Yesterday was the longest day of my life. Get ready for one hell of a story.

This story starts a few days ago. A group of us left Virton Sunday morning and headed to Brasschaat for our final track race of the year. It was a beautiful setting. Trees surrounded the entire track and the track itself was old and fast. I had told myself, unless I run 1:49.29 or faster (a standard Athletics Canada recognizes as “Development”) this was going to be my last race of the season. At about 4.15pm, on Sunday afternoon, I went for my warm up with Geoff Harris. I finished my strides and got on the line, ready for my 4th 800 in 9 days. I looked up into the heavens and said, “Run with me Nonno Vince (Grandpa)”. I actually don’t remember anything about the race. I remember the gun going off and I just sat in the back of the pack most of the race and eventually came across the line half a second faster than I ever had before in 1:49.28 (a new Personal Best and a new dilemma). I had to decide, should I stay and keep racing in Europe or go party and celebrate the season.

After the race a group of Canadians and Americans went to Gent for the largest street festival in Europe to pull an all-nighter. I was really excited to go but something was pulling me in another direction. I didn’t end up going to Gent and I didn’t end up celebrating. I know it sounds mystical but somebody was telling me that I had to get home and be with my family. Earlier that week I had booked a flight to Milan for Tuesday because my original plan was to go visit the motherland and then hit up Switzerland for a few days.

The next morning the voice in my head grew and grew; without talking to any of my family I knew my grandfather had only hours to live. A sense of urgency ran through my blood. I packed everything and at 1pm I was out the door for the last time and on my way to Amsterdam to try and get on a flight back to Toronto. It was a 3 h train ride. I ran around the airport looking for something… no luck. I had to decide whether to stay in Amsterdam or go back in Turnhout. I ended up going back to Turnhout. I got in at about 11:15pm. I opened up my email to see if my travel agent sent me any flights and there was this email from my brother:

Mikey...Nonno just passed away five minutes ago.  I m so sorry . Dad is in rough shape, pray for him.
I m going to the hospital now.  He passed while everyone was around him.
Call my cell phone if you need help and I can wire money.
But tell them there is a death in your family and you need to go home now.  My phone is on...

I gasped. All I wanted to do was be home with the family and I couldn’t. My new friends, and the closest thing to a family,  Leanna, Celia, Alicia, Geoff and Adam were there and were awesome. I called my dad from Turnhout and cried with him over the phone; death is such a painful process. I told him, “Dad, I’m so sorry I’m not there for you… I promise I’ll be back tomorrow night!” I got off the phone and looked at flights all over Europe to Toronto. I eventually found something leaving from Frankfurt (where my return flight was from) at 3:15pm. I knew that was the one. It was booked but my plan was to get to the airport, plea my case and fly standby.

I didn’t sleep much that night. My train was leaving at 6:04am and by this time it was about midnight and I had been traveling all day. I went into the chapel and just prayed. Probably a lot of the people reading this think prayer and God is a waste of time. All I’ll say, for now, is that prayer disturbs something about me. It feels uncomfortably easy. It makes me, a finite creature, feel in relation with something infinite. I slept for a little more than an hour and by 5:30am I was out the door, for the second, last time.

I got to the train station and booked my ticket from Turnhout to Frankfurt: 80 Euro for a 4 h trip. I ended up being put on the wrong train and went in the wrong direction. The panic started. I knew I had to get to the airport early in order to be the first one to fly standby. Long story short, the trip that was suppose to cost 80 Euro and take 4h ended up costing 140 Euro and took 7 h. I eventually got to the airport and ran as fast I could to Terminal 2-E: Air Transat. I was panicking but had faith and sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded!

I got to the front desk at 1:15pm and told them my situation. She took my name down and said I was going to have to wait till 2:15, when they close check-in, to see if there is anything available; I just kept saying, “I have to get on this flight. I’ll pay whatever I have to but I promised my dad I would be home tonight!” I ended up just pacing around for 1h. I sent a few emails to my family, letting them know the situation. I did 5 races in Europe and I was never nearly as nervous for those races as I was for this.

In Terminal 2-E I continued my praying. It was 2:15pm. I went back to the desk to find out my status. There was some commotion about someone’s luggage and the place was in an uproar. 2:30…still nothing. 2:45, problem resolved. Now, for me, Mr. Del Monte. She said, “it’s not looking good”. I asked her to call the people at the boarding gate and she did. I heard her say something over the phone in German but I recognized the word “Jump Seat”. I yelled, “I’ll sit anywhere… please… just let me get on this flight”. She said, “O.K. let’s get you on this.” We booked a new ticket and I had 20 min to get through security and get on the plan. I ran a new personal best from the check in to the gate – 800 m in 1:46.20.

I was the last one to make it to the gate and the young looking fellow taking the tickets looked at me and said, “Mr. Del Monte, ah yes, we’ve been expecting you, please enjoy your trip. Today you’ll be flying with us in Business Class.” I hadn’t smiled for the last 36 hours but I had cried a lot… so… I cried again. Joy can do that to you sometimes.

I was so thankful…

It was an excellent flight. I hadn’t eaten anything all day. I ate lots of food and drank lots of wine and did a few shots with John, the man sitting beside me, in memory of my grandfather. I didn’t sleep at all on the plane. I was the last one on the plane and the first one off. I ran to customs and sailed through. Went to get my bag and it was the 4th one there. I ran outside and my mom was there. I had emailed them in Frankfurt and told them about the flight and my flying standby and they just assumed I got it.

I eventually got to Guelph. 19h and 35m later.

The next 3 days are going to be rough but there is nothing more important than being with your family when the Road of Life becomes rough.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Here’s to Nonno Vince!

Well, last night did not go exactly according to plan. I felt o.k during the day. Since mid-May I have been struggling with a hamstring injury. I’ve been able to manage it well, while training and racing around it. It has been a bit sore the last few days but I figured it would go away with a good warm-up. 

Geoff and I started our warm-up and it was fairly nice out. Then, all of a sudden, a huge storm came in. It blew out the electricity and they postponed the meet 30 minutes until the storm passed over. We ended up taking a seat and waiting for the storm to pass. Because of the cooler weather I was really considering not racing and saving it for Brasschaat (which is tomorrow night, where I’m one of the last guys to make it into the B-section) but I felt bad because the meet organizers gave us the Royal Treatment. I ended up toeing the line. The rabbit was suppose to go out in 52.5 but was out in 54. I came through in 55-low and knew that the fast time wasn’t happening. I didn’t want to force it and do anything crazy. I ended up getting 4th in 1.51.60. Geoff ended up winning in 1.50.5 (earning the prestigious award of pepperoni, chocolate and beer). 

After the race we were all treated to a huge BBQ with lots of meat, pasta, pies and beer! Then, at about 11pm, when we finally got back to our house, Tim Konoval and I headed over to this ice cold river. It was pouring rain out but we sucked it up and sat in the near freezing water for 8 minutes. I feel much better today. I’m going to treat this leg today and then gear up for my last effort of the season. I believe that the night is darkest before the dawn and last night was pretty dark. I know a sub 1:49 is in me. Tomorrow is the race to do it in. I’ve learned, while being here, that you can only control what you can control. If the pacer is on and the weather is good I’ll be there… 

On another note, I’ve decided to visit the motherland. I’ll be back in Turnhout Sunday night. I’ll head to Brussels Tuesday morning for a day trip and get on a plane and head to Milan Tuesday night. I’ll stay there for 2 nights and then I’m taking the train to Bern to stay with my cousins fiance, Justin. I’ll then take the train from Bern to Frankfurt Sunday morning and be back in Toronto next Sunday night. 

On one LAST NOTE… if you believe in praying, please pray for my grandfather. He is the true Italian Stallion. Relentless. Fearless. Young at heart. Dying. My family would appreciate the support.

Till next time.    

So at the last minute, a group of us (Celia, Geoff H, Darren and Ashley) decided to go to a low-key meet in Virton. We woke up this morning in Turnhout and really had no idea where we were going. We get on the train and went to Leuven where we met a bunch of other athletes. We then took a 2 hour car ride south. We slowly started to realize that we were going to the middle of nowhere.

We then arrived in this beautiful setting…

There’s about 15 athletes staying at this house. This place is brilliant! Because I’m part of the post-modern area I can’t articulate it in words. I’ll do a video in the next day or two.

On another note, FloTrack, a popular track site decided to post our workout as this weeks “WORKOUT WEDNESDAY“. CHECK IT OUT!!!

Well I’m officially halfway through my Euro experience. I love it here. The pace of life is moderate, the taste of coffee is bold and the tracks are shorter than 400m! Well, the last one is a lie. Last night our Canadian contingent made the 70 minute trek to Gent. Just as we pulled in a brutal storm showed up. We were forced to stay in our car and wait it out. Eventually we made a run for the track and a lot of us were contemplating not racing and saving the effort for another day. Then, all of a sudden, out came the light, the cameras were turned on and action hit the track!

I found out earlier in the day that I was going to be in the B-section of the 800’s. I was the last guy to make it into the heat and the meet coordinators exact words were “I’ve put you in the B section. I hope you’re running fast!” It was a large field. 12 guys on the line. I knew that I had been given an opportunity. And when opportunity comes knocking, you answer. So after a bit of a delay, because of the lightening, we were on the line. I felt a bit worse than average. I got out well and just tucked in the pack. I tried not to make any big moves and instead, just run a strong, consistent race. I faded a bit in the last 50 meters but I felt fine after.

1.49.80.

I know there is another second in my legs.

You can watch the video here: http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/235261/195017

It took 20 minutes to get the results up and I knew I was going to be right around 1:50. I was on pins and needles. When I saw the result I let out a shout of joy. It’s been a hard 3 years and I’ve given up many times. This just gives me hope to keep fighting and keep training. I’ve never known what I’ve wanted to get out of of this sport but I’m starting to get an idea…

I’ve decided to do a small Twilight meet Friday night in Virton (at the border of Belgium and France). It’ll be 10 days after my most aggressive workout of the year and there is a rabbit going through 600. My buddy Geoff Harris is looking to run fast and so am I (he was 2nd an Nationals this year and has a PB of 1:47.99).  After that I’ll head to Brasschaat on Sunday to race my last 800 of the season. Then, I’m off for a week, traveling around Europe a bit.  I’ll be back in Canada Aug 2.

I appreeciate all the support I’ve been getting and I hope I can continue to report good news!

Till next time,

md

Dedicated to my Father’s Father – Nonno Vince – who is taking his last few breaths. I wish I could be there…

Here’s a look at what we do in Turnhout when we’re not throwing darts, playing cards or drinking Kriek.

Sorry I’ve been gone the last few days. Here’s a quick little update: Saturday night we were in Kortrijk. It seems as though I’ve been running a 1500 once a month for the last 4 months (all within 1 second of each other). The race got the flight out of my legs and I ran 3:49.77. It was BARELY a PB and I was obviously looking for more but I didn’t recover well after the flight; I’m still sleeping close to 2-3 hours more than I normally sleep (11-12 hours a day).  I may still have one more shot at the 1500 on the 26th. While I do obviously want to run faster in the 1500, the main reason I came over here (this year) was to get my 800 down to 1:49.XX. I’ve got 2 (maybe 3) 800’s coming up and I’m excited for them! Later on today Kyle Smith, Matt Lincoln and I are going to be doing our last hard workout before our big race (Heusden) this Saturday. We’re going to be making a workout video so I’ll post that once it’s down.

Till then, here’s a video I put together of some of us during our day in Paris! For some (copyright) reason, there is no music!!! So…if you have me as a friend you should watch it on my facebook account. www.facebook.com/mpdelmonte

When we heard that the much anticipated Bruno was opening early in Belgium we knew what we were going to do last night. It is one of the rudest and crudest movies I’ve ever seen but I have to admit… it was very funny. He certainly crossed the line many times but the character was just so captivating. I don’t expect that they’ll play the same movie in North America… but if they do, there will be a lot of offended people walking out! Go with caution!!!

Anyway, I didn’t come to Europe to write movie reviews…

So far this trip has been a good learning experience.  I’ve never flown this far for running and I’m learning quite a few things about recovery and what to do and not to do next time. Here are 7 simple things:

1. Do NOT fly through the night. While it seemed like a good idea at the time (in order to get onto their time schedule) it is not a great idea for a runner to get 2-3 crappy hours of sleep in a semi-prone/seated position.
2. Do NOT stop drinking water.
3. If you do STEP 2 successfully make sure you get an aisle seat so you’re not bugging your neighbours to go to the bathroom.
4. Do not be shy to ask foreign people for help. Sign language is more useful than you think!
5. Wednesday is Belgium’s Sunday (no…wait…everything in Ontario is open on Sundays….) so don’t arrive with an empty stomach on Tuesday, thinking you’ll get everything tomorrow…
6. Compressions socks are good… but if you’ve got a bad hamstring, compression tights are better!
7. When you’re deciding between the 12 pack and 24 pack of Powerbars…go with the 28.

Today we went to the track (a runner’s sanctuary (I’ll get some pics later on)) for a little workout. I was hoping I was going to feel better than I did but it has been a tough week adjusting to everything. My first race is a 1500 in two days in Kortrijk. I haven’t done many 15’s this year so it should be interesting.

Alright time to get some sleep…

So here’s how the travel went:
Start location      End Location      Start Time          End Time      Method            Thanks
Guelph                       Toronto                      8pm                      8:50pm             Car                     Adrian D and Sarah L
Toronto                      Frankfurt                   11:40pm              1:25pm              Plane                 Air Transat and all your crying babies
Frankfurt                   Brussels                      6:43                     9:27pm             ICE-Train         PowerBar –Meals made small
Brussels                     Turnhout                    9:46                     10:55pm           IC-Train            Kyle/Adam/Trent/Leanna – for meeting me

Besides the obvious – lack of sleep – it was an easy and uneventful journey. Special Thanks to VinceDelmonteFitness (more on that later).

The train station is a few minutes from our residence so we walked back (not before getting something to eat) and I went to bed almost immediately. I’m still getting settled in so I won’t write much today. It’s a really beautiful place here but unfortunately I haven’t been able to go outside today because of the rain! I’m going to have to at some point considering I don’t have any food!

Anyway, more to come…

So I spent the weekend in stinky Windsor. The city workers have been on strike since mid-April and the place made Toronto look/smell desirable (Toronto, as I have learned over the last year, is an awesome city to live in but the city workers have followed Windsor’s lead and have been on strike the last few weeks). It looks like this strike is going to go on for awhile so I’m going to get out of the country for a month… or until civility returns.

My flight leaves tonight at 11:40PM from Toronto. I’ve got a bunch of extra strength acetaminophen so I’m hoping that knocks me out. I’ll be heading to Frankfurt and then jumping on a train that will take me to a small town in Belgium (Turnhout). I’ll be on my own until I get to Turnhout where I’ll meet up with a bunch of Canadian runners. I have never traveled in Europe alone so this could get interesting!  We’ll be involved in a series of competitions around Belgium for a few weeks. Then it looks like I’m going to go to Switzerland to jump off of cliffs, go skydiving, whitewater rafting and whatever else there is to do in famous Interlaken.

Anyway, I’ll try and take a few pictures and videos and post them here. So if you’re bored and need something to fill your time with check back here!