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Since I’ve started writing again recently after a 7 year hiatus, and as my kids grow older and my own career and life goals evolve, I started reading my old blog posts.  Looking for patterns to figure out what this journey means to me.  And it is a journey I am nowhere near complete with.   I want my journey with running to continue for many years.  

I started running in April of 2014 in Hawaii.  

Twelve years is a long time to keep doing anything. It’s long enough to have the memories of where you started be foggy, ideas and concepts without the precision of exact memory. It is long enough to realize that the person you’ve become is not necessarily the person you set out to be.  It is a different person.  Neither better nor worse, life simply evolves. 

Looking back at posts from 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2025, and early 2026, starring at race medals and race bibs:  they each had moments in time.  I remember the police officer in Philadelphia running up a hill with me in the Philly Marathon, that FREEZING cold morning at my wife’s first marathon with me in Disney World in 2017, that first finish line in October of 2014 with my father prouder than anytime I ever saw him:  his once morbidly obese son had overcome it all and run a marathon.  

I remember my emotional Chicago marathon where I was back in that great city four years after I had last visited it. I had gone in 2012 with my wife and kids to see old friends. I was heading to my heaviest point that fall weekend in 2012. Now, four year later, well over 100 lbs lighter, this time I was there to run the Chicago Marathon.  

And I remember a cruise ship in Hawaii.  The cruise director telling me about the Ironman race and my secret, which I could tell nobody:  once I heard it, I knew what I a had to do: I wanted THAT.   I wanted Ironman.

The various blog posts told me where I was physically and what was important to me then.  And now I think I know what was really the most important the whole time.  

This twelve years is my evolution (sorry for the missing 7 years 😂 of blog posts but life was still going on).  The blog focuses on my physical health because my doctor who told me to write the blog years ago was focused on my physical health.  But the blog is a snapshot of my life and those races.  

My happy moments and my fears and my desire to tweak what health means – not just speed of running or the scale, but happiness in life.  That’s what going through your 40’s to now nearly 54 does I guess.   You reassess what matters.  

What those years meant to me … and still do:

2014 — The Spark: The earliest posts read like exclamations from a baby that just realized THEY could makes noise on their own. I did not have to watch others be healthy. I could be healthy also. I wasn’t fully sure where it would go or what those early walks which turned into runs meant, but eventually I found my voice.

Everything was intended to be proof that I was no longer who I used to be. Back then, every mile felt like a statement I was making to every person who ever called me fat.  I’m not that guy anymore.  Every race was a declaration. Every finish line was a rebirth. I had shed the image of the (sometimes) funny fat guy and became someone who could be fit.  

When I finished that first marathon in October of 2014, less than 16 months after starting to change I felt like Tom Hanks in Castaway after he made his first fire. I HAVE DISCOVERED HEALTH!! is what I could have exclaimed.

My friends and acquaintances were awestruck.  My parents were proud.  My kids’ friends now could not call me fat (as I know a couple did).  But could I hold it?

2016 — The Fight: By late 2016, there was an intensity I see now.  A sense of “I have to hold onto this or I’ll lose it.” These posts were full of numbers, weight, pace, fear, and determination. I was negotiating with my past self, still proving it was me in that body and that damn it, I deserved it.   I still had immense joy (still do) that I could buy clothes off the rack instead of at specialty stores for “big” people. I didn’t need a seat belt extended on the airplane as I once did. I had gained health but was still surprised it was me in those clothes.

2017 — The Identity Shift: By 2017, something changed. I wasn’t shocked to be running marathons anymore. I was narrating a lifestyle and I was looking for something more.  I wasn’t trying to become a runner. I was one. A couple dozen marathons will make that true even if you used to be 286 lbs.  I stopped looking backward and was searching for the bigger dream. 

2018 —  I wanted a major new milestone:  Ironman.  That meant a 2.4 mile swim plus 112 mile bike ride and THEN a marathon.  I was chasing something I never imagined.  And then I did it.   Four times. When you cross THAT finish line, after 140.6 miles you’ve finished something that to most seems just ridiculous.

2018-2025.  Life got in the way of Blogging.  I finished my 50th marathon a few weeks before I turned 50 in 2022. And wonderfully, my wife became my marathon partner for more and more races.  The pace was slower, but the love became of the sport became deeper, because someone so special was now doing it by my side (even if I didn’t say it to her enough).

October 2023 hit:  My professional life collapsed.  Coupled with some vicious lies, someone I once admired attempted to (unsuccessfully) pin blame on me for his own improper behavior.  I was devesated.  Still am actually.  I had to fight for my profession reputation and still am.  Had to tolerate improper retaliation, and still am.  Then the worst thing, my father died Christmas Day of 2024 unexpectedly.  Work’s misery greeted  me everyday and coupled with that deep sadness was a stunning turn.  The pounds had started to creep back on.  About 30 of them.  I was mortified.  

2025. Demanding my life back.  

Then comes 2025 — and I  shifted again. Not backward. Not downward. Just determined to take back my story.  

Life outside running finds its way into this blog. It finds its way there therapeutically but also to let my (few) readers know setbacks happen but they can persevere.  We all must. Outside factors we never imagine – work stress and emotional fatigue can hurt. 

When it happens grab hold to those around you and squeeze them tight (not too tight, it can hurt them!).  They will be there running with you, sometimes walking by your side, but not letting go.  If you have nobody beside you to grab, seek help through your employer assistance plan if you have one or in a counselor. But don’t quit.

2026: Continuing to take back what IS mine.

By early 2026, my voice is different from the one in 2014. It’s calmer. More grounded. More self‑aware. 

And those 30 lbs … they have fallen off.  The diet changed again.  My emotional stability still feels trauma, but I have controlled it through ways I would not have imagined having to do not too long ago (talking it through and fighting back, not drugs).   I reclaimed my health from those who attacked me professionally because it is the one thing I could control.  

I am not performing, I am again living.  My 4:18 marathon of a few days ago is not a comeback, a miracle, or a crisis. It was just a good day.  But it was earned.  A sign of health and stability in a life that has plenty of instability elsewhere. 

What  a dozen years of running through life has taught me is not something I set out to learn.  My story didn’t end when I lost the weight. It didn’t end when I ran my first marathon. It didn’t end when I became an Ironman. It didn’t end when life got harder. It didn’t end when I slowed down.  It didn’t end when I gained some of that weight back and it has not ended now that I have shed that weight again. Rather, the story, like life, evolves.  

Running didn’t save my life once. It saves it over and over again — in different ways, for totally different reasons.  It is forever one step in front of the other. Perseverance above all else.   

And maybe that’s the real finish line.

I am not planning on being a 50 state marathon runner. My goal is simply to be healthy. Instead, I’ve decided I want to cover the east coast states and today knocked off Delaware. I only have South Carolina to go. I’ve also run two in Hawaii but the rest have been on the east coast

Today I ran the Delaware Running Festival’s marathon in Wilmington. Anytime I can go under 4:20 I am satisfied. It means I did less than a 10 minute mile pace. Today my final pace was 9:51 but what I was happiest about is my last seven miles, which were at 9:40 per mile.

Negative splits are hard to come by for me, and to gain one with a decent last 7 mile pace, let’s just say I was pretty happy.

Due to some ridiculously absurd behavior by some people at work directed against me, I’ve been working hard with a life coach for the past 7 months. That would have sounded absurd to me in the past but it has paid dividends in my mental health and now my physical health. While work continues to be entirely demoralizing and I am stunned and reminded each day about the bad behavior of some people I work with, getting my physical health back has helped me with my mental health as well (even if I still am disgusted at work).

Recovery physically for the next race takes a bit longer in my mid 50’s, but I am planning another race in mid June, so will take the time to get ready for it.

Will add some pictures if I get any I think are acceptable!

At my heaviest I was 286 lbs. At my lightest since I started to diet and exercise I was down to 143 in 2018 and stabilized at 154 by 2019 and held it for four years. At the end of 2023 I had absolute work chaos caused by some really vicious people. What does a stress eater do under stress? Eat. I was embarrassed to go up to 183. My pant size increased. New suit jackets were bought. Then in September of 2025 I got help. I never thought of myself as a therapy person but sometimes that’s what you need. My perspective changed. I still am appalled at the people who lied about me and treated me so viscously but I also have found a path forward … and that matters. The results have shown on the scale too. I’m down to 155 lbs again. Down 10 more pounds since January. Very close to my goal weight.

I’ve said it before. If you need help, get it. Don’t be embarrassed about struggling. The comeback is great. Keep at it.

Today I climbed 330 flights on the stair master and ran a little over 7 miles. Don’t give up on yourself. You deserve to be happy.

My wife reminded me of that iconic line from The Devil Wears Prada recently (and by the way, who is NOT excited for the May 1 premier of the sequel!). My goal weight is 150-154 and it’s getting close.

This morning I did my weekly weigh in and left my house sneakers on and the number 158 appeared on my scale. It had been at least two years since I have seen the 150’s. I had some absolute life chaos (all work related) start in late 2023, and when you are someone who has turned to food for comfort your whole life, you … wait for it …. EAT.

My life chaos has not ended but I have been able to organize it logically and see a very clear end path, which has helped. These past five months or so have been a reset for my processing and the results show up on the scale at the gym and in my diet.

This weekend I am running the NYC United Half marathon. This is a hard race to get in. You generally go through a lottery system. I have entered the full NYC Marathon lottery every year since 2015 and only got in once. This year, my wife and I both entered the NYC United Half marathon lottery and in a stroke of luck we both got it.

So this weekend we will start in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, cross the Brooklyn Bridge and up the FDR eventually running thorough Times Square and into Central Park. Can’t wait!

They call it “Jeffing”. Getting through a marathon by a combination of planned running with intermittent walk breaks. Sometimes the walking can be for 10 seconds after a 5 minute run. Sometimes it can be two minutes of running followed by a whole two minutes of walking … or even 3 minutes of walking. Whatever it takes to finish the marathon before the cut off.

When I first registered my wife for her first marathon (without telling her 😂), we went to the Run Disney expo, now more than 9 years ago and saw this skinny guy with books talking about his “run walk” method. My wife was hooked. She decided to use it to get though her first marathon (and every one since then). It was Jeff Galloway who was explaining the run/walk method.

Completing marathons with my wife is one of the most enjoyable things we do as a couple. I said one of them. ☺️. We get to spend time together being healthy doing things we would have never imagined for the first 15 years of our marriage when I was out of shape (she is and always has been a size 0!).

Jeff Galloway made it possible for us to share the marathon experience as a couple.

Jeff died last week at age 80. We had seen him only a month before at the 2026 Disney marathon. Disney marathons are special. You stop and take pictures with the characters and you ride on rides. It’s just a fun way to see the parks. My typical marathon by myself is about 4:20. Disney takes us about 6 hours, but what other marathon lets you ride Expedition Everest or stand with Chewbacca!

We told Jeff how his run walk method made my wife a 14 time marathon finisher so far. But more importantly it gave us something fun to do as a couple that most couples never think about and many could not do.

We asked Jeff to sign out race bibs, as he had done before. We talked about the Honolulu marathon which he had won in 1974 and hoped to do this year. We thanked him for making us believe in the power or persistence and then we went on our way.

“Make America Healthy Again” is a slogan to some. Jeff Galloway actually did it. Thank you Jeff.

I was happy to get in a more than 8 mile run this morning, ultimately leading to more than 1000 exercise calories burned when combined with a little earlier walking. To have that done by 9 AM was welcome. In addition, even after a few days of vacation in Tennessee, I was happy to be at 161 pounds.

You may wonder about vacation in Tennessee, but it is definitely a wonderful place with many things to see. Obviously, Nashville comes to mind first and foremost for many people. Memphis is another great city there for both the civil rights history, including some very sad history, and also the Mecca for Elvis fans.

But even with a little play in my diet on that trip, I was quite happy to be at 161 pushing hard to get back in the 150s.

We went in Tennessee to neither Nashville, nor Memphis, and said we went to Pigeon Forge. That is the home of Dollywood. In pigeon Forge, we did some hiking and also went to Cooter’s Garage from the Dukes of Hazzard TV show. The actor who played Cooter, Ben Jones, has set up a few stores with Dukes of Hazzard memorabilia. While we were there, Catherine Bach, the actress who played Daisy Duke was there signing autographs.

The United States has so many wonderful places to see, but if you thought Tennessee might not be a place to visit, I encourage you to rethink that. 

Apple Music has a funny sense of humor . After knocking out 10 miles on Super Bowl Sunday in preparation for too much eating watching the game (and yup, I did), and then seeing my son’s beloved Patriots be destroyed (how a New Yorker roots for the Patriots is a whole other story), I was greeted by my Apple Music playlist this MONDAY morning with a cruel song.

I still knocked out 6.4 miles, but the Apple Music Gods are plainly mocking me today.

I had an ultra busy week at work this week caused by someone in my organization unveiling a major policy change in an area I lead … without asking my (or my teams) view on it. I’m no genius, but I find generally communication leads to better policy. I think this is especially true when you are communicating with the people who actually have to implement your edicts.

BUT … that didn’t stop me from exercising. It’s Saturday morning. I’m heading out to the gym and then to the office. FORWARD!

Welcome to February. I am quite certain the ground hog will see its shadow tomorrow given how cold and snowy it has been thus far … but one can hope.

Yesterday (1/31) I took a rest day. Years ago when I started to exercise I never took a rest day. I took pride in running vigorously EVERY single day. I’m 53 now. I have generally kept the weight off for nearly 12 years.

I have learned to take rest days. These rest days are usually once a week but at least every other week. So Saturday was a rest day. Cold here in the Northeast. I took my son’s car for an oil change and other than that, stayed inside, relaxed and did some school work.

Today though, I went at it. Knocked out a decent paced 6.6 miles in an hour at the gym and then walked 2.4 miles uphill on the treadmill and did the grocery shopping.

As you age, take a rest day. Please. It reinvigorates you physically, and that next day, you RUN!

“Preventative care is cheaper than reactive care, but it requires intention.” I read that on Hebba Youssef’s email blast yesterday.

Hebba (I say that like I know her, I don’t) is the owner of “I Hate it Here” (https://hateithere.co). She is a blunt and funny Human Resources expert who tells it like it is and gives HR professionals comfort knowing we aren’t alone in this world.

Yesterday’s email from Hebba wrote about the hidden cost of healthcare in overall employee costs. Maybe because I was reading it waiting for my doctor to come in, but the above quoted language hit me. It’s both obvious and mandatory.

Good health requires INTENTION! So does good HR. Now some people, despite their very best efforts will not be able to be as healthy as they deserve to be. SOME PEOPLE, despite knowing what HR and workplace policies must be followed, ignore them out of ego or other reasons. However, as someone who was once morbidly obese and who has since run 59 marathons … and as the same person who has honestly been really disgusted with life for the past couple of years and is now in therapy trying to move forward, good acts require INTENTION.

If you want to improve your physical or mental health, be intentional about it. Changes from the negative WILL NOT come by accident.

And if you want straight talk about work and work trends, I definitely recommend signing up for Hebba’s blog.