Let’s get this out right away: I am not a runner.
Truth is, I never have been. Sure, I used to run the cross country course in junior high school phys ed class–always finishing second to Nathan–but I was probably the only one other than Nathan who was really trying. By the time I got to high school, I spent more time in the pool than on land. Running for ‘fun?’, never.
I never caught the running bug. I never wake up at 4:45 looking forward to my daily run. I’ve never said, ‘Yay! I get to run intervals today!’
So how did I get here? How, not having really started this craziness until my late-30s, have I completed 6 marathons (with 7, 8, and 9 coming up this year), 15 half-marathons and 10-milers, and numerous 10Ks on road and trail? Why, lord why, do I have 7 different pairs of adidas trainers in rotation on my shoe rack?
My first steps came after the confluence of two events: the birth of my twins and the death of my father after a lengthy bout with cancer. My dad was always fairly athletic–a super tennis player who played rec soccer/football when I was a kid. One of my lasting memories though, long before the cancer, was of him lying in a hospital bed at 41, recovering from his triple-bypass heart surgery. The beeping machines, the plastic hoses, the weakness in his voice…the whole experience was terrifying for an 8 year old.
In 2010, three years after his death and being responsible for a 12-year-old and two 2-year-olds, I was 37, horribly out of shape, 210+lbs and probably couldn’t run a mile. I wanted to spare my kids and my wife the suffering and fear I went through with my own father. I had to make a change.
The simplicity of running drew me to it. Lace up a pair of shoes, plug in my headphones, and go. The simplicity is what drew me to it. Didn’t need to round up the mates for a football match. Didn’t need to fuss with the mechanics of a bike. Every step felt like progress–toward weight loss, general health, and spiritual renewal. Later that year, I ran my first half-marathon, and a month after that, my first marathon (Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC).
7 years later, I’m down to 170 pounds, I’ve shaved 30 minutes off my half-marathon time (chuffed about my 1:37!), I made the podium in a trail 10K series, and a Boston qualifying time isn’t out of the question in the next year. The challenge of completing the marathon distance and the desire to get faster and faster continues to motivate me through my training programs. I workout pretty much every day (up to 100 days in a row) and feel physically great!
I’m also proud of the impact I’ve had on others. Indirectly, I’ve raised $1000s for charity through my running (and ice hockey, a sport I recently took up as part of a cross-training effort). Closer to home, my friends and co-workers have seen the change in me and have started their own running journeys.
This all started from nothing seven years ago. I didn’t even own a pair of quality running shoes. Now, I’m probably considered by some to be a bit of a maniac. Or maybe even a runner? Nah.