me, it was the perfect way to spend my birthday, in some warm weather, testing my fitness against a strong field, on a difficult course, with less than 3 days of outdoor cycling time under my belt. The Tennessee Thrasher Duathlon was my gift to myself, a real leg burner in the Natchez Trace state park in Tennessee. The course had no flat of any kind, pitches on both the bike and run of 12-16% and a second run that was 2/3's single track, covered in pine needles, mud and more than a few tree roots. So on March 20, I and several other athletes stepped out to 80 degrees, warm sunshine and a first run that greeted you with a 600 meter climb out on to the main road. I paced smart, gradually working my way into 2nd, with about 2-3 seconds off the leader. As we crested that first nasty climb, I got into a bit of a groove and rounded the turn around feeling good. The winter strength work had paid off, and I wasn't feeling any ill effects of my appendectomy 4 weeks prior. The leader and I hit T1 a couple seconds apart, and as I got to my bike, I noticed my handlebars were intertwined with another bike. Not wanting to lose time, I yanked my bike out, and took off. I had no idea that single act would provide me with a real gift after the race. The bike packed a solid 2300 feet of climbing in less than 20 miles, and I stayed as close to the leader as possible, now joined by a couple other guys from warmer climates who obviously had a few more days on the bike outside than myself. But thanks to some well timed words from coach Jen as well as some critical strength training from Bmack, I kept attacking, making sure I wasn't losing time. As I got to T2, I was sitting in 4th, but all of us pretty close. Although I was hurting, I knew the guys ahead of me were too, so, I sucked it up, slid around the single track trail as best I could, passing the 3rd place guy, and set my sights on 2nd and 1st. With a little over a half mile, I started to push as hard as possible, but just not enough real estate to make the final catch. I sprinted down the final hill, legs aching but thrilled to grab a podium finish, less than 9 months after shoulder surgery, and 5 weeks from an appendectomy. Yeah, I was healed, and stronger than ever. But the best part of the race happened after I crossed the line. What I didn't realize, was that in my haste of getting my bike in T1, I had knocked over another athletes' bike. Her husband was standing close to transition, and visibly upset. As I approached my bike, he asked if it was mine, and after I said yes, he proceeded to tell me what happened. The bike I knocked over was his wife's, it was her pride and joy, and that she had over come a lot of health issues to be there. I was upset at myself and emabarrassed that I didn't notice what I had done, so I made sure to be at transition when she finished. When she came through and walked over to transition, I saw she was upset and I understood. I would have felt the same. I had no excuse, it was simply negligence on my part and thankfully, she understood. I mentioned that her husband told me she had overcome some health issues to be there, and I was curious as to what they were, and how she did it. How she lived outside her comfort zone to overcome the obstacles in her life. Her name is Christine, and I can't do justice to her story. So here is an excerpt of her email to me: ALABAMA SPORTS FESTIVAL NEW LEASE ON LIFE Christine Schmalzer defied the odds after being diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1997 and now celebrates life by pushing herself in triathlons INSIDE: Complete festival coverage/4-5C By MIKE HERNDON Sports Reporter The triathlon is among the most grueling of all sporting events. A downright sadistic combination of running, swimming and biking, it's seen by many as the athletic gold standard - the ultimate test of strength and endurance. But for Christine Schmalzer, it's really nothing. Not that Schmalzer has mastered the sport. She took it up just two years ago and is entering her second season of competition. It's just that after what she's been through, the pain of pushing herself to her physical limits really isn't all that big a deal. Schmalzer, a 37-year-old from Ethridge, Tenn., was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1997. She initially was given six months to a year to live, but thanks to a second opinion and an experimental surgical procedure she's beat that estimate nine times over and counting. After fighting through a period of self-doubt, she's making the most of her second lease on life - and triathlons are a big part of it. "When I'm in a race, I feel like after what I've been through, psychologically, mentally and even physically I can take the pain," she said. "What he went through was a whole different thing, but (Tour de France champion and cancer survivor) Lance Armstrong expressed some of the same things about training. You're sort of more willing to push your body to the wall, because compared to staring death in the face, that doesn't seem so scary." Schmalzer's ordeal started nine years ago when she started having headaches and vision problems. Visits to an eye doctor and a neuro-opthamologist revealed nothing until six months later, when she was riding in a car with her then-fiance, Edward Butler, and she felt her vision closing in from both sides. She had a grand mal seizure in the car, and later had another in the hospital. Doctors performed a biopsy, drilling into Schmalzer's brain to search for the problem while she lay awake under local anesthesia. The diagnosis couldn't have been much worse: a brain tumor, malignant and inoperable. She was told that whole head radiation was her only option for treatment and, even with that, she had six months to a year to live. "It was just shock, then anger (that it wasn't found sooner)," said Schmalzer, who had lost her mother to pancreatic cancer six months earlier. "The next day I felt like I'd been run over by a truck. Because of what we'd been through with my mother, there was just a lot of fatalism: This is it. I'm going to die." But the biopsy's 2 percent margin of error meant hope to Butler, a pilot and industrial engineer. "I've never been lucky," Schmalzer said. "I said, 'Oh, I'm dead.' Butler said, 'No, that's statistically significant.'" As it turned out, it was very significant. Schmalzer went for a second opinion at the Mayfield Clinic in Cincinnati, where renowned neurosurgeon Dr. John Tew told her he believed he could remove the tumor. Tew used an experimental procedure involving computer navigation to remove the mass. Subsequent tests then showed that it wasn't malignant after all, but an extremely rare form of benign tumor, making Schmalzer all the more thankful for getting the second opinion. "If we'd gone with that first opinion, the radiation would have killed me by now," she said. "So it's a real lesson in getting a second opinion." Schmalzer said her emotions when first hearing of Tew's more favorable diagnosis ran from disbelief to "just incredible joy." "All you can think about is that you're going to have more time with the people you love and you're going to make the most of it," she said. "There's this second lease on life: I'm going to live every day like it's my last." But after the tumor was removed, the euphoria eventually wore off. Schmalzer had a long recovery from major brain surgery and she still suffered from debilitating headaches. Then, later, she began to feel guilty that she wasn't doing more with her life. "I sort of fell back into my life," she said. "I was sort of existing and trying to be happy, but not really getting there. I wasn't fulfilling this second chance the way I should be." Little could she have known that the key would ultimately lie in pushing her body to its limits of endurance. Although she described herself as "pretty much a couch potato" before the surgery, she'd long harbored a secret ambition: "My whole life, I'd always wanted to do a triathlon." Actually accomplishing that goal, however, was the furthest thing from her mind two years ago when she joined the YMCA in Columbia, Tenn., some 30 minutes from her home in Ethridge, near the Alabama state line. Butler, now her husband, was suffering from back pain and she thought that some exercise at the Y would do them both some good. After joining, she found a group of fellow members who were active in triathlons and, with their help, soon began working toward that goal. "They were incredibly generous in sharing their knowledge of the sport, how they train," she said. "I just jumped in with both feet and did about a dozen races last year, including some ocean swims." One of those events featuring an ocean swim provided a benchmark for Schmalzer. The race, held in Panama City, Fla., came right after a storm that churned the Gulf into 5- and 6-foot swells, making the swimming portion of the race incredibly difficult. But Schmalzer persevered, finishing fourth overall. "When I came across the finish line, I started crying because I couldn't believe I'd done it," she said. "I just had the feeling that if I can work through something like that, I can do other things in other areas of my life. "It's changed my life," she said of the sport. "That's why I really wanted to do this (Sports Festival) race. It's an Olympic-type event that's supposed to promote sports." Since Tennessee does not have a state games similar to the Alabama Sports Festival, organizers here agreed to allow her to compete this weekend in Mobile. Saturday's race at Chickasabogue State Park was the first triathlon to be held at the ASF and, for adult competitors, featured a 400-meter swim, 25-kilometer bike ride and 5-kilometer run. Schmelzer finished the race in about an hour and 35 minutes, placing third in her 35-39 age group and qualifying for the national games next year in Colorado despite taking a wrong turn on the run that added several minutes to her time. Not bad for someone who, when she first started, often had to climb off her bike and rest when climbing hills. "I still have a long way to go," said Schmalzer, whose ultimate goal is to compete in an Ironman competition. "When I first started, swimming a 200 was a big deal. Now on Tuesday, I think I swam 3,600 yards. I was super motivated. Having people who were willing to help me and were generous enough with their time and expertise was a huge thing." The biggest thing for Schmalzer, though, has been regaining her happiness, feeling that her second chance at life has not been wasted. In addition to her triathlons, Schmalzer now counsels other brain tumor patients, helping those who have been recently diagnosed to find the best available doctors and programs. And she's also acting on a lifelong love of dogs by taking in strays and other canines in need of help. "We don't have a humane society in my county," she said, "so it comes down to me picking up dogs who are sick or dumped, paying for their vet bills, getting them healthy, doing a bit of training and finding them homes." She still goes in regularly for MRIs to ensure that the tumor or others like it haven't returned. But with so much to do, there's not much time now to dwell on her ordeal of nine years ago. And that's just how Schmalzer wants it. "I think that's the reason the triathlon has been so good for me," she said. "A lot of times since then, I've either been dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. When I'm training or racing, that's impossible. You're living in the moment. That's such a gift. "I'm happier than I've ever been and I sure didn't think that was possible." This story, this woman, reminded me of what the sport is all about - overcoming. In one way or another, we are all overcoming something, be it physical, mental or spiritual, that gets us to the start line. Look inside you to find out what it is, and never lose that feeling, that sense of excitement that got you in the sport in the first place. I got a great birthday gift, a new friend, and more importantly, the reminder of why I started to race, and continue to - to defy the odds, to overcome obstacles, to be more than what I expected. Its in Christine. And I bet its in you too. Stay strong, Guy