On the Road to My First Marathon

Borrowed

“Most people are afraid to commit fully to the 10x process because it inevitably requires letting go of your current identity, circumstances, and comfort zone. ... Going 10x means you’re living based on the most intrinsic and exciting future you can imagine. That 10x future becomes your filter for everything you do, and most of your current life can’t make it through that 10x filter. … What got you here won’t get you there. To quote the actor Leonardo DiCaprio, ‘Every next level of your life will require a different you.’”

From 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy [Book]

Learned

I remember dreading the annual 1-mile run test in gym class. Maybe deep down it was because I wasn’t fast or “athletic,” but whatever it was, I always looked forward to it being over.

And yet here I am, years later, training for my first marathon in November. My 10-year-old self had no idea what was in store.

While my weekly workouts have included weekly runs all summer now, my marathon training officially kicked off this past week with a 6-mile interval run on Tuesday and a 10-mile easy pace run on Saturday. From here, I’ll be adding 2-4 miles each week. Plenty of miles ahead, but I’m looking forward to the process.

My First 10K

Thinking back, there was one moment in early 2018 when I thought running might be for me. Dana signed up for the NYCRUNS Prospect Park 5K with a friend. Around that time, I decided to join a friend for a run on a whim. I ended up running 6 miles.

I surprised myself—it was the longest I’d ever run and the first time running in a long time. In hindsight, not a great idea because despite my excitement, I could barely walk when I got home. My research told me I needed stronger hamstrings—and better shoes. I couldn’t fix my hamstrings overnight, so I got new shoes and signed up for the 10K version of the race Dana was running.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 57:58. I had no PR to beat and no context for what was decent for someone like me, so I was happy—except that getting down the subway stairs the next day was brutal. Shin splint central. My legs were toast.

Turns out, new shoes don’t work like magic.

I remember running with Dana for the next few months, but my interest faded. About a month after the 10K, I joined Park Slope CrossFit, and soon after, their barbell club. And thus, my real interest in fitness begun. I was 28. If finishing a 10K in April 2018 was a surprise, getting on stage to compete in powerlifting in September 2019 was an out-of-body experience.

Returning to Running

For the next several years, I only ran as part of conditioning workouts. Running (for more than a few minutes at a time) came back into my life late last year when I started working with a coach and eventually training for HYROX (recap).

At first, willpower got me through the runs. I was getting up early in the darkness of winter mornings, running on my desk treadmill (I use to get steps in during the day). But I kept showing up.

And slowly, I started looking forward to these sessions. There’s a simplicity to running I hadn’t appreciated before. Each run felt like both a challenge and a meditation. You stay focused on the goal, but somewhere along the way, you get lost in thought and come out different on the other side.

Soon enough, I was finishing 10Ks before work, feeling energized (and still able to walk). Eventually, I stepped off the treadmill and ran outside in nature. Game-changer.

Since HYROX, I’ve been strength training five days a week and running once a week on Saturdays, usually covering 6-8 miles. Running just kept feeling better and better.

Going Further

About a month ago, I went out for my usual Saturday run. I was supposed to cover 10K, but somewhere along the way, my Apple Watch paused, and I lost track of how far I’d gone. Not wanting to fall short, I resumed and finished the workout. Turns out, I ran 7.7 miles (~12K). Driving home, I thought, “What if I kept running? How far could I go?”

The next weekend, I returned to the same spot and ran a half marathon (13.1 miles).

It was misty and humid, but nothing was going to stop me. I wasn’t trying to set any records—just get in a comfortable pace and see what I could do. I finished in ~1 hour and 55 minutes.

Naturally, the idea to run a marathon came next.

At the time, I was finishing Rich Roll’s memoir Finding Ultra on audiobook. I’ve come to enjoy listening to audiobooks when I run, especially ones about enduance. Roll’s story—from struggling with alcohol to becoming an ultra-endurance athlete at 41 while balancing life as a dad and entrepreneur—was incredibly inspiring. It shows us that with discipline and focus, you can achieve more than you ever thought possible while completely transforming yourself and your trajectory.

Despite fitness becoming a major part of my life over the past few years, I sometimes feel like an imposter. A friend’s boyfriend recently referred to me as an “athletic guy” in conversation, which struck me. It’s hard to shake the old belief that “athletic” isn’t me, but each new challenge gets me closer to accepting this label.

The Next Challenge

And that’s where I find myself now—going after the next challenge.

Last weekend, I beat my 10K PR by 2 minutes, clocking in at 47:59. 10 minutes less than when I crossed the finish line in Prospect Park, Brooklyn six years ago.

But this isn’t just about beating PRs. These experiences—whether it’s powerlifting, HYROX, running, or any other challenge—remind me of the power of showing up, putting in the work, and enduring the inevitable discomfort along the way. It’s a lesson I carry into everything, whether it’s life, business, relationships, and so on.

No matter the goal—consistency and patience lead to growth.

I haven’t set an official marathon time goal yet, but I’m excited to see where I am in a few weeks. With travel and life events coming up, it’ll be harder to squeeze in long runs, but that's what I thrive on—the challenge, discipline, and how every experience pushes me to aim higher.

In the long term, my goal is simply to stay healthy and fit for myself and my family. For now, I want to keep pushing boundaries while also keeping an eye on the bigger picture—building a lifestyle that keeps me active.

I’m not sure what role running will play in my life in the future, but for now, I’m enjoying going after the goal.

Thought

What’s a challenge I could pursue that would push me beyond my current limits?

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Recent Reads

Some favorite books from past running sessions:

• Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins
• Endure: How to Work Hard, Outlast, and Keep Hammering by Cameron Hanes
• Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness by Steve Magness
• Born to Run by Christoper McDougall
• Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself by Rich Roll