20/11/2023
Yesterday I completed one of my hardest goals that Iâve been actively pursuing for about 6 years now, and that was to run my first marathon! I got to run in the 30th anniversary Philadelphia marathon, and it was extra special because I got to run with my wife Abigail for her first, my sister in law, Joelle for her 3rd, and our good friend Brett Hatfield for his first as well.
It honestly was a surreal experience, and even more surreal thinking back on it. There was 34,000 runners this year and I was so happy to be one of them, but it really was a long time coming.
I started running about 6 years ago and signed up for my first 5k race 5 years ago. I was never a runner and never had the body to be a runner, but I started running because I like being outside, itâs free, itâs healthy, and for me it gave me a break and provided mental clarity about everything going on in life. Soon it was something I enjoyed and as soon as I got a taste of being at the races, a full marathon is always what I set my sights on. But it took a really long time to get there and had a lot of ups and downs along the way including tearing both meniscus in each leg. I never had surgery, and just focused on properly training, stretching and strength training to build up my leg muscles to be able to better take the impact of my knee joints. Focusing on my training I was able to drop close to 20lbs and shaved 20 mins off my half marathon time durning this full, but most importantly I was able to complete the full without any of my normal knee pain.
I had some hugely inspiring friends and family help me along this way. None more than my wife Abigail though. She has trained so hard this past year, and her results speak for themselves. It really makes me realize how important your life partner is, and how fortunate I am to have mine. Not just for me, but especially for our kids to have someone they can always look to as a prime example of hard work, dedication, and both physical and mental. I am so thankful to have her as a mother to my children, and I always love to see peopleâs reactions when they find out she birthed 5 children.
Now I canât wait to see whatâs next in this running journey!