ALS boss to represent AFMC in AF Marathon

  • Published
  • By John Cochran
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Kirtland Air Force Base, NM --  A motivated Airman who sets ambitious goals and works hard to achieve them can do great things, even in a short time. Competing in the Air Force Marathon after training for just three months would be one notable example. While serving full-time in a demanding, high-visibility leadership position, Master Sgt. Sammie D. Spears, commandant of Kirtland AFB's Airman Leadership School since 2006, did that a year ago. This year, he was selected as one of two male Air Force Materiel Command runners to compete in the half-marathon at the Air Force Marathon, set for Sept. 18 at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
During the 13-mile run, Sgt. Spears will continue a personal tradition he observes in each race.
"I pay tribute to our fallen warriors during every endurance competition. I search for a service member killed on the date of the race, learn about the person, make a "bib" in his or her honor and wear it on my back for the race. In addition, I contact the family (via Legacy website) to let them know I am carrying their loved one for the distance of the race. It's a small way to recognize one of our own who has given so much. For this race, it's 23-year-old Army Spc. Aaron J. Walker, of Harker Heights, Texas, who died Sept. 18, 2007, in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire during combat operations.
The self-described "Army brat" who calls Phoenix, Ariz., home talked about his athletic background and dealing with a medical condition that complicated training and competition.
"I've always been into sports, fitness and staying in shape. Recently, I've done a lot of combat sports - Muay Thai, western-style boxing, Thai boxing. I took an amateur fight a couple of years back. I lost it, but the goal was just to take the fight. I had gone into the gym just to stay in shape. Coaches there saw that I had some skill and they talked me into doing an amateur fight. I was training for another one ... I had a heart condition - proximal supraventricular tachycardia - my heart rate would shoot up to 220-240 beats per minute, and it'd be hard to manage. Training for the fights and cutting weight put a little more stress on my heart. I had heart surgery in January 2008. It wasn't too invasive - not open heart - but a procedure called "cardiac ablation," that burned different pathways in my heart under conscious sedation. They had to keep me awake to see how I was feeling. I wouldn't recommend that for anybody and it put me out for a few days. Every once in a while I have an abnormal rhythm, but not the full abnormal rhythms like I had before. I don't have a pacemaker and I'm not on medication anymore - a healthy lifestyle keeps me in shape."
He explained how he shifted his competitive urge from combat sports to running distance races.
"That experience took something out of me - fighting didn't appeal to me as much - getting hit didn't seem as fun. I ran to stay in shape, because it has always been a part of my training program. I decided to pick up a race, and after that, it just shot off. My first big race was the Duke City Half-Marathon in October 2008. I did that just to meet a goal, and after that, I decided to keep it up."
2010 will be his second time competing at the annual Air Force Marathon.
"Last year, I was on pace for a 3:15, but the runner's wall hit me at about 18 miles and I had more trouble at 22 and slowed down drastically. It was probably a mental thing and a bit of a nutrition thing, but I changed it, picked it up for the Phoenix Rock-n-Roll Marathon in January, and dropped 20 minutes off my time. I was looking to drop at least another 30 minutes off that time for this race, but things change. I'll do the half. I'm grateful for the opportunity to represent Kirtland and AFMC in this run. It's going to be fun more than anything else. It's going to be a great time."
Calling it "revenge" for the 2009 marathon challenges, Sgt. Spears said, "This year, if I didn't get sponsored by AFMC, I was going to run the full marathon on my own."
He spoke about his experience with the long races and a big goal.
"I've run three full marathons, but I've done the Bataan Memorial Death March twice, in the 'Military Heavy' category, and I count those, also. I set a goal to run no less than three marathons a year and I want to complete my 50th marathon by my 50th birthday. I still have several years to go, so I'm on pace."
He described his personal-record run times at the various distances.
"My best time in the marathon was 3:34 at the Phoenix Rock and Roll Marathon this year. For a half-marathon, my best time is 1:37. Last year, at the Air Force Marathon, at the halfway point I was at 1:37. I thought, 'I'm definitely going to really knock this one out of the park,' but I had some trouble. My goal this year is to get around 1:25. My best time in the mile-and-a-half is 9:08. I've never been a fast runner over short distances. I did a 5K on base a while ago and ran it in 20 minutes."
The medical specialist talked about his training for road races.
"It's not as intense as a lot of people think, mainly because I have a full-time job and a family. I run about five days a week, then cycle, swim or weight train on non-run days. I have a four-year goal of doing a full Iron Man triathlon, but training for that is a lot more intense and challenging. For this race, I run up to 45 miles a week. Training for the marathon, I run up to 60. The training runs consist of daily tempo runs - running at a certain pace for a certain amount of miles, some interval running, some speed work and a long run on the weekends - up to three hours, so maybe 20-22 miles. For this half-marathon, I've adjusted that almost in half, because it's half the distance. Instead of the three-hour runs, it's hour-and-a-half runs and shorter, more intense running during the week."
Like many competitive athletes, Sgt. Spears has worked through injuries while training.
"I was injured more in fight training because there's a lot of impact. With running, it's more of an aching and a strain. It's more difficult to recover, maybe because I'm getting older. It's a repetitive-type of injury, because there's not much motion I'm changing in running, but the cycling and swimming help ease some of the pain from running."
He mentioned the value of having good training partners.
"I have several - a potpourri of training partners. Different people offer different things for me. A few guys who run a lot shorter distances who help me with speed work and I have some running partners who just like to spend three hours running with me. With a sport like this, you have to match your goals with people, and with my busy schedule, I have to run when I can."
Sgt. Spears said that the timing of training runs is an individual choice.
"I usually train at about 5 or 5:30 in the morning, especially in the summer. It's great because you get to see the sun come up over the Sandias. Mid-day is tough because there's a lot of traffic and it's a little hotter, but it's still good. I'm just not attuned to the afternoon or evening runs. Some people are. A friend of mine was training for an ultra-marathon - a 100-miler - and he would run overnight. Get off work, go home and take a nap and then run all night, but that's just not in my bones."
Although not a lifelong distance runner, this senior NCO does have plenty of racing experience.
"I started running 18 months ago. I've done a lot of local races. I try to race at least once a month. I have a pact with a few friends - we try to get at least one running bib a month. We stay fit and focused, and it's a way to challenge ourselves."
He offered some advice for would-be marathon runners.
"Take the first step. Whatever distance it is, you won't get anywhere without taking that first step to meet a goal. Make sure you're in physical shape to do it and consult your doctor if you have any questions. I have an attitude of , 'just get out there and do it.' I never thought I'd be running like this. I never really liked running, but I realized that in fighting, it was me against somebody else's will. Sometimes their will could be greater than mine and they could beat me, but in individual endurance sports, it's me against myself. I can challenge myself to do it. For anybody who wants to do it, you have to have the courage to challenge yourself and make sure that you can push yourself through those hard moments. There's nobody there except you - nobody's going to stop you and nobody's going to push you except yourself."
He said the dedication involved in the profession of arms carries over into education and endurance racing.
"When you're running, you get a lot of time to think. Running is not a quick-return sport - you have to be patient and look at your progress. That's helped me with the job, too. I finished a master's degree in 2007, before I really started to run and that discipline carried over to running. It's going to take some time to get the results I want , but these achievements are things I've put the effort into and I've reaped the rewards from it."
The 18-year Air Force veteran spoke of his time in uniform, the near-term future and longer-term direction.
"It's been good to me so far and I think I have a lot more to offer the Air Force and our Airmen in the years to come. I like to inspire them not by my words but by my actions. I feel like I have a lot more to do that I won't be able to cover in the next two years, so I think I'll stay in a while longer. I'm PCSing at end of September back into the medical career field to Peterson AFB, Colo."
Sgt. Spears talked about the importance of running and overall fitness within the ALS course.
"We focus on the physical aspect because if you're disciplined here, you can be disciplined in other areas of your life. Students are aware of that and they see it in our PT program here at the school. Rumor is that 'if you're getting ready to attend ALS, be ready to run.' It's 60 percent of our PT score now, so it's important. But in addition to that, being physically fit is a lifestyle - it's not just something that you should do when your PT test is coming or you notice that your pants are too tight. It's something you should consistently do. We hope that when students are here, they adopt that lifestyle. We run up to four miles. We track their progress and we see a lot of progress. No student has ever beaten Sgt. Perez or me in one of our runs," he said with a wink.
He concluded by saying what he wants young people in uniform to learn from his example.
"I'd like the younger Airmen to see that you can be successful in the Air Force, successful with education and successful physically - go out and get it and be successful in everything you try. It's your level of success - not anybody else's level of success or expectation."

Editor's note: Check out the video feature on Master Sgt. Spears on the Kirtland AFB Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/KirtlandAirForceBase.