SJWGator

After all the early Saturday mornings to "beat the heat" and "get this long run overwith", my wife finally achieved a feat she will never, ever do again . . . run a marathon. And I finally got what's been plaguing me since I've met my wife . . . run the Chicago Marathon . Injuries, lack of funds, and just all around laziness have prevented me from running the Chicago Marathon, and finally I got to experience the thrill of running my 3rd marathon. Angela encountered her first marathon here, and was both nervous and excited before the run. She did quite well for her first time, 5 hours 28 minutes. And I accomplished my goal to beat my 2003 Marine Corps Marathon time, coming in at 4 hours 34 minutes. Nothing could please me more than to see Angela running a marathon for the first time. We are both quite sore, but not in spirit. I still think Angela will go for another one (even though it's probably years and years away) because I really think she en

This coming weekend, I will run my 3rd marathon, The Chicago Marathon . I have been running ever since I realized I was 70 lbs overweight and my younger brother, Chris, encouraged me to try some running for exercise. Boy, was it a shock to my body, but how different I feel about it now. It's been 7 years since I started running, and I have to say it is one of the best things that's happened to me. I'm not sure I'll continue marathoning after this run, but I will definitely keep the running trend going. I'll keep doing runs like the Army 10-Miler (picture to the left) and the Cherry Blossom , but I think the 26.2 miles along with 4.5 months of training is taking a toll on my 30-year-old body. The Army 10-Miler was just a quick warmup to the "nice little jog in downtown Chicago" I have this Sunday. And you always go into your marathon with a goal. The Paris Marathon, my goal was to finish. The Marine Corps Marathon, my goal was to run for a fallen

Over the weekend, my wife and I volunteered to watch my nephew. By no means do Angela and I have kids, but we (or at least Angela) got to be parents for a weekend. My beautiful, wonderful wife was kind enough to let me run my full 20 miles in preparation for the Chicago Marathon . Whew! Watching William or running 20 miles??? That was a tough decision! Of course, I would have preferred to watch William. I had the privilege of joining my wife after a long day of William-sitting (long after he went to bed too), and found her slumped on the couch, ready to throw in the towel. I spent the night and actually got to spend the day with William. I love the little guy, but I got to see first-hand what it's going to be like to be a parent. I am thrilled, but at the same time quite nervous about being a father. Granted, it will be quite some time before we have kids, and I am sure I will be ready. William was a handful, but he was also a joy to be around. The innocence of childre