January 2023 - Recovering Decathlete

Something to Consider: Trail Running

by Tyler Simpson on Jan 21, 2023 category Trail Running

The vast majority of runners I know seem to be mystified by trail running, and I’m here to hopefully change that for some of you. I went on my first trail run in my mid-30s and it was such a freeing experience for me. It took so much pressure off of the performance of running and allowed me to just enjoy myself so much more. My background of collegiate running was about speed and performance, so the idea of stopping while on a run seemed almost sacrilegious to me. Once I realized that I wouldn’t be shamed for stopping, it opened up a whole new world (queue up Aladdin on a magic carpet).

If you are intimidated by the idea of stepping off the sidewalk and onto the trails, I’m hoping that my experience can be helpful for you. It’s most definitely a different experience (somewhat significant) than pounding the pavement, but my time on the trails has often felt psychologically and spiritually unique, comparatively. It’s not without its challenges, but with some build up it can be very doable. Here’s to hoping my sales pitch works enough to get you into the woods.

A spectacular sunrise I saw on a recent trail run in the Blue Hills

What I love about the trails

The beauty and serenity of nature

I hope that many of you have already experienced this first hand, but if you haven’t… nature is beautiful. The natural world has so many interesting things to see, and I’ve found that the more time I spend there, the more I notice. I’ve had the incredible fortune of living in the woods for the last 5 1/2 years, and my eyes have become so en tuned with seeing things that others don’t. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on a run and seen tiny tree frogs on the side of the trails, or the subtle flutter of an owl’s wing hidden in the trees. It feels like the more time that I spend in nature, the more nature invites me to see. It’s as if the curtain keeps getting lifted, and that I’m allowed to see more each time.

There is something very serene about hearing the leaves crunch under your feet, and the noises in the background. Sometimes there is nothing to hear except your breath and your footsteps. Other times you hear woodpeckers, hawks, deer as they run off or beavers as they slap their tails on the water as a warning. It’s hard not to be in awe of all that is around us, and it helps in so many ways. Much of these experiences can happen by taking a walk in the woods, but I would argue it’s a lot more fun to run.

Gear!

Who doesn’t like getting new gear? Maybe I’m an outlier here (although I know I’m not), but there are all sorts of cool things that one feels obligated to get as a trail runner. In actuality, you don’t need anything new to go on a trail run, but once you start to do it more regularly, there are certain things that become really helpful.

Trail Shoes

Of all the things to get, trail shoes are the most important (in my opinion). The biggest difference between trail shoes and road shoes are the soles. Most trail shoes have a firmer sole to protect your feet from rocks and roots, as well as lugs underneath to help with grip. Another hallmark is extra protection around the toe box for durability and to keep the little piggies from going to the market (not sure if that makes sense, but that’s what came to mind).

When you start to look into getting trail shoes, it can become pretty overwhelming pretty quickly, but there are a few brands that seem to get it right. The big names in trail running shoes are Salomon and Hoka. If you follow any of the big trail races, those two brands are seen often. There are plenty of other great options too, but those have been my personal favorites. You will see that quality shoes are not cheap, so I recommend checking out a site like Running Warehouse or REI periodically for deals. If you are running on smooth gravel paths than trail shoes are less of a necessity, but if you are on typical New England trails, you are going to want trail shoes.

Running Packs

I don’t know about other people, but I have worn running packs on road runs and felt like a hardo. It feels a bit overkill to wear one of the sidewalks, even if you are running double digits. The good news is that I’ve found a perfect solution – just wear one on the trails! I have a very general assumption that when people are out running on trails, they are going for significant mileage. There is literally nothing to back this up, but wearing a running pack on the trails just feels more normal.

The really great thing about wearing a pack is that you can bring all sorts of snacks and layers along with you, and keep your hands free the entire time. I’ve tried a few different waist packs, and most have been inadequate for carrying a multitude of things. I love my Naked Running Band and wear that for 95% of my runs, but for longer runs I opt for something with more carrying options. There are a ton of great options for hydration packs and I’ve got a few Duro packs from Osprey and one from CamelBak that have been great.

Sweating it out during an 18 mile trail run in the White Mountains

Toe Socks!

To be honest, these totally weirded me out when I first heard about them. I had seen “interesting” people wearing toe socks in my days, and something about the way they look didn’t sit well with me. Just the other day my 5 year old son saw me wearing some and said it looked like I had monkey feet… Despite my initial feelings, I picked up a pair and (after it took me about 20 minutes to put them on) I actually like them! They have a huge benefit of helping to reduce blistering and are now are regular part of my rotation.

Friendly people

I am likely hyper-sensitive, but I find it hard to ignore how many people are not friendly while running on sidewalks. Boston isn’t exactly known for being a warm and fuzzy place, but people are people. I’ve had countless aggravating experiences of running by people and attempting a hello or minor acknowledgement, only to have them act as if I’m invisible. I know there are probably a hundred different reasons that people don’t reciprocate a hello, but it feels like a pretty basic human reaction to me.

Paying homage to someone who threw bull horns at us during a run

Given my extreme need for positive human interaction, I have found people to (typically) be much more pleasant on the trails. There are certainly wackos out there, but by and large people seem to be more friendly. I’ve had a number of experiences with other trail runners, where we have even stopped running (can you believe it?!?!) to briefly chat before continuing down the trails. The whole vibe tends to be less competitive, and I quite enjoy it. If you are experiencing the same level of aggravation as I am (likely not) then I give you yet another reason to give trail running a go.

Running in any weather

If you read my previous posts, you might remember me carrying on about the Frozen Yeti trail race that I first partook in back in 2020. As a quick reminder, the race carries on for 30 straight hours, in February and (typically) with snow and ice on the trails. It became the ultimate excuse remover for going for a run, and also provided a level of excitement to the experience of trail running. In the years since I’ve gotten into trail running, I’ve watched a multitude of YouTube videos about trail races all over the world. One of the biggest themes of trail running is that you better get used to getting out regardless of the weather. To me it has felt like a challenge to tackle a run no matter what mother nature has in store. Obviously you need to be smart and not unnecessarily put yourself in danger, but otherwise get out the door!

Ok maybe I’m a hardo sometimes on the trails…

Being in the woods after (or during) a snowfall is also pretty breathtaking. Whether you can get away with just your trail shoes, or needing to strap on some traction, I highly recommend it. I find it hard not to stop often and take pictures, because there are so many beautiful things to see.

Adventures in the night

This is starting to get into next level stuff, but running on the trails at night with a head lamp is pretty wild. I remember feeling like I was participating in an extreme sport after my first time. If you can picture it, it’s pitch black and quiet, with a beam of light in front of you being the only thing you can see. All around you is black, so it forces you to have tunnel vision and only see what’s in front of you. Normally you have a lovely sensory experience on the trails, but nighttime running is very different.

If you are going to attempt this, I highly recommend a few things to keep you safe. I would recommend going with someone else and not solo, until you are confident enough to tackle something like this alone. Checking to ensure you have a fresh set of batteries is going to be another must-do, as well as taking your phone. If you feel confident enough to go alone, make sure to let someone know your plans and your route so that at least one other person knows where you are.

Strengthening muscles and building endurance

There are lots of articles out there about the benefits of trail running, so no need to reiterate much here. Ultimately there is a lot of benefit from having a varied terrain to run on, one of the most important being that it’s great for your feet and knees. When we run on pavement, our feet land the same way every time, which can end up causing injuries. The repetitive foot strike isn’t great for our feet and legs over time. What trail running provides is a different landing experience each time we step, which strengthens our lower legs, helping to build muscle. Given that much of trail running is on dirt and gravel, there is more of a cushion to provide a softer landing pad.

I’ve also ran with plenty of strong and consistent road runners that get beat up by the ups and downs that trails provide. Depending on where you run, you are likely to encounter mixed (and ideally rolling) terrain that works your legs muscles in ways that are much different than roads and sidewalks. I have found that my ability to run up hills has dramatically improved as a result of running on trails. My experience in a number of longer runs is that I am able to attack hills better than others, likely as a result of regular trail running. You can file that tip under: zero proof but sounds mildly convincing.

Creativity

An understated aspect of trail running is the creativity that I find it inspires. There have been countless times when I’ve opted to take a trail that I’ve never been, or go in the opposite direction on a trail I’ve been before. There is something about planning ahead of time and also opting to change course mid-run. I realize that this can be intimidating to many people, ESPECIALLY if you are already don’t have a great sense of direction. In doing so, I’ve found many ways to get to the same places, and a multitude of routes that can be strung together.

I’ve seen others make games out of their runs or to segmentally run longer trail sections. A current challenge I’ve enjoyed following is someone using a deck of cards picked at random to determine their route. There are 58 gates in the Middlesex Fells and my Strava pal has been pulling a handful of cards at random in order to have waypoints to follow. Very cool and creative!

What isn’t always awesome about the trails

Unleashed dogs

Let me start by stating that I’m a dog lover, and always have been. I grew up with dogs and have always loved, even after almost getting my nose ripped off by one the summer after 3rd grade. However(!) what I DON’T love is when dogs are very aggressive and moronic owners keep them off leash. I’ve had a handful of experiences where dogs have run up to me very aggressively, only to have the owners mumble something or not acknowledge anything.

Thankfully I have not had any more bites, but I know others who have been bit multiple times while out running. Despite not having been bit in about 30 years, I still really don’t appreciate having a psychopathic dog run up on me talking crazy. After a few negative experiences in a short time span, I seriously considered buying dog spray to carry with me. I didn’t pull the trigger, and I ultimately hope nothing ever happens, but I’ve seen far too many negligent owners let their Cujos off leash.

Trips, falls and twisted ankles

The fact of the matter is that each one of these things are going to happen at some point. The goal is that none of them happen often, but it’s only a matter of time. For example, in the last two weeks I’ve twisted and re-twisted the same ankle three times. None of the times prevented me from being able to keep running, but they have all been unpleasant nonetheless. I have tripped and caught myself countless times, and other times have not been so lucky. Most of my unfortunate incidents have happened either at the beginning or the end of my runs, when I’m either still stiff or tired. It’s never fun when it happens, but it’s part of the process. Be mindful and don’t hesitate to slow down (or walk!) if you feel uncomfortable.

Scaring people accidentally

You may be wondering what the hell I’m talking about here, but I assure you this happens often. The scenario is that I’m running alone on a trail and come up behind someone walking (usually alone). They often are wearing headphones and are in the middle of a narrow trail. I initially thought that they would hear my footsteps, but after a number of frightful jumps I realize that is not likely the case. Over time I’ve misjudged how soon to say something like “on your left” and have been too close for their comfort – again with the yelps…

I’ve even asked around to see if there is a standard etiquette for what to do (i.e. wear a bell, say “hello”, etc.) and there doesn’t seem to be a universal answer. What I’ve defaulted to is to cough loudly (as if by accident) with the hope that they hear me before I’m uncomfortably close and they have time to make a move. All that aside, it baffles me that people are surprised to encounter other people while being out and about in a public space. Call me crazy, but that seems like it should be expected.

Overall verdict

If by God’s grace you are still reading, then I thank you. It means that my loss of sleep may indeed be worth it! I can very comfortably say that trail running has opened up all sorts of new experiences, relationships and exciting goals for me. It has taken nothing away from running on roads and competing in road races. Given a few of the items I listed in the section above, I tend to stay off trails for the weeks leading up to a race, to prevent any unexpected injuries. That aside, I will always pick the trails over the sidewalks for a non-workout run, because it far exceeds the physical aspect. It has been a great way to deal with a stressful situation or overwhelming days, and always seems to showcase something that leaves me appreciative.

My hope is that you will have read enough to encourage you to give it a try, and if you are looking for a partner – don’t hesitate to give me a shout! There is space for everyone out on the trails.

Final pro tips

If you are heading out for a run and have a tight schedule, you may want to stick to the roads or a treadmill. Unless you have a very specific loop on a carriage trail or access road, trail running is more often approximate. When I’m out leading others on a run, I make sure to throw “ish” at the end of the mileage because you never know.

Given the nature of trail running (see what I did there??) I would highly recommend not leaving your phone in the car or at home. For many people its pretty easy to get turned around on trails, given the twists and turns, so having a way to access a map is a good safety net. Some trail buddies of mine went out without me and needed to get a ride back after getting too off track. It’s a piece of mind tactic and also gives you the opportunity to take pictures along the way!

Black Pond on the way to Owl’s Head in NH

Tips from an Amateur: Fundraising

by Tyler Simpson on Jan 14, 2023 category Tips From An Amateur

Early in my career all I could see was money… get it??

Tis the season

If you know any runners, you have likely started to see some posts, emails and announcements about fundraising for an upcoming race. Right now Boston Marathon fundraising is in full gear, but London Marathon is right around the corner and Tokyo Marathon comes before both of them. For us non-elite runners (raising my hand), often our best bet to run in one of the premiere races is to get lucky in the lottery or to raise money. Having gone the fundraising route a few times myself (with some big, scary numbers to raise) I’ve seen and experienced a few things that might be helpful to others trying to navigate these waters.

My background

I have never worked specifically in fundraising, but I have worked professionally in non-profits since 2007 and have picked up a few things along the way. The organizations that I have worked at rely heavily on fundraising and have both been involved in many different campaigns, and done so successfully. I have been indirectly involved in fundraising my entire career in non-profits, and directly part of some campaigns a few times.

Once you work in the non-profit world for a while, you realize that it can be a pretty crowded space. Outside of non-profits, are religious organizations, relief efforts and gofundme campaigns for all sorts of worthy causes (to name a few). Anyone who has connections on social media knows that new requests come in weekly, if not daily. Over my years, I’ve collectively raised over $25,000 for various causes and events (I realize that pails in comparison to many). Over $23,000 of that money came from marathon fundraising efforts. Here’s to hoping I can help you a little if you are just starting out.

Incredible action shot which makes me look like I can’t stand up straight

Fundamental Understanding: Rule of 7s

I’m not sure it’s officially called the “Rule of 7s” but if I’ve heard this once, I’ve heard it over 50 times. The general premise of this “rule” is that it takes 7 impressions (or touch points) to motivate someone. An impression can be a post, a conversation, an email, an invitation, etc. Ultimately you would count every time someone comes across information related to a topic. I’ve seen far too many people post once to Facebook, Instagram or some other platform and then never come around again. With a seemingly infinite amount of things to spend money on, it takes at least a few times to make an impression. There are different groups of people in your life that will support you, and catering to each of them is an important element to getting results. Drilling down a little further, an effective technique I was taught was to publicly thank and acknowledge donors and tag them on social media. By doing this, others are seeing that you are getting supported and connections of your donors may also want to give to you too.

Choose a cause that is personal

Raising money or gaining support for something you don’t have a personal connection or true belief in, is never easy. People are generally smart and intuitive and can tell when others aren’t bought in to what they are doing or supporting. Most fundraising campaigns have a donor website to utilize, and crafting a personal story is going to be a key first step to gaining support. The Boston Marathon was the first race that I fundraised for, and I was fortunate enough to get a bib through the organization where I work. Many of my donors were fellow staff, board members, and I also received huge support from family and friends. There were a few unexpected donors, but no “out of left field” donations came in.

When I was raising money for the March of Dimes to run the NYC Marathon, I shared my personal story and had unexpected donations coming in left and right. The biggest difference was that my story was central to my family as opposed to my workplace. I was very fortunate to have incredible support for both fundraising campaigns, but they attracted different people.

Our son about 12 hours after he was born, weighing about 3 pounds 5 ounces and 6 weeks premature

Share your training progress

Even though you are fundraising and ultimately looking for financial support, people are generally interested and excited to see how your training is going – especially if you are a first-time marathoner! Some people may not feel like there are in a position to provide a meaningful financial gift, but they are happy to come on a training run with you. Having an accountability partner can be invaluable as well. When I first started putting in longer training runs, each week was a new distance record for me, so it was easy to overshare my progress – because it was exciting! Very few people are out running consistently, let alone anything in double digit miles and for weeks and months at a time.

The other reason to share your progress online is to show people that you are serious and dedicated to holding your end of the bargain to actually prepare to finish the race. I have absolutely no statistics to back this up, but my assumption is that people are motivated by the running first and the cause second. What I mean by that is people would decide they want to run a marathon and then find an organization to raise money for. There are certainly exceptions where people want to support an organization or cause, and the running is just a way to do it.

Training run picture that was 100% posted on social media

Recommendation: maybe be a little selective with what progress you are sharing and don’t think that people want an update after every workout you finish. It can quickly drift into obnoxious over-sharing territory and could become a negative.

Getting creative

Given that you aren’t the only one out there asking people to give their money to you (the cause you are raising money for), think about what might be a creative way to motivate people. Captain No-Statistics is coming back to say that the vast majority of donors that I’ve seen only give to the cause one time and specifically because of the fundraiser. The organizations I’ve worked for have been very clear about their lack of expectations for repeat donations for marathon-based donors.

In thinking how I could drum up some more donations (either by getting more donors or more money per donor), I solicited the help of a small child in my house. My young daughter has always been quite artistic, so I crafted a business arrangement with her in 2019 (she was 8 at the time) where I would pay her $5 (of my own money NOT from the donation) for every portrait she drew of a donor. The deal was that for every person that donated at least $50 they would receive a “custom” portrait based on the photo of their choosing. When one was not provided, I became an internet sleuth and found a picture from their social media for her to draw. After these mini masterpieces were finished, I would post the original photo next to the portrait and post it to Facebook and Instagram (my social media platforms of choice). The interest for these portraits skyrocketed and I turned into a very demanding client, putting her to work to crank out portraits and the donations came in. At times she was well behind in her production, and I must admit that quality control suffered somewhat dramatically in the final weeks.

I have seen other people offer to do things in exchange for donations – typically a collective large amount instead of smaller donations. For example, you could do a polar plunge (jump into cold water), cut or color your hair, do a training run in a silly outfit or anything you can come up with. The point is to have something interesting or motivating that people want to see happen. Sometimes friends are more motivated to see you run around town in an inflatable dinosaur suit more than they are to donate to your cause because “it’s a great one”.

Parties or events

From what I’ve seen, younger runners in particular, have had good success putting on a fundraising party or event. The general premise is that you may know someone with a talent or you frequent an establishment, and partner with them to bring them business and help you raise money. This may look like a specific day and time period where the establishment will donate a certain percentage of sales to your campaign. Other times a particularly talented (and hopefully charitable) person you may know would be willing to donate their services and the money spent on an event would go towards your fundraising. I’ve seen people do this with a paint night, for example. These events certainly don’t happen on their own, so you will need to put some sweat equity into making it happen (setting it up, inviting people, showing up yourself, etc.). Good news is your are sweating for your training, so why not sweat for your fundraising!

Utilize matching gifts

Many companies offer matching donation programs, where they will match an employees charitable giving to another organization, up to a certain amount. This is a huge benefit for people that can take advantage of this, because it means that you ultimately get double the amount. It does sometimes take a while for the matching gift to come through, but as long as you know it’s coming… that’s ok! You can do some research yourself to see if you have any connections at a company or otherwise you can poll your network.

A second way that I’ve seen/used related to this is to utilize a large gift that you know is coming in as a challenge to other donors. An example would be if one of your family members says they are going to give you $1,000 towards your goal. Instead of just posting that in, you can ask if you can hold off on acknowledging that gift and say that you have a donor that will match every dollar donated up to $1,000. It’s not a silver bullet, but who doesn’t like a challenge?? I would recommend running that by your family member first, but I can’t imagine there would be much push back.

Enjoy the process

Reconnecting with former college teammates for a training run (which was 70 degrees in January)

I totally understand and can relate to being pretty scared about raising thousands of dollars, in particular when some charities say they will charge your credit card for what you didn’t raise. In talking with many other charity runners, they pretty much all say that raising money was “the easy part”. I’m not sure if that excites you about the fundraising or freaks you out about the running… Hopefully you are raising money for an organization that has a good support system, and otherwise I hope you can refer back to this post for some ideas and encouragement. I will say, it feels pretty incredible when you end up hitting your fundraising goal AND finish your race. Best of luck!

Lets back up a little

by Tyler Simpson on Jan 5, 2023 category Uncategorized

It started with a picture

October 2017 with Kai (almost 6 months old)

We were almost 6 months into our family growing from three to four, and in the midst of multiple moves before landing into a new home. The first full month after our son Kairos was born was very stressful. My wife had a challenging pregnancy with pre-eclampsia (among a few other things) and despite having a due date of June 1st, we were rushed to do an emergency c-section on the night of April 20th. A full six weeks premature, and Kai being very underweight.

The next 32 days, our (very) little son lived in the Special Care Nursery (also referred to as the NICU), while they ran a battery of tests and worked around the clock to make sure he gained enough weight and was stable enough to come home with us. Prior to this experience, it felt unimaginable to leave one of our children alone in the hospital for any amount of time, but the nurses at Newton-Wellesley were a dream team and we were able to grind it out. Every weekday after work, the three of us would saddle up and come to hug, hold and be with Kai for as long as we could. It was scary at times, and there were lots of unknowns that fluctuated during his time there.

As a result of his early and complicated birth, and us needing to move three times in about 5 months, I was far from my peak athletic physique – to say the least. This picture above was taken a few weeks before we moved to a hotel for a week and then officially into our new home. Despite there being an absolutely adorable baby (I know I’m biased), all I see is how out of shape I am when I see this picture. To be honest, I can’t look at this picture for more than a few seconds without being a bit ashamed. I say that from my relative experience as a former division 1 track and field athlete (hence the decathlete website…) who maintained a very high level of fitness for much longer than virtually all of my non-teammate peers.

College picture as proof that I was in decent shape

Something had to change

Despite my feeling (read: knowing) that I needed to make some changes to my diet and exercise habits, it truthfully did not come for a while. It wasn’t until the winter of 2018 that I started doing anything that resembled running. The real turning point in my motivation came after a group of us at work decided to take part in this “crazy” challenge (dubbed the Frozen Yeti) of running as a team for 30 hours straight… in the WOODS… in FEBRUARY!!! It sounded like imminent death, but at least we would die together.

Testing out my ninja-inspired winter running gear. That’s Dylan in the back. Everyone say “hi” to Dylan.

What made it manageable is that we had a fantastic homebase cabin on the property, it was where we worked (and I lived) and we only had to do ~5 mile loops at a time. We did have to run alone for each loop, and many of those loops were run in the dark in the middle of the night, with snow/ice on the trails. As impressed as I’m sure you are with all of us, we were the only team that was taking part in the event put on by the Trail Animal Running Club (TARC). Every one else was doing this by THEMSELVES…. (insert mind blown emoji here). Side note – if you click the link for TARC’s website I’m actually pictured on the homepage!!! (insert a second mind blown emoji here)

The experience ended up being a bit up and down for me. It was mostly awesome and a total excuse remover for not going for a run ever again, but my knees and conditioning couldn’t hang and I ended up only completing 2/3 of the 5-mile loops I was supposed to do. I was also involved in a highly-debated scenario where I was in hot pursuit of a car in the middle of the night because I got off trail and thought I was following a runner with a headlamp (who was running 30+ mph). I was able to get back on track later, but as all good teammates do… they crucified me after explaining the reason behind my tardiness to the checkpoint.

Ultimately it was the kick in the butt that I needed to get back into shape and return the next time like a phoenix rising from the ashes… (wildly poetic)

Frozen Yeti 2019 Squad (and my daughter Nia in a bear suit)

So now I’m a trail runner?

Following the Frozen Yeti, I felt fully introduced to running the trails at Hale and started regularly going on 4 and 5 mile runs, getting my legs back and enjoying the “speed hikes”. Growing up my family and I hiked in the White Mountains each summer and I had always liked the physical challenge and the incredible views along the way. At some point after college I had forgotten about how enjoyable hiking and being in the woods could be. It wasn’t until around this time that I was reminded of the joys and beauty of being immersed in nature. Trail running was a great way to spend more time in the natural world and start to feel better about my conditioning.

A very self-guided trail race in the Blue Hills with some randos… j/k those are co-workers/pals and my Broham-burgermeister

For years, I had played pickup basketball 2-3 times per week year round, so was in decent shape from that, but running is a different level of conditioning. After graduating college I wanted to continue running but I had consistent knee pains, and had been a sprinter/jumper/hurdler so going for jogs just wasn’t the same. My doctor at the time (note the specific words used…) told me that I should give up on running and switch to a non-impact activity like cycling. I had never had any injury and was in my early to mid 20’s at the time, and immediately realized how unacceptable that response was… on many levels. Fast forward a few years and I was back giving this running thing another go.

To race or not to race

Racing had never been a goal of mine, but the idea of trying new things with running was becoming appealing. A few of us mega-athletes at work decided to try a group lottery to the Falmouth Road Race, and were fortunate enough to get in! I had heard about Falmouth for years, and knew it was a popular race, but as I found out, I had no idea how big it was.

We opted to drive down from Boston the morning of, and come back the same day – which I completely do not recommend. The traffic was horrific in the last few miles getting down there and again afterwards, which left me vowing never to do the race again (very dramatic of me). Because we got there late, and our bus broke down on the way to the starting line, we began in the waaaaaay back of the pack of thousands of runners (11,404 to be exact). To make a long story short, it was a 90 degree day, and I had to zig-zag for virtually all of the 7 miles. For reference they tell you how many people you passed compared to how many passed you and my stats were 3,234 and 103, respectively. It was not very pretty. I was VERY close to passing out after I finished, but I did see Tedy Bruschi so that was cool.

Post Falmouth finish before I almost passed out

After Falmouth I decided it was time for the big leagues. Since I had excelled so much in my first solo race (mild sarcasm) I thought “why not sign up for a half marathon?” I indeed did that and decided to take on the BAA 1/2 marathon in mid-October with zero experience, plan or really anything. I did exactly three training runs to “build-up” for the race, with a 10+ miler the week before (a distance record for me at the time). I felt ok, so knew I was ready…

I actually ended up doing decent for my expectations, and hit my goal of finishing in under 2 hours (I finished in 1:55:41). What felt like a solid accomplishment turned into a very angry IT band that prevented me from running comfortably for about four months. The most humbling experience was a December run in DC that forced me to take a scooter back for 2 miles, freezing the entire way because I was dressed for a run.

A marathoner is born? Not quite…

Never once during my life did I have a desire to run a marathon. It wasn’t on any dream boards, bucket lists, or anything other than firmly planted in a total lack of interest for me. In all my years of running on track teams from middle school through college, the longest I remembered running at one time was 3 miles – and that felt excessive. I don’t remember exactly what prompted it, but in late 2019 I decided (or maybe was asked) to run the marathon as a fundraiser for the organization I had worked.

I have long been a fan of books about/by Navy Seals and at the time had quickly finished “Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins. I’m fairly certain the mindset that I read about so frequently helped me come to the conclusion that I was going to run the marathon specifically because I didn’t want to. It was a bit of a backwards motivation, but also laced with the mentality of a mentor of mine that spoke often about the importance of your children seeing you committed to something and getting after it no matter what. That drive has always resonated with me, and with the blessing of my amazing wife, I was excited to set a lofty public goal and commit to achieving it. As a non-qualifier I had to not only have to train for a marathon (for the first time ever) but also need raise over $8,000 (some organizations require much more). It definitely put my back against the wall, and if you’re interested in that first experience I encourage you to read my post about it.

And now here we are today

It’s taken the completion of 5 marathons (1 being virtual) and almost a year-long running streak to get me to the point were I feel like a runner. Despite my many years of competing in track and field, I never felt like I was a runner – kind of strange, I know…

I know enough wildly talented runners and see minor snapshots of what their training looks like to know that will never be me, or the overwhelming majority of other runners. My aim is to push myself out of my comfort zone each day, each week, each month, each year and do the best I can while also doing the same in my personal and professional lives (life?). I know there are a lot of others like me out there who maybe haven’t taken a leap yet, so just know I’m with you, whenever you are ready.