A Journey of One Thousand Miles Begins With a Single Step

On January 16, 1994, I ran and finished the Houston Marathon in 4 hours, 31 minutes, and 27 seconds, which averages out to about 10:37 a mile.  Finishing the marathon was the product of six months of training that included the Houston Marathon Warm-Up Series (a half-marathon, a 25K, and a 30K) as well as the Ten for Texas.

Nearly ten months later, I ran and finished the New York City Marathon in 4 hours, 50 minutes, and 27 seconds, an average of 11:04 a mile.  

While the time was slower, I think it was because I ran with my 54-year-old father, a veteran of many marathons who was running his last race that year.  We crossed the finish line together, and running those nearly five hours from the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to Central Park is one of my fondest memories of him.  My brother Craig, who had also run the race, was waiting for us, having finished about seven minutes earlier in 4:43:17.

The picture of the three of us together at the end is one of my favorite pictures, my father beaming with pride, my brother in a state of pure exhaustion, and me with a smirk, as if to say, "Yeah, I did this. What else do you got?"

I was 30 years old.  

Since then, my father passed from colon cancer in 2003, too soon, deeply unfair.  My brother went to live in Japan for several years and came back.  I got hit by a bus in 2000, underwent back surgery (L4-5 laminectomy), recovered, and ran a half-marathon in 2012, running a respectable 2:28:07.

I am now 58 years old.  I work out with my personal trainer Art and my workout buddies Sam and Avina four days a week, and I play basketball on Saturdays.  I eat too much and recently had hernia surgery to correct a bulging belly button.  I take medications for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, but on the plus side, I retired from a high-stress job in 2021 and happily putter around the house and play lots of poker.

So, when Art told me he had qualified for the New York City Marathon and would run it on November 5, 2023, what else could I say?

"Me too.  I'm in."

"You're in for what?"

"I'll run the race with you.  You've never run it before.  I can give you some guidance."

Art smirked, but not in an unkindly way.  He and I had been walking in the evenings in his neighborhood on the other side of 288, and he was familiar with my gait.  Also, he had frequently expressed his professional opinion that I was carrying too much weight to do any running, much less training for a long race.

But for some reason, the idea of running New York again one more time resonated.  If there was ever a time for me to try, it was now. In retirement, I have time to train. My recent commitment to personal training with Art has me feeling strong and confident. There was a nice parallel to my father's life - he had run this race in his fifties, and I would be 59 for next year's race.  And I really liked that particular marathon, which crosses through all five boroughs and has unbeatable crowds and sights.

So, I doubled down.  I checked out the lottery (odds not good, but I had beat the odds in 1994 to get in) and the charitable entry bypass (raise $3000 and you're in the race).  I checked out training programs and found some one-year plans.

And I started this blog.

Here's the plan:  I keep track of my training here and I share the link to this blog to Art, Avina, and Sam.  They hold me accountable, encourage me when I need it, kick my butt when I need that, and I tell some fun running stories and other stuff.  

If I get hurt (stress fracture in my feet is currently the most likely injury, followed by knee pain, lower back pain, and every runner's secret anxiety, unexpectedly dropping dead on the track like Jim Fixx), then so be it - and my tombstone will read, "Art Was Right."

I will also share this with my sister Eileen and her son Andrew, who both just finished a goal-oriented health challenge and changed their lifestyle in a positive way - they will understand and motivate me. And I'll share with my brother Craig, who will likely also start training for the race solely to beat me again by seven minutes.

I'll also open up the blog to people who might be willing to sponsor my charitable efforts.  I know a few people who like that kind of thing.

Today is November 5.  The one-year program starts tomorrow.  See you then!