Motivational Story

[mavsluva]

Attached is a story that was written about me by a guy that I had only known for 24 hours. I've found this story to be most inspirational and read it darn near daily to help keep me motivated. And for those that have known someone or who have personally overcome a similar obstacle, congrats to you as well!


Grace and peace,
Mavsluva

[mavsluva]

The attachment didn't show up the first time. Lets try again. Nope, file is too large. Here it is in a non-attachment version. I have pics to support it that I'll post up a bit later.

David - aka Mavsluva

White Rock Marathon – December 18, 2002
Run or Sit Down?

How many of us have ever experienced something so cool that you wanted to share it with your friends? Well I have, and I wanted share it with all of you. On Sunday December 18, 2002, I experienced one of the greatest days of my life so far. I was fortunate enough to conquer “The Rock”. That’s right 26 miles of Dallas pavement known to most of us from these parts as the White Rock Marathon.

I never thought that when I woke up early on that Sunday that I would have completed something so many people dream about but never accomplish, especially since I had not trained for nor planned to run the complete marathon.

I was asked to be a part of a 5 person relay team called Team Nuts. Team Nuts was put together to support testicular and other male cancers. What a great name! Our team was made up of myself running 6 miles, Charles Masoner running 4 miles, Steve Wince running 6 miles, Keary Tuner running 5 miles, and Mike Richardson running 5 miles. Our team assembled to support a remarkable individual, David Lowe. David is a 25 year old cancer survivor that has battled various forms of cancer…and continues to outrun the cancer just as he did by running “The Rock” with us.

The morning of the race I called David to introduce myself and tell him that I was leading off the relay and was looking forward to running with him. We met and immediately I was moved when I saw David’s T-shirt. It was a T-shirt with a picture of Jared Masoner, Charles and Kim’s 18 month old son, who in February 2002 passed from this earth to heaven as a result of a brain tumor. What an incredible display of love to see David in the mist of his battle honoring Jared.

Within minutes David and I heard the gun shot starting the race and together we begin moving with thousands through the cool streets of downtown Dallas. As we began the race we spent most of the first miles talking, laughing, and listening to our radios. David was telling me how great it was to run a marathon and he was looking forward to conquering “The Rock” for his second time. As we pounded the pavement I got to learn about the challenges David had faced with cancer. Through all the treatments, surgeries, and uphill battles with cancer David never quit and today was proof that David had two choices in life, to run or sit down and lose the race…and he was running!

The first leg of the relay was great. I decided to continue the support and run the 2nd leg with David and Charles. As we approached mile 10 I told David that I could not believe I had just run 10 miles. The farthest I had ever run outside of soccer games were 5k (3 mile) races. David telling I was a little winded, put his hand on my shoulder and asked if I was ok. What a moment of compassion, to know David’s situation and have him concerned about how I was feeling. I said “great” but thought in my mind “I am blessed with my health and I am GREAT”! “Why stop now!” I was only 3 miles from completing a half marathon. What an accomplishment that would be for me. So I continued with the 3rd leg, planning to stop once I completed the ½ marathon @ mile 13.

As Steve, David, & I ran the 3rd leg, so many awesome things became apparent to me. I watched thousands of people cheering on the runners. People we didn’t know, and never will know yelling for us….”Go Team Nuts”! I heard people screaming “keep going, your going to do it”. Kids gleaming with pride as their mom and or dad went running by. I saw families and friends holding up signs supporting the runners. One sign caught my attention and became a motivator. The sign a couple was holding said….”Though Christ you can accomplish anything”. They were right. I took a few seconds and remember saying a prayer thanking God for my health, thanking him for allowing me to run, allowing David to run, allowing me to experience this and to be with us because through him we could accomplish this. After this prayer I didn’t want to stop at mile 13 and hoped to make it to the end of the leg, mile 16.

Between mile 13 and mile 16 David turned to me and said, “man I am going to be emotional when I cross the finish line”. I asked “why”. David said “because I should be dead.” I was taken back. I asked him if he ever thought he would die. David explained to me, never. He knew he would fight it and win, just as he knew that he would finish today. Both races would have many pains but the finish line would be crossed. Speaking of pain, at almost the exact same time David and I began experiencing sharp pains in our hip flexors at mile 15. David fought this pain for the remainder of the marathon and encouraged me to do the same.

As we crossed mile 16 and began the 4th leg of the relay with Keary, I processed everything that I had experienced in the last 2 and ½ hours. I remember thinking “only 10 more miles to go”, “I can do this”, “If I ever want to run a marathon to get to this point I have to run 16 miles again”, “I have been with David this far, I can’t stop now”, “through Christ I can do this”, “David is going to do this, so am I”. I turned to David and asked him “hey can you get me through the last 10 miles”. He laughed and said, no you can get you through the last 10. So at mile 16 I decided I too was going to cross the finish line. I was going to be there through it all when David completed his first marathon after fighting back from his brain tumor. I was going to accomplish a feat so many people train so hard to do. I wasn’t going to quit.

From mile 16 to 24 David and I nourished our bodies with the all kinds of essentials…bananas, oranges, cookies, candy, and caffeine gels to keep us going. I wish we had a tape recorder with us. We began fantasizing about food. We would talk about how good a double meat cheeseburger would taste. We built the cheeseburgers in detail like two architects designing a masterpiece. We could see the cheeseburgers, we could taste them, and we could smell them. In hindsight I think we were either starving, hallucinating, or maybe both.

At mile 25 David told me to run ahead, he would meet me at the finish line. I couldn’t believe it. We were one mile from conquering The Rock. I turned to David and we hit fists and I told him “thank you for letting me run with you, it was incredible”, “I could have never done this today without you”. He smiled as his emotions began to overcome him. I put my arm on his shoulder and said “see you at the finish line”. As I ran the last mile I began seeing the thousands of people yelling and cheering on the runners. This was better than any of the movies I had seen….after all it was real. I ran across the finish line under the banner and into the arms of my friends and Team Nuts.

As I turned back toward the finish line there he was, David Lowe running, David Lowe conquering The Rock. David had fought through the cancer, fought through the treatments, the operations, the pain, and even on that Sunday went for a short 26-mile run….when he wasn’t suppose to be here. For David it was just something he does. He runs and no matter what happens he doesn’t stop. David had tears in his eyes and we hugged. I was so thrilled that he had done it, and that I could have been there through every mile he pounded. I ask myself was I there for David or was David really their for me. See if it wasn’t for David I wouldn’t have kept going. If it wasn’t for David I wouldn’t have learned these things that perfect day.

Thanks David & Team nuts for a perfect Sunday. Like David we all have two choices in life, to run…or sit down and lose the race. When I started the race, I wasn’t prepared for the obstacle, but with the support of others and God, I figured out I too can win the race. Sunday was proof.

[IronReload04]

very inspirational

[Timm1704]

thats some good shit

[mavsluva]

Thanks. This story was also published in the Dallas Morning News newspaper in the early stages of 2003, so some of you might have already seen it if you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I've become more of a weight lifter these days, but I still run to remain lean. I published some pictures on here back in November of 2005, and need to post up some more recent ones to show my progress.

David - aka Mavsluva