1/2 Marathon

Have you ever reset your car's odometer and really watched to see how long 13 miles is? Whether you're driving, walking or running:  69,168 feet is a long way to go.

I had the awesome pleasure of completing my first 1/2 Marathon on October 15 in Baltimore, Maryland. What made this race so special was not just the race itself, but what I was running for.

Let me be very clear: I HATED running. Always had. "I'm a basketball player, not a runner" is a phrase I would use often. To me, running was punishment. Unfortunately I haven't been able to play basketball in recent years because of my schedule and the liability of injuries.

For lack of anything else to do, I began to run. One week into my running one of my best friends invited me to compete in the Baltimore Running Festival's Half Marathon with her family to help raise awareness and funds for brain cancer (her brother was about to undergo his second surgery to remove a brain tumor). This was a terrific opportunity to make a training plan, set specific and measureable goals, get into shape, run for a cause and support people I really care about.

I learned one thing very quickly in my training: the mind is stronger than the body. There were days I didn't want to run; there were days that it hurt to run; there were days that I had to adjust my entire days' schedule so I could run; but I was running for a cause and a higher purpose with a clear goal/deadline in sight. Whenever I was sore or pushing myself through a tough run one thing went through my mind....there is no way in hell this is anywhere near as hard as fighting brain cancer. My yellow Livestrong bracelet symbolized the fight that millions of people engage in everyday.

RACE DAY. 

Running this 1/2 marathon was a completely different experience for me. Unlike a basketball season, which has 20+ games, you have 1 race. This was my thought at the starting line: "I hope the last 2.5 months of training prepared me for this....I hope I took the right amount of rest this week...I hope my pre-race nutrition was adequate...I hope my body holds up". 10 weeks of preparation would determine success or failure of the next 2.5 hours.

Happy to say, the Race was a success. I finished in 2 hours and 16 minutes, for an average pace of 10:26/mile- good enough to finish in the middle of the pack of 11,000 runners. The feeling of accomplishment was fantastic!

Even better than finishing the race was running with my wife Christine and our best friends and their family to show our support and fight against cancer while also achieving an individual milestone.