MY IRONMAN

With less than 24 hours to go till my attempt at back-to-back marathons I am focused and ready to push my body and soul to the limits. This will be my biggest challenge to date. I have been doing marathons for over 12 years but I never tackled a task as monumental as competing in two 26.2 mile marathons in a span of approximately 32 hours.
Over the past 12 weeks that I have been training, I have encountered many obstacles along the way. From daily visits to see my grandmother in a nursing home, to losing several of my guide runners, to fighting the flu and a cold, I managed to somehow keep on my training schedule. Training for a marathon for me is always a challenge even under the best of circumstances. First of all I have to make sure I get myself in tiptop shape before I can complete a race that is as draining as a marathon. In order to do this I need the time, along with the proper assistance to maintain a regular training program.
In early September I was faced with a large hurdle to overcome when one of my aides had to leave without giving any notice. Fortunately a good friend and former aide came to my assistance and found me two very quick learners to help me get back on schedule. When training for a marathon full-time your body gets run down and you are more susceptible to illness. This happened to me twice recently. Fortunately I trained through it and now am completely recovered.
Another factor for anyone training for a marathon, never mind back-to-back marathons, is time management. Because of how I race it takes me a lot longer to put in the miles needed to get my body in condition to be ready when I get to the starting line. An able-bodied runner might take an hour and a half for a long training run, while it will take me closer to three hours to complete that same distance. Along with this I have to make time for weight training, work, meals and adequate rest. All this makes for a very full day.
Fortunately I have a very loyal support system that I like to call “Team Pisano”. Team Pisano is made up of my aides, guide runners, friends and family, and sponsors. Without these special individuals I wouldn’t be able to continue my quest for 50 marathons. Tomorrow morning when I wake up at around 4 a.m. it will mark the beginning of my Iron Man weekend. Next week when I write my next column I hope to report that I successfully completed both marathons in a satisfactory amount of time. So on Monday, I’ll probably be very sore, but I should have only 13 marathons to go before I reach my ultimate goal of completing 50 career marathons.
In conclusion I would like to thank a few special people that have gone out of their way to help make this weekend a reality. The first two people I would like to thank is my coach Paul Tetreault who designed a training schedule for me to follow, and Doctor Scott Dresden from Wisconsin who will be one of my guide runners in both marathons. Next I would like to thank Chad Johnson and Nathan Thompkins who will also be my guides this weekend. Lastly I would like to thank my mother and step-father, Ray and Michele Burdick for all they did to make this weekend possible as well as for all they do for me every other day of the year.
For anyone who would like to learn more about my races or Team Pisano they can go to my blog at http://teampisano.blogspot.com/