0-26.2 In 6 Months

Most of my posts are about my children puctuated by the occasional reflection, rant or whine. So today, I would like to honor my husband. Overall, he is a loving, dedicated husband, and an incredible father. He works in the children's ministry at church and also enjoys participating in drama opportunities. He is co-owner of his own business. But right now, I would like to talk about my husband, The Marathon Runner.

In July 2004, Dean declared that he was going to run a marathon with a group of people at our church. When asked why, he said he would just like to be able to say he ran a marathon. They began training in July for a marathon 6 months away. This is pure insanity. Dean had never been a runner. Sure, he was athletic. He enjoyed basketball, tennis, etc. but had never run. Ever. And then he tells me he's going from 0 to 26.2 miles in 6 months. What could I do but support him? Did I neglect to mention that when Dean says he's going to something, he does it? He makes it a personal challenge and will not let himself fail. For instance, 4 1/2 years ago, he decided that he would stop drinking coke (which he loved) and has not had a drop since. I admire that. I am SOOO not like that! Anyway, he ran his first marathon at Disney, January 2005. He finished in 4.48 hrs. (see above photo) Now let me back up to a few weeks before the marathon. He was so dedicated to his training, etc. that I asked him if he enjoyed running. He said no. I was a bit surprised. I wondered how someone can work so hard at something he doesn't like. I asked if he would keep running after the marathon. He said he didn't know, probably not. Now fast forward to the above photo. Everything changed on this day. He had tasted the sweet reward for all his hard work and he was hooked!

Dean continued training. Over time he hooked up with other local runners who were serious about running. He started reading, researching, really learning how to run. He bought a decent pair of shoes. In January 2006 he ran his second marathon, again at Disney. This time he finished at 3:30. Way to go! Then he announced that his new goal was to qualify for the Boston Marathon. He must finish in 3:15 to do this. So, he increased training even more. He decided to run a trail marathon in May 2006. This was only five months later. He began running through the woods near our home, and increasing his strength training. He ran the NipMuck Marathon in the mountains of Connecticut. He ran on single fine paths, sometime skirting the edge of a 10 ft. drop into a creek, running at a slant, on rocks. This was HARD, nothing like the woods in South Carolina. He was disappointed with his time and has determined to return and redeem himself.

In just a few weeks, he will be running his 4th marathon. (The 3rd one this year!) He will be running at the Kiawah Marathon in South Carolina. It is his hope to qualify for the Boston Marathon at that time. If you would like to know more about Dean's quest for the Boston Marathon, check out his blog, Zero to Boston.