Running the Modesto Marathon - a Q&A with the organizers
Surgical Artistry (our
medical group) has decided to be the title sponsors for the
first Modesto Marathon
11.19.09 at night,
written by Calvin Lee, MD
How did I
hear about the Modesto Marathon?
I was in
between surgeries in late October when I bumped into Dr. Harvey
Palitz who told me about the Modesto Marathon, and he told me
that they were looking for a title sponsor. He knew that my
wife, Dr. Tammy Wu and I had sponsored other organizations
before such as the Modesto Symphony and the Gallo Center for the
Arts. Other than that, We had not heard of the Modesto
Marathon. I was away for about three months this summer. I was
touring Asia on my violin playing in some of the great concert
halls in the East. I don't currently run or have running
partners, and it had been about 10 years since I had been
regularly running. I don't think I would have heard about this
sponsorship opportunity if it hadn't been for the chance
conversation with Dr. Palitz.
I was very
excited to hear about the first Marathon in Modesto. I then
share the info with Dr. Tammy Wu, plastic surgeon who had been
an avid runner. We knew we wanted to help the cause. We really
enjoy helping new projects in Modesto, such as the Gallo Center,
and now the Modesto Marathon.
Why did we
become the Title Sponsor?
Initially we
didn't want to be the title sponsor. But as time went by, the
spot wasn't filled. We decided we needed take some action and
fill the spot ourselves. The main push came from Dr. Tammy Wu.
Our medical group is called Surgical Artistry and much of it
focuses on beauty. We are of the belief that true beauty comes
from within – a healthy body. We felt that the Marathon and
Surgical Artistry had common goals when it came to healthy
living. We also had many patients who have run marathons.
Furthermore, on a humorous note, we thought there would be
opportunities to look at leg veins of runners and perform
acupuncture for leg/back pain caused by the race. Surgical
Artistry provides services in veins, acupuncture, and plastic
surgery.
About Calvin
Lee…
I’m a general
surgeon who specializes in acupuncture and vein procedures. I
practice medicine with my wife, Dr. Tammy Wu, who is a plastic
surgeon. Our practice is called Surgical Artistry and is
located next to the post office on Sylvan Ave.
Before I became
a surgeon and acupuncturist, I played a lot of violin. Recently
I won a contest on YouTube to be part of the YouTube Symphony
Orchestra. We performed at Carnegie Hall with famed San
Francisco Symphony conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. With my
violin videos on YouTube, I was “discovered” and had the
opportunity to play violin solos with physician orchestras in
Taipei, Hong Kong, and Macau. I also enjoy learning piano which
is new for me.
Early life:
I grew up in New York City. I started violin lessons at age
seven. I had recognized early that I was very athletic with my
fingers but not with anything else. This came in handy for
typing, playing violin, and later for performing surgeries.
While in high school, I was accepted to great universities such
as Harvard and Stanford, but chose to go to Brown University.
At Brown, I majored in Neurosciences, and got my medical degree
8 years later. I came to Modesto in 2003 to work with the
McHenry Medical Group as one of the Trauma / General Surgeons.
I left the group in 2006 to start Surgical Artistry Inc. with my
wife, and I also learned acupuncture at Stanford University. I
love being active in the community. I am on the board of the
Modesto Symphony and have been invited to be on the board of the
Gallo Center. My wife and I are in the process of creating the
Surgical Artistry Academy which offers education to students in
the area regarding medicine and aesthetics. We have already
informally taught some students in the area.
About Dr.
Tammy Wu
Dr. Wu is a
busy plastic surgeon in Modesto, CA. She is the only woman
plastic surgeon from Fresno to Sacramento. On the web she is
considered to be an authority on breast augmentation surgery on
runners. This has been the first website listed when searching
for “Running and Breast Augmentation” She graduated first in
her medical school class at Brown University and has won plastic
surgery research awards. She is on the board of directors for
the Cooperation of American Physicians – a company headquartered
in Los Angeles, CA. The Cooperative of American Physicians,
Inc. (CAP) is a physician owned and governed organization
comprised of the finest doctors practicing in the State of
California. If you go to their website,
http://www.cap-mpt.com
you will see her picture appear right after the CEO of the
company. Membership in CAP is the gateway to Mutual Protection
Trust (MPT). Available only to CAP members, MPT is a market
leader in the California medical professional liability arena.
Early Life:
Tammy Wu, grew up in Taipei Taiwan, and moved to the United
States when she was 11 years old. Her parents remained in
Taiwan while she learned English and went to boarding school in
Atlanta, Georgia. She spoke with a southern accent, learned
enough French to be awarded second place in an all-USA French
speaking competition. She went to Brown University for college
and medical school. She majored in Biochemistry. She came to
Modesto in 2003 to join the Sutter Gould Medical Group and was
the only plastic surgeon for the group until she left in 2006 to
start Surgical Artistry Inc. with her husband.
Dr. Wu (plastic surgeon) and Dr. Lee (general
surgeon), young doctors at the time, running the Big Sur
Marathon in April 2001
Running
History
I started
running during my surgery residency. The general surgery
residency required many hours at work. Many times it was over
100 hours per week on the job. Running gave me a relief from
the stress of surgical residency. I mainly got into running
because my wife started running during residency. She was
always better than me at running. In fact, she had won races
in the past in her age group. I found it to be awkward for me,
but I kept at it. A year after I started running, I ran my
first marathon, which I finished in a little over 5 hours. To
me, the marathon represented my surgical training – it was long
– and the fact that I had finished it gave me confidence that I
could finish my surgery training. A year later after the first
marathon, I ran my second marathon, which took me almost 6 hours
– I wasn’t conditioned at all for that race, but I wanted to do
it regardless. I had fun racing the truck that said “end of
race.” After 2002 both my wife and I had stopped running to
focus on our medical practices. Because we have decided to
sponsor this event, we’ve both taken up running again. Once
again, I’m seeing that I am not genetically made for running,
but it isn’t stopping me from watching myself improve again.
Why Half
Marathon?
I don't know…
why not?
J
Maybe I’ll walk the Marathon. I reserve the right to change my
mind at the last minute … I think I’ll look at the ½ marathon
marker and decide which direction to go when I get there. My
wife think the ½ marathon is barely the right distance to train
for given the 17 weeks left before the event. She’s more
realistic. I tend to aim for the stars but am happy if I get
the moon at the end. Our Surgical Artistry staff is excited
about the event and most plan to attend one of the races that
day. I was already looking for ways to motivate myself to
exercise again. Hearing about a chance to run in the first
Modesto Marathon event was enough motivation to get going. I
hope this inaugural event will motivate others as well.
Whichever event we choose, it will be a 26.2 mile party because
it is the first of it’s kind in Modesto.
Advice for
others taking on the challenge.
It’s always
good to take on a challenge, such as running the marathon. Even
if we don’t conquer the challenge in the end, we may have
improved ourselves tremendously while trying to reach that
challenge.
I see two
challenges for me with the Modesto Marathon: I want to run one
of the races and I want to help make it as successful as
possible.
Things that
worked for me when I was training for my previous marathons:
- Keep a running
log
- Rest is as
important as running
- Read running
articles for motivation
- Do one long run
per week.
A
simplified version of my current training plan:
Run every other
day. If it is a weekday, run 3 miles. If it is a weekend, do a
long run. The long run increases each time (ie. Start at 4
miles, then next week go to 5 miles) until it’s Modesto Marathon
time!
Throwdown a
Challenge:
The marathon
will be a draw for many people. It’s always nice to see Modesto
on the map for good things. I hope to see over 2000 runners on
race day. And I want to thank the organizers and volunteers in
advance. I’d like to challenge other sedentary types like
myself to run/walk the marathon or half marathon. I can say
with some certainty that if I can aim for this, many others can
too. Plus it’s for a good cause – the Teens Run Modesto
program. Couch lovers and runners should all come out for this
event because it is history in the making – the inaugural
Modesto Marathon.
Calvin Lee, MD
Disclaimer, I'm a general surgeon and acupuncturist, not a
running expert
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