Reflections from My First Marathon

Borrowed

"Warren Buffett points out that most people discover too late that “the chains of habits are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” When you begin with a Big Goal in mind, you consciously build the kinds of Big Habits that will serve as key building blocks for your entire career."

From "The Millionaire Real Estate Agent" by Gary Keller, Jay Papasan, Dave Jenks [Book]

Learned

Yesterday, I completed my first marathon—St. Luke's D&L RaceFest. It started in Allentown and ran up the Lehigh River to Easton, PA. Even now, over 24 hours later, the experience feels surreal. I came away with a 3:40 finish, 10 minutes shy of my 3:30 goal, but I’ll take it!

After a long road of training, I felt prepared at the starting line, but the race itself brought challenges that tested me in ways I hadn’t anticipated. Here are some lessons I'm taking away from the experience.

Before we dive in, I have to say a huge thank you to my wife, Dana. I do my best to keep training for these events as least disruptive as possible, but it goes without saying that it’s not always possible. Dana has been incredibly supportive and flexible through it all—down to race day. My son Mylo, too. Little man is a trooper!

Lesson 1: Have a plan, but stay flexible

I planned to start slow, build up gradually, and aim for a negative split—a pacing strategy where the first half is run slower than the second, saving energy for a strong finish. Everyone warned me not to go out too fast. But still, I got caught up in the moment. Not to mention—all the other runners seemed to be going at top speed.

I slowed down as close to my intended pace as I could, watching runner after runner pass me by. I told myself to stick with the plan, but I ended the first few miles at an 8:00/mi pace. At that point, I realized I had to adapt. My plan shifted to holding 8:00/mi for as long as possible. And that’s what I did until around miles 21/22, when my legs grew heavy.

Starting with a structured plan made me feel prepared and confident, but flexibility allowed me to keep moving forward. A good reminder that in all aspects of life, plans are essential, but knowing when and how to recalibrate is just as valuable. Early in my career, I had a vision of how I thought things should go, but when faced with new challenges and opportunities, I learned a similar lesson. It’s not about following a path perfectly—it’s adapting to stay on track toward the goal.

Lesson 2: Don't stop... believing

Hydration ended up being my biggest oversight. I’d trained with gels and only brought hydration on my last long run. However, in the days before the marathon, I did a cycle of carb-loading. This gave me plenty of fuel for the race but also meant that I needed to be better hydrated to digest, and crushing gels wasn’t as necessary.

By mile 5, I was dealing with severe cramps—the kind that makes you want to lie down, knees to chest. Dixie cups of Gatorade at the periodic aid stations kept me going, but the real savior was the bottle of electrolytes Dana tossed me at mile 22. Originally planned for mile 20, but the course planning was sadly mislabeled!

This was probably the biggest test of the whole event, and it happened way earlier than planned. Every step became a mental push to make it to the next mile marker. I kept going back to this visual of me crossing the finish line and telling myself there was no world in which I gave up. That carried me through. It’s amazing how powerful self-belief is when things go sideways.

To give you a sense of how dehydrated I was, I ended up in the medical tent after the race. When the physical therapist couldn’t ease up my leg cramping, they decided to give me an IV. That did the trick.

Lesson 3: Support systems can lift you up, but motivation has to come from within

I can’t put into words how much it meant to see Dana and Mylo, cheering me on—unaware of the pain I’d been feeling. Every time I saw them, it was like I’d been handed an extra boost—suddenly I’d be running at a 7:15-7:25/mile pace. The few times I saw them gave me a renewed sense of purpose and drive. There are plenty of moments where you’re wondering why you’re even out there.

And when I crossed the finish line to see them with my parents and friends, Sam and Joe, I felt that push one last time. A strong support system can lift you up when it matters most, but the motivation to put in the work and endure has to come from within.

Running a marathon is a deeply personal challenge; it’s something done more for inner satisfaction than for any external recognition. I’ve found that most people don’t even know the exact distance of a marathon (26.2 miles)! It’s not like watching a football game or concert. With that, I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who came out to see me. It still feels strange inviting people to watch me in events like this, but I can’t deny that the support means the world.

Lesson 4: Set big goals— you don’t know what’s possible until you try

I went into the marathon with a goal and strategy for a 3:30 finish—ambitious for a first marathon, but based on my training, not totally out of reach. A lot of people told me just to enjoy and focus on finishing. To me, those things were a given; setting that goal gave me something concrete to push toward in the race. When things got tough, having that goal kept me giving my all.

I may have missed the mark, but pushing toward it brought out my best effort, and falling short by 10 minutes still felt like a win. I’ve found that big goals expand what feels achievable through the pursuit itself. This experience reinforced for me that striving for something ambitious can lead to unexpected growth.

Lesson 5: Don’t change what’s working

When the stakes are high, there’s always this temptation to do something new. For instance, the morning of the race was cold and dry. Despite training in similar conditions, I almost wore a full-length pair of tights I’d never run long distances in. Ultimately, I decided to stick with the setup I’d used in training. Plenty warm and no chafing!

This reminded me of my transition into the CEO role this summer. With new responsibilities, it felt like there was an expectation to start doing things differently. But then I realized that I got here for a reason, and while there’s room to evolve, there’s no need to force change for the sake of change.

It’s a lesson that keeps me grounded and focused. I kept telling myself the marathon was just another long run. I even continued the audiobook I’d been listening to during training. The goal was not to downplay the big day but to perform.

Lesson 6: Know when to take it easy

Nine days out from the race, I came down with a cold and had to skip my final long run—a planned 20-miler—it would be my longest run to date. It was tough not to get that last push. I’d been looking forward to it, but I knew rest was the smarter choice, and pushing too hard could take me away from the big goal—the marathon.

By race day, my body felt refreshed, and the decision to take it easy turned out to be the right one. It felt so good passing that Mile 20 marker in the race. There’s something special about the end of a marathon when you realize that every mile marker is the longest you’ve ever run.

Sometimes pulling back is what allows the real effort to shine through when it’s needed most. In training and life, knowing when to pause and recover can be what keeps up momentum.  

Lesson 7: Learn from others, but run your own race

While in training mode, I spent a lot of time devouring as much as I could about running, marathons, and everything in between. I learned so much in the process, but it was just as important to filter out what truly applied to me and form my own perspective on what felt right. There’s a fine line between using others’ experiences as preparation and letting them get in your head. I remember reading how many runners hit mile 20 and fall apart, and I kept thinking, “Will I crumble, too, no matter what?” I did what I could to plan for it, and fortunately, I was able to push through with enough strength to keep going.

This is a lesson I keep learning and re-learning. Reading and learning from others has been invaluable, but it’s all about taking what resonates and applying it in a way that fits my path. What worked or didn’t work for someone else doesn’t automatically determine my outcome. It’s about striking the balance—absorbing insights from others without letting them overshadow my instincts.

All in all

In the last several years, I’ve taken on other fitness challenges and learned similar lessons. But working toward each challenge brings new depth to these themes, forcing them back into focus. The marathon deepened my understanding of resilience, adaptability, and self-motivation in ways I didn’t expect.

Writing these reflections helps the lessons sink in, allowing me to spend more time with what I’ve learned. Like most big goals, the moment of achievement is fleeting, and taking the time to document it makes it feel more lasting. And, like those I learned from, it’s rewarding to think that sharing my experience might help someone else on their journey.

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Thought

What's a big goal that could supercharge my growth?