Did It Break Me?

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August 7, 2025

Running has been a bit of a struggle for me this summer. My longest run was seven miles. I most frequently run only three to four miles. A five-mile run (which I did this morning) is a long run for me these days.

My last big race, the Walt Disney World Marathon, (in January of this year) came as the last leg of the Dopey Challenge, a series of four races, each a bit longer than the one previous, over four days. (A 5k, followed by a 10k, followed by a half-marathon, followed by the full marathon – 48.6 miles in total.)

That marathon, the 27th of my “career,” was the last marathon I’ll ever run.

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16 Weeks Until The NYC Marathon, But…

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July 13, 2025

***

Well, this is a strange and unique feeling for me.  The NYC marathon is 16 weeks away and today would be the start of my marathon training season.

But I’m not training for marathons any longer.  

My most recent marathon last January was my last marathon.  

As I completed the Dopey Challenge in Walt Disney World in January, I determined that my marathon days were over.  My reasons for retiring from marathoning are legion.  I’ll touch on some of them below, but I have written a lot about that on these pages before.

The following are some of my scattered thoughts as I break away from the 16-week training period for the NYC – a ritual I followed for the better part of a quarter-century:

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But The Best Part…

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I got the start today for our baseball team.

I went the first five innings and earned the win. We won 7-4.

I never thought, at 56-years-old, I’d still be playing baseball, and pitching no less.

I am on a wonderful team comprised of the greatest group of men you could imagine. I look forward to every game.

Every game is a joy. Every inning. Every single pitch. It is all wonderful. I’m living a dream.

And dreams are good.

But the best part of it all isn’t a dream.

The best part is that I get to play baseball on the same team alongside my son.

There is nothing better than that.

My Favorite Western Movies (So Far)

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I have always had a soft spot in my heart for watching a good Western.

Over the last few years, I’ve been watching some of the classic westerns, catching up on movies I have always wanted to see, but never had the time.

By no means am I an expert on ranking movies, but I figured I share the titles of the most enjoyable westerns that I have viewed (to date).

I didn’t rank these films, rather, it’s simply an alphabetical list of the Westerns I have enjoyed.

  • Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  • A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
  • For A Few Dollars More (1965)
  • The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
  • The Gunfighter (1950)
  • Hang ‘Em High (1968)
  • High Noon (1952)
  • Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
  • The Lone Ranger (1956)
  • The Magnificent Seven (1960)
  • Man of the West (1958)
  • Once Upon A Time in the West (1968)
  • Open Range (2003)
  • Pale Rider (1985)
  • Stagecoach (1939)
  • Tombstone (1993)
  • True Grit (1969)
  • True Grit (2010)

Years ago, I remember watching and enjoying Dances With Wolves, Gunfight at the OK Corral, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Shane, Young Guns, Silverado, and a made-for-HBO western titled Draw. I remember enjoying each of those films, but, since I haven’t seen any of them in decades, I didn’t include them in the list.

YOU CAN DO MORE!

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Last January, I completed the Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World, 48.6 miles of races over four days ending with the WDW Marathon. It was awesome!

After the race, I continued running, but I also couldn’t ignore discomfort that became very real pain in my left Achilles tendon. (I had surgery on my right Achilles in 2020.) I visited my doctor who shut me down from running and began a rehab program to heal the pain (a small tear) in my Achilles. I stopped running in mid-to-late March. I didn’t run at all in April. And, until today, May 24, I hadn’t run in May.

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Do You Believe?

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The following is the sermon I delivered at Grace United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 23, 2025. In addition to reading this article, you can also view the sermon (and the entire church service) HERE.

***

Do You Believe? I Don’t Think They Did

***

I’ll begin today by asking a few deep questions that seem simple at first, but, in fact, aren’t necessarily so straightforward nor easy.

  • What do you believe in? 
  • Do you believe in God?
  • Do you believe in Jesus, the Messiah?
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Life After 26.2

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As I got clobbered on the hills of Pittsburgh on the second half of the marathon in May 2023, I swore that that was my last marathon.  I was miserable.  I struggled.  There is a certain hell that one goes through in the upper miles of a marathon.  In that race, my 24th marathon, I’d had it. 

I quit marathoning more than a thousand times over the final miles on the unforgiving hills of Pittsburgh.

Only… 

I didn’t quit.

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I Didn’t Say I Was Done…

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After running the Dopey Challenge, I retired from running marathons. I ran 27 marathons in all. And it was wonderful!

One day, hopefully soon, I’ll share some of the great positive feedback I received from friends, family, “fans,” and others on my decision to retire from the 26.2 distance. The support, the insights, the perspectives they all shared were amazing.

But, for now, I would like to make it clear that while I won’t be running marathons any longer, I will still be running.

I didn’t say I was done. I’m not done. No way. Not nearly.

At 5:00 a.m. (one must be quick to register for one of the biggest 5-mile races in the USA) on Sunday, I registered for the Spring Lake 5, my favorite non-marathon race, which takes place on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

I’ll be running this race with two of my sons and one of my daughters-in-law. It’ll be great. I’ve been running this race since the early 1990s.

I love the Spring Lake 5. For a shorter race, it feels like a marathon. The township comes out to support the runners. There’s great music, and tons of happiness and joy. This race also has the best post-race food ever. I love the fact that they give away Jersey Mike’s subs to all finishers.

So, while my marathon days are over, my running days are most certainly not!

My Final Marathon

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The decision was one that had been coming for a long time, years, in fact.  

I knew that being a marathoner wasn’t going to last forever.  It had to end sometime.  I also wanted it to end on my terms and in a special way, a great way.  

And, although it feels a little strange to finally be at this point, I know it was (and is) the right decision.  

It had to end sometime.  

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