Our Miracle, Our Love, Our Angel - Peyton...

Many of you who follow my blog know about the passing of my son, Peyton Moore (June 4, 2013).

He was my inspiration and the love of my life...

Because my wife Jennifer and my son allowed me to share our lives so openly, many of you have come to know them from my posts, pictures and videos.

I do not have the words to express my grief, nor would I ever try to express my wife's feelings. I can only say that right now our world has been turned upside down and we are devastated.

My friends and family have given us so much love and support.

The running community has been more than amazing. We are so grateful to the Charleston Running Club for hosting Peyton's reception and to all the runners coming out in force to honor my son this past Sunday for a group run with my Couch to 5K runners.

We were so honored to have the Marines as Peyton's pallbearers and overwhelmed by the unbelievable escort and honors given to our son by all the Law Enforcement community.

Thank you to the thousands of people who have written, called, and showered us with love and support.

I do not know where my life will be led from this point, but I will do everything in my power to honor my beautiful, sweet, caring boy.

He was our miracle, our love, our angel...

Peyton's Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/PJMmemoriesPage




Post and Courier write up about Peyton's Legacy:

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20130616/PC16/130619586

Video from our local ABC news which covered my son's funeral:

WCIV-TV | ABC News 4 - Charleston News, Sports, Weather

My Son, My Motivation

Photo Friday (I do know that those two words don't start with the same letter).  Anyway, its Friday and I feel like sharing some pics of my boy!

Peyton taking 2nd place at the Life Point 5K

2012 Catch the Leprechaun 5K

My USATF Nationals Javelin Thrower

After his first solo 5k - Charlie Post Classic

Early Morning Run (the Mission)

My very first running partner

For more "stuff" checkout my Facebook Page and Twitter Feed.

Make it Normal

Run Forest Run 5k (Peyton was six years old)

For most people, sitting around eating snacks and watching TV with their family is normal.  If you do it long enough (or too much), everything else seems abnormal…

My son has learned that all the adventures we have are just part of our lives.

For the most part he thinks all the races, workouts and crazy runs we go on are normal.

Take this past weekend; he thought it was completely normal to wake up before 6:00am to watch the Olympic Women’s Marathon.  He also thought it was normal to go next door and ask his buddy to go to the track, run a trail and go swimming (before 9:00am).

I loved that he never thought twice about running a two mile trail run, throwing javelin in the middle of the football field and then running 100 meter timed sprints on the track (his idea, not mine).  He made it seem so normal and fun that his buddy was just as into it as he was.

Polar Bear Plunge - just another normal day

This week I decided to start doing the Insanity workout again.  My son jumped right in and did it with me (well, most of it).  The point is, he saw the whole thing as normal (and he should!).

I am convinced that this is the only way to keep our kids healthy.  My son eats crap at times (me too), but he knows it’s not what he should be eating all the time.  He watches TV and plays video games too, but he knows it’s not what he should be doing all the time.

 

If we can make it normal to do these things in moderation, but also make all the other things that seem so strange to kids normal (like eating well and exercising) we may actually be able to make a dent in this huge problem we are facing.

Just my opinion...

Moore On Running is on Facebook and Twitter!

Determination

This past weekend my wife and I took our eight year old son, Peyton, to Newport News, VA, for the USATF Region III Championship.

Once again, my son showed what you can accomplish with hard work and determination.

There were a lot of boys throwing javelin in his division so the group was divided into two "flights".  The top eight boys would move on to the finals.


Peyton was in the higher seeded group so he was in the second flight.  As I watched him line up and stand in the middle of those boys it was obvious that he was the youngest (and smallest) of them all.  He's eight, but because he turns nine later this year he competes in the 9-10 year old age group.


Although I tried to limit his expectations, he had already decided that his goal was to make it to Nationals.

All season I could feel the parent in me wanting to protect him from disappointment and thinking it was okay if he came in last place (my thoughts, not his).


I don't ever like to set low expectations for myself and I have taught Peyton about setting goals and that we learn from failure as much as from success.  But for what ever reason (parental protectiveness maybe?) I wanted to try to keep Peyton from being disappointed.  I knew he had done well the year before, but I just was not sure how this season would go.


Right before he threw I wanted to run over and tell him that it was okay no matter how he did and not to worry about where he placed, luckily I was too far away...

As soon as I saw him set up for his run and charge at the line, I could see the determination in his face.  When he reached the line to throw, he screamed and let the javelin fly (Peyton is one of the few kids that yells as he throws the javelin.and it's so cool when he does it).


He ended up not only getting to the finals, but placing in the top five and qualifying for the USA Track & Field National Championship in Baltimore, MD!

I am so very proud of him.

He set his own goals at the beginning of the year and with hard work and determination he accomplished each one as the season progressed (did I teach him that or is he teaching me?)...


If you would like to donate to Peyton's Fundraiser for this USATF National Meet there is a box on the top right corner of my blog.  Or you can click here (Donate).

Last Night I Ran with My Son...

I have been running with my son for several years now, but last night really felt like the first time we actually ran together...

It was after six and I knew we would be eating dinner soon.  Peyton, who had been playing with his friends all day, looked like he needed a change so I asked him if he wanted to go for a run. He perked up and gave me a thumbs up (strange kid).  His buddies went home and we changed in to our running clothes.

Earlier in the morning I had run with my group and we started from Alhambra Hall. I thought this would be a good place for us to start as well.

I have taken Peyton on trails, the track, the Cooper River Bridge and even raced a few 5ks, but we have never really done road running for any distance.  This would be off the sidewalk and on the road (not closed like in a race), but in a nice laid back neighborhood so I knew it was pretty safe.

We parked at Alhambra Hall, took a quick picture and started running.  This is where it seemed a little different than in the past.  We were moving!  I looked down and we were cruising at about a 9:00 pace and talking the whole time.

He was really taking in all the sites of the harbor, the houses, the trees and even other kids walking with their parents.

We ran out to the old Pitt Street Bridge (now a park) and stopped for a few minutes just to take in the sites.

This is one of my favorite places to run.  Although I run here with my friends on occasion, its usually a place I run alone.  It's a part of my time that is, for the most part, mine alone.  But being with him and watching him take it all in and enjoy just being there was awesome!

I grabbed him and gave him a big hug!

I guess I just got caught up in the moment...

We watched a bird dive in the ocean for a fish and then we made our way back.  Again, we were moving! Peyton lead the pace and dropped us down to sub 8:30 minute pace for the rest of the way back.

As we made the last turn to our car, we ran by a little girl from Peyton's class.  He waved to her and smiled and then got all embarrassed (he is eight years old) and sprinted to the car.

I guess he was just caught up in the moment...

Catch the Leprechaun 5k

One of my favorite races just keeps getting bigger and better each year.

Peyton doing the Captain Morgan with the Leprechaun

This year the Catch the Leprechaun 5k in Mount Pleasant, SC, was featured in Runners World and almost reached its cap of 1,000 runners!  

The weather was perfect and the Leprechaun was awesome!

Even my eight year old son, Peyton, had a blast and set a new PR (28:14)!  He wanted to beat the Leprechaun!  He ran this race three years ago in 45:56 and completed his Kids Marathon.  

Check out my interview on Endurance Planet.

This race has great views of the Yorktown, the Cooper River Bridge and one of the best after parties around.  

The race director is awesome and the shirts are always cool.

Be sure to put this one down on your race calendar next year.  There are even hotels near the start/finish if you don't want to drive home :) 

View of the Yorktown!

Great view of the Bridge at the after party

Best Leprechaun around!

See more pictures of the race on my Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/mooreonrunning

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

ECORun Recap – Running in the Boneyard Beach!

Anytime you have to take a ferry to an island to run a race you know it’s going to be an adventure…

This past weekend I had one of the coolest running experiences with my family! All three of us ran the ECO Run 5K on Capers Island.

I run on islands all the time, but this one is very different.

From SCDNR:

Capers Island is a classic, undeveloped barrier island located about 15 miles north of Charleston between Dewees Island and the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. The island lies about three miles from the mainland, and is approximately three miles in length and one mile in width. It encompasses 850 acres of maritime uplands, 214 acres of front beach, 1,090 acres of salt marsh and over 100 acres of brackish water impoundments.

The island contains diverse habitats supporting abundant wildlife. One may observe alligators, white-tailed deer, raccoons, loggerhead sea turtles. The McCaskill Trail, which starts at the dock on the south end of the island, provides great access for serious birders and casual hikers alike. Birds, such as herons, egrets, ibises, bitterns, and various waterfowl species are common in the brackish impoundment adjacent to the trail. Each year ospreys nest on Capers near the front beach. Eagles can also be seen soaring over the island from time to time. The creeks and marshes adjacent to Capers are alive with oysters, shrimp, hard clams, crabs and many species of fish such as sea trout, red drum, flounder, black drum, king whiting, spot, pompano, and croaker.

How cool is that description?

My family and I woke up early Sunday morning and drove out to the Isle of Palms Marina to catch the ferry to the island. We paid a modest $3.00 for parking and signed in with the race director, Brett. We waited for the other runners to arrive and were able to buy sunscreen and bug spray at the marina store (cannot believe I forgot that stuff).

At 7:00am we boarded the ferry with about thirty other runners, had a safety briefing and then headed out to Capers Island. The views were amazing and my son was really taking it all in. The ride was great and seeing the Sun rise as we were making the thirty minute trip was awesome!

The ferry pulled right up to the beach and we all got out for the start. We had a few minutes to take in the sites and get ready before the race. There was also an auction for some gift certificates (this was to raise money for the Charleston Chefs Feed the Need Program that these races help fund each year).

We gathered for a group photo and then moved to the starting line (there was a line in the sand that was used as the start / finish).

Brett, the race director, rode his bike down the beach before the start to set up the turnaround points for the 5K and 10K (he also set up water for the 10K  turnaround). The race was very low key; no race bibs and started with a simple “GO”.

My wife headed out and I ran with my son. I had just run my 16 mile long run the day before and my son had agreed to take it easy on me...

We had a blast!

The run goes along the beach, but as soon as we were about half a mile away from the start we hit the Boneyard. This is an amazing site!

From www.nature-tours.com :

One of the most fascinating features of Capers Island is its front beach known as the "bone-yard". Its name is due to the old tree skeletons and stumps left as a result of erosion and bleached out by the sun. Capers has been eroding an average of 15 feet per year since 1875. Visitors can stroll in and out of this sculpture garden of weathered trees which goes on for about 3 miles. Walking the front beach of Capers gives visitors a feel for what our barrier islands looked like before beachfront houses and condos arrived. Capers "bone-yard beach" is a favorite place for photographers, beach combers, or someone looking to experience a truly amazing natural creation.



The coolest thing was to watch my son running through the Boneyard. He was having so much fun. He took off his shirt and started jumping over all the trees, stumps, shells and even crabs!

We stopped a few times to take pictures, but he didn’t want to be last so we kept running.

We saw a few people coming back toward us and even got to cheer on my wife as she made her way back to the finish line. She had a great race and lowered her 5K time (even though she was running on sand)!

We got to the half way point and turned around (it was written in the sand and the tree was marked with ribbon – love it).

We had just as much fun running back as we did going out. When we got to the end we ran over the “finish line” and called out our names (no need for bibs). After that Peyton and Jen got in the water and cooled off. It was so much fun to just hangout on the beach and watch all the other runners coming in (mostly from the 10K).

We stayed there for about another hour until all the other runners were back (and the black clouds started to form near us). Everyone got on the ferry and we  headed back to the marina. On the way back we got to see some of the ECO Tours wildlife displays on the boat and then I had a chance to talk to Brett for a while.



I thanked him for inviting me and my family out for the race and we talked about the race and the ECOThon that was coming up in October. We also talked about the charity that the race helps (Charleston Chefs Feed the Need Program).

I was really impressed with the fact that this race was so low key, but so well organized. It’s hard enough to put on a race, but to do it on an island that you have to take a ferry to get to is incredible.

Brett puts this race on several times a year in addition to the ECOThon. The next two races are September 18th and November 6th.

My family had a blast and cannot wait for our net adventure on Capers Island!

Track & Field

What could keep me from updating my blog?

Track & Field!

My seven year old son has somehow stretched what I thought would be a six week track and field season to well over twelve weeks (and counting).

The good thing is that he is having a blast.  My wife and I (and my mother and father in law) are having fun too, but mostly we are just in it for the ride :)

Apparently, he is freaky good at throwing a javelin.

So far he has placed first at an open meet, second at the USATF SC State meet, and sixth at the USATF Outdoor Nationals.  This weekend we will be in Georgia for the USATF Junior Olympic Regionals.  That's more exhausting than a 50k...

Last year I signed my son up for track, but when we showed up for the first day he got really nervous upon seeing so many kids and did not even want to go on the track.  He said there were too many "big kids" and just did not want to do it.  I was worried about pushing him into something I wanted him to do and not necessarily what he wanted to do, so we decided to skip it for a year.

This year he asked me about it and really wanted to be on the track team (it helped that he met some of the runners while we were at Starbucks one day and they really wanted him on the team).

Its amazing how much fun he has had and how amazing the coaches are with the kids.  This was the seventh year in a row that the team won the state championship!

Anyway, its been fun to "crew" for him during his meets (its usually everyone crewing for me at my races).

We have had a blast this season and USATF is an incredible organization.  This past weekend at Nationals, my son competed against kids from all over the country.  He got a chance to talk to the other kids and even played tag (the top eight received medals and had to wait for the ceremony, so they played).

My son competed in the 1500, long jump and the javelin.  He has logged about six miles per week and is in amazing shape.  He has learned a lot about fitness, setting goals, team work, winning and losing.

More importantly, he continues to see how much fun running and exercise can be and that there is an adventure waiting for all of us.

A Vacation (Adventure) with My Family - This is what makes it all worth it…

Peyton and I (2003)

One of the things that prompted me to get into shape was the thought of not being able to play with my son as he grew up.


I look back at pictures of me holding him as a baby and cannot believe how close I was to missing out on some of the best moments of my life.



This year, I decided to take my son on a road trip for his Spring Break.  He’s seven and in the second grade so I figured this was a great time to do it (before he's too embarrassed to hang out with me).


With this in mind, I sat down and planned out a full week of crazy adventures.


We started with a family run, the Krispy Kreme Donut Run.  This was on the first day of his vacation (Saturday).  My wife, son and me made up Team "Moore Ons Running" and had a blast running the 3 mile race (and eating the donuts).

Team Moore Ons Running!

After the race, we drove to Gatlinburg, TN.  We stopped several times to walk around and take in the scenery.  We made it there that evening, parked our car and started walking.  We checked out the stores, played putt putt golf, walked some more and then went swimming.

Gatlinburg

The next day we had planned to run a three mile trail race, but we were caught in traffic and missed the race (that was a bummer).  So we went for a hike, walked around some more and did a lot of swimming to make up for the missed run.  

Whitewater Rafting!

Monday we drove to Bryson City, NC, for a whitewater rafting trip!  This was a full on two hour trip down the Nantahala River!  I planned the trip with Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) and they were amazing.  It was a total blast (and workout) and my son got to have an incredible outdoors adventure that he will never forget.  No way would I have been able to do that four years ago…

Peyton taking it all in...

On our trip back to Gatlinburg over the Smoky Mountains (it’s about an hour) we hiked some trails to a waterfall and a great lookout.  It was so amazing…



When we got back that night we still had enough energy to go to the Aquarium.  We spent a few hours there and then headed back to the hotel (and more swimming).

Natural Bridge KY 

The next three days we were in Kentucky to visit my family.  One day we hiked for hours to the top of Natural Bridge and were treated to some of the coolest sites ever.  The next day we visited the Dam at Cave Run Lake and even ran up to the top!

Peyton and Jen!

We headed back through West Virginia and Virginia and stopped in North Carolina where we met up with my wife Jen.  The next morning we got up and spent the day at Carowinds amusement park (hours and hours of walking, riding and just plain fun).  We even did some shopping at the Lego Store that night and headed back to the hotel.


We stayed one more day to hit IKEA and then headed home to South Carolina.



Now that’s a road trip!

Long Road Trip...

I could not even imagine doing all this when I weighed over 265 pounds.  I think of all these great times and memories we will have from this trip and how close I was to never being able to do these things.  


These are the motivators in my life; these are the things that get me out of bed at 3:45am to run twenty miles in the middle of the hot Charleston summer (or winter).  


This is what makes it all worth it…

Krispy Kreme Donut Run - Team Moore Ons Running!

The last time I ate seven donuts at one time was over four years ago - and that was a light breakfast!

Its not everyday that you plan a run around eating a bunch of donuts, but the Krispy Kreme Donut Run is not an everyday race.  Participants of the race have to run one and a half miles to the Krispy Kreme store, eat a dozen donuts and then run back one and a half miles to the finish line.  The challenge is to do it under one hour.  The Charleston version is a copy of the long running race in Raleigh, NC.  Now in its second year, the Charleston race had over 300 runners and walkers.

My family ran as team "Moore Ons Running"!  That meant we would get a chance to run together and we could split the donuts between all three of us.  The shirts for the race were really ugly!  So we decided to wear them, but draw our team name on the backs.

When I woke up Saturday morning, Jen was already writing our team name on our shirts and had Peyton drawing stick figures (with donut heads) of our family.  She even had our race numbers on the shirts.  It was really fun for me to see her and Peyton so into doing this race.

We headed to the race on empty stomachs (we were going to eat donuts)...  Before we made it there, a storm rolled in and it poured.  All I could see was us running down a muddy trail and eating soggy donuts!  But the weather broke and it cleared up for the race.

We met my friend Cathy and here team (her twelve year old son and his friend Noah).  They looked like they were ready to eat some donuts (but it was funny to see them running in their skateboard shoes).

The race started at an elementary school, went down the Charleston Greenway (a trail that people use to walk, ride and run) and ended at Krispy Kreme Donuts.  Peyton ran strong and did not even slow down for the first mile and a quarter.  We all made it to the donuts, found our team tray and looked for water (not the best organization for water, but we found it).  Jen was holding the tray and not eating much (now, for the past week she had been talking smack about how she was going to eat the most).  Peyton went to work and ate four donuts!!!  I ate seven!!!  That's right, that only leaves one donut (that would be Jen's).

So with Donuts eaten and stomachs screaming, we headed back to the finish line.  Peyton went out strong, but started to lose steam.  Jen ran ahead of us for a while until Peyton saw some track kids and decided he did not want them to beat him.  He sprinted to the finish and Jen and I ran through together.  Of course we checked our time and saw that we had made it in thirty six minutes - we beat the challenge!  I wonder if I can count this as a PR???

I had a great time running this race with my family.  The concept of eating donuts during a run does not really fit in with my new healthy lifestyle beliefs, but it sure was fun!

Cooper River Bridge - Peyton's Recap

Peyton working hard on the blog.

I was going to write a recap of the Cooper River Bridge 10K and tell you all about my new PR (47:58 - or 48:02 chip) and about all the cool costumes and huge crowds, but I decided instead to have my son be the guest blogger this week and tell you all about his race!

As always, his writings are unedited and he chooses his own font, size and color...

The Cooper River Bridge Kid’s Run

Starting Line

Hello, my name is Peyton Moore. I would like to tell you my story of the Kid’s Run.  Well I have run the Kid’s Run since I was three years old!  All those years I have had a great time. 

Peyton comes in second place!

The first year I ran the 25yd dash that was when I was three.  When I was five, I ran the quarter mile.  Now I am seven and I ran the Kid’s run this year.  I got second place in my age group and the time was about 1:45.

Hard Race

I fell to the ground after the race.  I was very happy how fast I did it. 


The Kids Run is held at Hampton Park the Friday before the Bridge Run.  The kids get a shirt, bib number and a finisher's medal.  There is a Children's Festival before the race with tons of free stuff.  As you can see, Peyton and the rest of the kids loved it!

The card Peyton made for me for my 10K PR!

Check out more pictures on my Facebook Page!

Run Buddies

In this month's issue of Runner’s World Magazine, there is an article about a program called Run Buddies (which was started right here in Charleston, SC).

From the article:

"Louis Yuhasz, 47, created Run Buddies in 2010 as an extension of Louie's Kids, an initiative he founded in 2001 to teach Charleston kids about nutrition and fitness. Adding Run Buddies to his roster of programs was natural for Yuhasz, who started running in middle school after watching his 550-pound father slowly die of obesity-related complications."

Part of Louie's Kids, Run Buddies is a national athletic mentorship program, matching adult running mentors with aspiring young runners at risk for childhood obesity.

If you have followed my blog you know my story and know how I feel about running with my son and motivating other kids to get out and run.

What you may not know is that professionally (yes, I have to work full time too) I work with at risk kids that are in the Juvenile Justice System.  I won't go too much in to what I do, but I'm the director of diversion programs for the Solicitor's Office (that's “Prosecutor” to non South Carolina people) Family Court Division.

As I ran yesterday afternoon, I kept thinking about this program.  I thought about the two boys in the video and how important a mentor is to their future.

There are so many kids that don't have a positive role model in their lives.  I grew up without a father around and made a lot of mistakes, but was lucky enough to have coaches that took me in and helped me through my early teens.  Many (not all) of the kids I work with in the court system are in this same boat.

I also thought about how my active lifestyle has influenced my own son and has helped him be more healthy and active.  The fact that my seven year old son was disappointed yesterday because the weather changed and we did not get a chance to go running in the rain is a true testament to how much he is influenced by my actions.

So I am planning on talking with my own “Run Buddy” (aka my son) about how we can work together to help some of these guys get into running.  It was his idea to raise money for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund and to volunteer at the Citadel Bulldog Challenge last year, so I think I will plant the seed and see where it goes.

It sounds like this program is ready to expand to other parts of the country so I encourage everyone to checkout their web site, “Like” them on Facebook and get started changing a kid’s life (it may change yours as well).