Month: October 2026

So this is what mid-fifties is all about I guess. A little tired after hard runs but still finishing them. Thirteen days ago I ran the Atlantic City marathon. Last Sunday I ran the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon, which had a Mary Poppins theme. I dressed as Bert from the park scene. Disney races are fun. You stop and take pictures with the characters during the race. That’s right, you stop. Literally. Get in a line and have your picture taken, then start running again. And really, when do you get to run a half marathon in a straw hat!

Then today I knocked out another half marathon but this time in the controlled environment of my local YMCA.

At 34, I doubt I could run a mile. At 54, I can run a marathon and two half marathons in the same 13 day period and still feel great (after a little nap each time!). I would have never imagined at 34 this would be my hobby.

Mostly though running has saved me. It’s made my marriage stronger thanks to running marathons with my wife. It’s made me more resilient and able to persevere when unspeakable retaliation and vicious treatment came my way at work, and of course, it has made me healthier both physically and mentally.

13 days: 1 marathon. 2 half marathons. Age 54. Yes, I’ll take that!

First, sorry I’ve been away. I had a medical challenge which resulted in a couple of surgeries but am hopefully done with the surgeries. Only time will tell.

My biggest fear of course was the two surgeries (general anesthesia is scary but you really don’t remember it. Bizarre). My other fear was just when my weight was pretty stable in the 147-150 lbs, would I gain weight when I could not exercise for weeks. I turned to just drinking more and more water to keep my stomach full and despite a lot of fear, my weight did not go up.

October 19, 2014 was the date I met the distance which changed my life: 26.2 miles. The marathon. I was so nervous that morning. I had prepared for it as most marathoners do by increasing my mileage and had gotten up to 20 miles two weeks before. But at the end of that 20 miles I essentially collapsed. Shaking. Not physically stable. I was in trouble. Had serious doubts about whether two weeks later I could do the marathon. But that day, October 19, 2014 I put on my ASICS and did it anyway.

When I finished I thought I would never do another one. I came home, went to bed. Exhausted. Eventually found my way to Olive Garden with my family to celebrate the fact that in 16 months I had gone from morbidly obese to a marathon runner.

And I promised I would never EVER run another marathon. NEVER.

Yesterday was October 18, 2026. I ran my 61st marathon. Some promises are meant to be broken!