The Z-Train - The First Post

Welcome to the Z-Train! A little bit about myself...

I ran my first marathon 3 years ago this month. I almost died. Well I didn’t really almost die, but I thought I was going to. Let me back up. On what was pretty much a whim, myself and a good buddy of mine signed up to run the Miami Beach Marathon in 2007. We registered through the AIDS Marathon Training Program -- a charity running organization that raises money for AIDS research, and in return trains non-athletes like myself to complete a marathon. Simple enough right?

The entire mantra of the program is to gain endurance through a combination of running and walking. This was a fine idea in my mind. Spend the next six months running for 5 minutes and walking for 1, all while taking in the great landmarks of Washington DC. I had it all figured out, I might even qualify for Boston…(that was never a possibility.)

Then race day comes around. And all of the great Run/Walk training I had received, I threw right out the window at 6:00 AM that morning. I didn’t need any of this wussy walking stuff, I was going to run the whole damn thing. I was going to show Miami who was boss! This couldn’t have been a worse decision. At about mile 19, I couldn’t run another inch. I think I averaged about a 13 minute mile pace for the last seven miles. I finished in a time of 5:19:16, just happy to be alive.

After my humbling experience in Miami, I vowed I would never run another marathon. That didn’t last long. That spring I ran the 2007 Frederick Marathon, and since then, I have completed seven marathons to date. I don’t plan on slowing down. In fact, my goal is to run a marathon in all 50 U.S. states including the District of Columbia. I now work for a similar charity running program, trying to help individuals avoid the same pain I experienced. So I live and breathe running 24/7 and I love every second of it.

My goal is to run as much, and in as many races as possible. I love Washington DC, and the surrounding area. Whether it is a 10K or 10 Miler, Georgetown or Georgia Ave, you’ll likely see the Z-Train making a stopover. Track my progress, post a comment, but most importantly jump on board. It’s going to be a flat, hilly, bumpy, smooth, rocky, paved, port-o-pottied filled ride, and it’s going to be awesome. The Z-Train, is now boarding…