In July, I decided that it would be a good idea to sign up for a marathon. I looked around and found the Marine Corp Marathon and thought, “Hey! That sounds like fun.”

When I went to sign up I had unfortunately missed out and the marathon had already filled it’s registration quota. This turns out to be a very good thing. One of the ways that you can participate in a sold-out event is to become a charity runner. As a charity runner you find a charity that is taking part in the event, has registration spots, and is willing to sponsor your registration in exchange for fundraising. It was an easy choice for me as I’ve done this before. My first real cycling event was a 100-mile ride 10 years ago that I completed as a member of Team in Training. I raised over $2000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, trained a ton, and in my own little way helped with the fight against cancer. 10 years later that fight is still going on and once again I chose to take part. I signed on to raise money for the American Cancer Society, a wonderful organization that is dedicated to all aspects involved in the fight against cancer.

I also wanted to do an event that I could do with my father. The only time I have run competitively was in the 8th grade when I joined the middle school track team after an unsuccessful attempt at making the baseball team. I ran, and ran, and ran that spring and my dad seized the opportunity to enter us both into the Austin Statesman Capitol 10k in Austin, TX. It was a great time, and I fondly remember the nightly 4-mile training runs around our block. Fast forward about 13 years and the spoils of retirement had started to take their toll on my dad. So I hatched a plan: Sign him up for a race, something that he would get excited about and cause him to change his habits and start being more active. Enter the Marine Corps 10k (run in conjunction with the marathon). The marines hold a special place in my dad’s heart (a story for another day) and it just so happens that I know he can’t resist taking part in something that benefits his favorite branch of our armed forces.

Well the day has come and gone. And let’s just say it was an experience. I had begun my training with the hope of running in the neighborhood of 3 hrs. A pretty good clip, but something I thought was doable. I started training, and training, and training, and I was right on track. That is, until I ran into my old nemisis: injury. I’ve had issue with my legs ever since I stopped cycling a few years back and I know that not dealing with those issues properly led to my injuries. I just gutted it out, took some time off, and started riding the bike a bit more. The summer came and went, and all of a sudden it was time to run a marathon. So I came out here never having run more than 11 miles and I put one foot in front of the other for the better part of a morning. All in all I ran right my very first marathon in 4:59:56 for an average pace of 11:26/mile. While that may seem slow, trust me it was tough. I was hobbled by my old injuries and had to spend some time walking every now and then, but it was a ton of fun (maybe a supposedly fun thing I’ll never do again).

My dad did his 10k and had a blast. This event was only one factor in a complete life change for him. Since he agreed to do this with me, he’s lost about 40 pounds and has gone from a retired old guy, to the energizer bunny! He ran his 10K wonderfully, and averaged 12:29/mile for a total time of 1:17:30 (I think).

If you’re just stumbling upon this blog I invite to you take a look around, view all the older posts from my race. I was using my iPhone to update during the race via twitter (with pictures too!). Read them, and imagine you were there with me!

And lastly, if take the time to donate to a very worthwhile cause. The American Cancer Society has done, is doing, and will continue to work to help those who’ve been afflicted by cancer. Even if its as little as $5.00 it can make a difference. Also I just want to say thank you to all the people who have supported me so far and have donated to this cause. You are all an inspiration to me.