Remembering Dad and Conquering Goals

238.2/1007

A year ago today, Dad passed away at the age of 67 from complications caused by Multiple Myeloma.

It has been a tough year for all of us. He was such a special man and great father and grandfather. I have so many wonderful stories and memories and one year later, it is much easier to focus on all of that.

Today’s mantra has been that dad taught me to be strong and courageous, dad taught me to follow through, and dad taught me to never quit. Much of who I am today is because of who he was. With our daughter, we are teaching her to view life the same way. We’ve encouraged her to remember that she “can do hard things” and not to say, “I can’t” or “I can’t do it” but to instead ask for help with something is too difficult. Rather than giving up, we focus on getting to the end.

Today, I went for a long run, and I made it a challenge today in honor of the anniversary of Dad’s passing. My schedule called for me to run 16 miles, and when building a route, I wondered if I should take on a big challenge. I conferred with my coach and opted to go big today. I would conquer one of my biggest desires and run from Garmisch to Eibsee. Eibsee is a large lake that sits in the shadow of Germany’s highest mountain, the Zugspitze. This run has been on my list since we moved here. 

I decided to make a route that would let me test my mettle and conquer some other shorter hills along the way. Many of my routes last year took me into the woods along a trail that runs 4 miles out of town. Then on the way back there’s another side trail that takes you over a ridgeline into one of the neighboring towns. This route is about 6.5 miles from Garmisch to Grainau and has 3-4 hills that can be challenging. This year, I set a goal to get over all of them without stopping to walk. For the first time, I managed to get them all on the same run today and even added a bonus hill at the end of the last one.

Then, it was time to suffer. In just 2 miles, I had to climb 819 ft. Much of this climb was in short and steep uphill sections with some flatter hills between. I’m still working on my climbing legs while running and it’s even harder to maintain a lower heartrate while climbing. But, I remembered how my dad believed in me and how he taught me to conquer my goals. “I can do hard things” After two brutal miles, I made it to Eibsee and knowing that I had achieved this goal that once seemed impossible caused me to smile.

I did a 4.5-mile lap of the lake and then headed back to meet my family for a dip in the pool to cool down and relax. We had hoped to bbq some ribs, my specialty dish that I often discussed with Dad, but we ran out of time.

It was a challenging day, but a rewarding one. Would have been more special to share it with my dad, but he was there with me today, and that’s what matters.

Flying Pig Race Recap

I just wanted to give a quick overview of my first race of the season, the Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon. Ultimately, I ran a 2:06:21, which ended up as my best half-marathon in the past 10 years. I had a very good day, and had a lot of fun, though to be honest I didn’t enjoy it as much as normal because I was in the zone and pushing for a good result. As an old coach would say, I suffered through it.

I had a goal to run the first half, or so, of the race with the 2:10 pace group (9:55/mi) and stick with them until the bottom of the hill. From there, I could gauge whether to push on or to stick with the group up the hill. Just as we reached the hill, the pace group seemed to dial it back a bit while I was feeling good and ready to leverage my hill training here in Garmisch. I stormed past and never looked back. I had it in my mind that I wasn’t going to be defeated on the hill and I would recover at the top before crushing the downhill and cruising back to the finish line. 

The reality is that I never really joined the pace group. I linked up with my buddy Chris, who got me into running years ago by challenging me to run the full marathon at the Flying Pig. Things didn’t work out that year, and his success in training and running the race set us both up for long-term endurance racing. He stuck with the marathon and had great success, ultimately qualifying for Boston and running well there. I enjoyed running and watching him drove me to run my first marathon back in 2009. From there, I found triathlon more enjoyable and found my own success there.

We haven’t gotten to spend as much time as I would like together, living far apart, so it was great to reconnect and run the start of the race together. We stayed together for about 5 miles, before we both went on to run our own races. Having Chris by my side for the fast start to the race kept me engaged and motivate far more than a pace group could have. We got through a challenging portion of the course, and got through the hardest miles mentally, and then went out and conquered the course on our own.

I definitely underestimated the challenge the Pig’s hill would offer. Here in Garmisch, I regularly run far more elevation change on even much shorter runs. There’s not a lot of flat running spots here. But the long, sustained climb was more challenging than I had planned for, but I still overcame it with a strong pace. 

Once over the top, I kicked on the afterburners and didn’t waste the gravity assist in getting to the finish line. I cruised on with a negative split and held on to the finish line. It was a hard effort, but worth it.

Anniversaries

 182.8 / 1007

The past few weeks have been quite a whirlwind. Since my last post, there have been a lot of anniversaries for Dad's illness. From our last good day together, to his initial hospitalization, to his intubation, a few days where he was awake enough to connect, our final conversation, and our last goodbye. 

We are back in Ohio seeing family this week and we went to a few Cincinnati sporting events last weekend. All of it is a bit strange without him here. There is a normalcy to doing normal things, but there's also a realization that they will be forever different. 

In addition to being home and seeing family, training here again has had a different feel. A year ago, I was training to run a half marathon (1 year ago tomorrow), and I had to get some runs in both while we were here on a regular visit, then while dad was in the hospital. I had a chance to talk with my dad about my training, how I was feeling, and what I might do next. Then, when he got sick and was in the hospital, I began to use training as a way to escape for a little bit a process what was happening. I don't think I realized at the time how helpful the training was for me, and how helpful it would be. 

Now, I will be running my next half marathon this coming weekend in Cincinnati. It will be the first time I've been able to run the Flying Pig since college, and I'm excited to be able to run it again and see good friends while doing it. I'm feeling well prepared and have high hopes for a good finish.

Fundraising has stalled out a bit over the past few weeks. I'm currently sitting at $1250 of my initial $3000 goal, and I'm hoping to get some new donations soon! 

Easter in the Snow: 104.4 / 1007

I’m very grateful to those who have already donated to the cause. In just two weeks, we’ve raised $1000 of my $3000 goal.

Thank you to:

Frank Witte

Steve Hebert

Jim Lightfield

Brenda Soule

Joseph Hay

Stephanie Smith

Joshua Wyrich

Lisa Foos

Duncan Smith

Nicholas Jackson

Training has been going well. I had two really good long runs the last two weeks. After it began to look like spring was coming, we got hammered with snow for about a week. But, we had a one day break in the weather where it warmed up a bit and I could get my long run in. After the snow lasted through the weekend, it began to melt early the next week, but I did end up running through the snow a bit. By Sunday, most of snow had melted so I decided to tackle a run starting in Austria and running back to Germany to work on my downhill technique. I didn’t realize how shady some spots were and there was still a foot of snow in places. I was able to cover the whole 12 miles, about 8 with wet feet, and then have the rest of the day to spend with the family. 

The next few weeks will be prep for the Flying Pig half marathon, then it will be full go again for Pitztal.

Easter was a holiday that we often spent with Dad’s family. It was a bit weird this year, with Dad being gone and last year was the first signs that there was hope that Dad would be okay. We got a few good days with him following Easter.

Thanks again to everyone who is supporting the effort!

Three Weeks In:

56/1007

Welcome my training and fundraising blog. Here I plan to capture my season and progression towards my goals of fundraising and running 1007 in honor of my Dad, Ohlen Brock, who passed away last year from Multiple Myeloma.

I’m three weeks into training now and today is when I’ve starting sharing my fundraising campaign publicly. Through three weeks, things have been going well. I took a break from running after my marathon in October, so I was a little rusty to start the year, but I spent a lot of time in gym which helped me to prepare.

Living in a beautiful place like we do makes training so much easier!

Intro Post

Running for Ohlen - 1007 Miles for a Cure

My love for sports started in the backyard with my dad, but it quickly became the bedrock of our bond. It was our shared language. We didn't just watch the game; we analyzed every play, celebrated every win, and debated every call. That shared passion is one of my most cherished memories of him, and it’s one of the things I miss the most. He instilled in me a love for being an athlete, and that passion eventually led me to find my own path in endurance training and racing.

Last year, just as I was getting back into training, my dad got sick. It was all so fast, and he passed away from Multiple Myeloma only a few weeks after his diagnosis. The loss was sudden and devastating. During that time, my training became a necessary escape. I made the decision to run the Munich Marathon, driven by a personal goal to improve my own health. It was a mission for myself, but in hindsight, it was also a continuation of what I started: using the discipline of running to navigate a difficult time and, without realizing it, to start processing his loss.

Running that marathon taught me how to channel my energy. This year, I want to channel it into a mission that reflects the man he was. My dad was the most selfless person I knew, always involved in charitable work and giving back to his community. But he never got the chance to fight this disease. So now, I'm fighting for him. To honor his birthday on 10/07, I am running 1,007 miles. Taking on something hard is my way of fighting the battle he couldn't and continuing his legacy of giving back.

I am fundraising for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), an organization on the front lines of the fight to find a cure. The MMRF drives groundbreaking clinical trials and has helped triple survival rates for patients. They give tangible hope to families like mine, and with your help, we can fuel their vital work.

My Goal

My fundraising goal is to raise $3000 by July 4th. As I train, I'll be taking on a series of races that will test my limits:

May 3rd - Flying Pig Half-Marathon
July 5th - Pitztal Gletscher Marathon
August 9th - Allgau Panorama Half-Marathon
September 27th - Berlin Marathon
October 11th - Munich Marathon

For 15 years, I have been proudly serving in the military. This life of service and discipline has now taken me overseas to Germany. While it is an honor to serve, it also means I am far from home and the kind of deep-rooted community many people can turn to for support. This mission is bigger than me, and I cannot do it alone from here.

How You Can Join the Mission

1. Donate in Honor: Please consider making a donation to my campaign in honor of my dad, or in memory of someone you love. Every single dollar goes directly to the MMRF. You can contribute here: https://endurance.themmrf.org/participants/Running-for-Ohlen
2. Share This Story: My biggest challenge is expanding my network while serving abroad. Please share this post with your friends, family, and colleagues. A simple share can connect this cause with someone who needs to see it.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Let’s run this race and battle multiple myeloma together.