June 24, 2013. Not words any 40 year old wants to hear. But it was true. While I had been RUNNING a law practice full of stress, with offices spread over 100 miles apart, working 7 days a week, often 10 – 16 hours a day, I hadn’t been doing any actual RUNNING at all. Eating bad in the morning. And in the mid-morning. And in the afternoon. And in the late-afternoon. And – at night. Eating at a desk or in a car. Not good.
So it was those words that I heard on June 24, 2013 – morbid obese and pre-diabetic, that startled me. Everything you never want to hear from a Doctor. Things about not being there for your kids; about not making it to 50. Startling words that shouldn’t haver startled me at all. But they did. I rarely let someone take pictures of me before 2014. The two on this post are ones I thought I actually looked “good” in – and allowed to be taken – April and May of 2013. They are my last “before” pictures. Change was coming.
Morbidly Obese to MARATHON Runner 
Can you share how long it took you to train for that marathon, and what training plan did you follow?
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I started training in earnest in May of 2013 when I ran my first 5k. The first marathon was October 19, 2013. I just ran 5ks and moved to 10ks in about a month then 10 miles about 6 weeks later than about 2 half marathons starting in august then one 20 miler around Oct 3 that I almost didn’t finish. My first actual official race though was the marathon. All the other running was just done on my own. Marathon day was a nice steady day where my goal was to finish with my heart beating. I ran to finish not for a time. I’ve done 44 marathons now (most recent 2 weeks ago). PR is 3:51. I’ve also done three full Ironman races now 2018, 2019, and 2021. I obviously don’t update the blog but and thrilled at least one person is reading it. Your first marathon will change your life. Enjoy it.
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