A brother's bond

Matt and I really credit our brotherhood from a trip to Florida we took together in 2006.  We stayed with family in Clearwater, Florida, 3 weeks before I left for college.  I had just turned 19, and he was 16.  I didn't have a car down there, and I was still very much a night owl at that time, so we found ourselves on their back porch talking until 3-4 AM every night.  Never once had we bonded like that before.  We were telling each other secrets, reliving moments of our youth together, asking opinions on various topics, it was like you just met somebody for the first time.  

We both endured a not so poetic ending to our football careers.  While all these CTE headlines have taken over the airwaves the last 5-6 years.  Matt was a few years ahead of the wave.  He sustained a pretty nasty concussion during a JV game in Fall 2006.  That was roughly his 4th or 5th suspected concussion, and while he didn't have the science we're becoming increasingly aware of yet, he just knew deep down his brain was too fragile to continue pushing the envelope.  Our bond strengthened over that.  I'd come home from college on break or for a random family dinner and we'd catch up.  We were both enduring the football hangover simultaneously. 

Football was a big deal in our small town.  While we've never won anything noteworthy, it was more of a right of passage in Western PA.  A lot of Dad's reliving their glory days through their sons, but I digress.  He felt a bit out of place that following year, and while I only went to college half hour away, he'd frequently stop up on a random week night for a dinner outing or on the weekend to hang out with his bro and be the cool high school kid at a party.  He was beloved by my friends, and was always welcomed. 

The roles evolved over the years to me being the college graduate, working semi adult visiting my brother on the weekend.  His college days were spent at West Virginia University.  While I never spent a day there as an undergraduate, my heart forever lies in Morgantown.  Our adventures together in that town of Appalachia beauty are forever with me.  Moments in time I enjoy reflecting upon, and often desire for their return.  

While I gravitated towards running the last 7 years or so, Matt would join in here and there but a nagging foot injury he sustained in Summer 2008 would routinely flare up.  The lack of a proper diagnosis and rehab to this day can still haunt him.  So he ventured towards mountain biking and hiking.  We both have a love for the outdoors and the wildness it provides.  I told him on his college graduation morning, "hey dude, I saw there is a 5k on my birthday in Brady's Run, we have to run!" Expecting he'd be all for it, I got in return, "umm alright man, umm, alright, yeah my foot and this and that.." As a big brother should, "Bro, shut the hell up, it's at 8 AM on my 26th birthday, we have to run this, I'll sign us up."  He thankfully agreed, and provided us with a story for a lifetime.

Our beautiful younger sister's High School graduation party was the night before.  We were up until about midnight until we called it a night.  He had a few more beers than me, and I recall telling him, "dude, it's going to be humid tomorrow morning, I'd switch to water now."  He barely woke up on time, as we were supposed to pick up another good friend of ours.  I was waiting, waiting, thinking, if this clown makes me miss this race, I'll kill him.  He literally rolled out of bed, grabbed a banana and was in the car three minutes later.  

We arrived at the starting line with maybe 5 minutes to spare.  Barely warmed up, just running on adrenaline.  I'd been running for 3 years regularly by June 15, 2013, and hadn't run a race yet.  It was something I'd been trying to line up for the previous 2 years but something always got in the way.  I was convinced for awhile, I'd never get to run one.  

The gun was off, my friend Pat and I were off fast, wayyy too fast.  He's one hell of an athlete and competitor, so naturally we clocked the first mile at 6:20.  By the half way turn around, he goes, "dude, where is Matt?"  He was probably 50 seconds behind us, maybe awake for half hour, and he looked like hell that first half.  We saw him as we made the turn and shouted, "come on man, let's go!"  Well, as a racing newb, I failed to realize the whole first section was downhill, which means, yup, the whole second half was a steady uphill.  By mile 2, Pat was dying as he was out late with his Dad the night before at a Pirates game. With the look of hurt he said, "bro, just go, I am dying, just go!"  I had no watch on, and wasn't aware of my pace or anything, I just ran scared like I always do.  I can remember kicking it with maybe 3/4's of a mile to go, and took it well past threshold as I turned the corner expecting a 40 yard dash to the finish line.  Wellll, that 40 yard dash I anticipated actually turned into another quarter mile.  The finish line was not where the starting line was.  I remember all too well, "ohhh my god nooo" my stomach was cramping and my heart rate and lungs were taxed.  I died.  

Now mind you, I haven't seen Matt for the last 10 minutes, out of the corner of my eye, as I was trying to keep my legs moving, Matt comes out of nowhere!  "What the fuck, where did you come from?!"  He had me, I mistimed everything that last mile and had nothing left.  I did my best to out kick him, but I had unfortunately already exhausted my kick.  He edged me out by 1 second.  

I crossed the finish line for the first time since my last high school track meet and it was euphoric.  A beautiful morning, my birthday, and after a mistimed kick to the finish, my brother came from the back to edge out his big brother, on my birthday nonetheless.  I don't know about you, but I thought it was amazing.  I went over and hugged him, and told him that was incredible, what a race! 

He ventured out to Colorado last January for a new chapter in life.  I can't be happier for him.  Just yesterday with our Mom and sister visiting for the first time, he smoked his first 5k in 4 years for a new PR of 21:05.  He ran one last year but he doesn't count it considering the shape he was in.  I'll let that one slide.  He's running the Bolder Boulder next month, one of the largest road races in the country on Memorial Day.  He'll facetime me his training scenery and I enjoy telling him to keep training, because I am coming for that extra second.  We love and miss you brother, stay at it!