Even though I don’t run marathons any longer, this morning I gave back to the people, the race, and the city I love my serving as the co-chaplain at the religious service tent. It was a glorious day for the runners.
Here is the sermon I delivered at all of the services:
Continue reading “My NYC Marathon Sermon 2025”
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.
Continue reading “Did It Break Me?”
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.
Continue reading “Life After 26.2”
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.
Continue reading “My Final Marathon”
I am among the first generation of Sesame Street kids. I grew up (in a sense) with (and even on) Sesame Street. Ernie, Bert, Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Kermit the Frog, Bob, Maria, Mr. Hooper, and the others were all a big part of my childhood. I felt like Sesame Street was part of my suburban neighborhood in northern New Jersey. The characters were my friends, even if I didn’t know them personally.
I learned a lot by watching Sesame Street. While I credit the wonderful picture book Crash, Bang, Boom for teaching me first how to read, I did learn a lot about the alphabet and numbers, and so much more, from the people, the monsters, and the other characters on Sesame Street.
Continue reading “Getting To (and Giving To) Sesame Street”
I Love running.
I run, a lot.
I have been running for decades.
I have completed 25 marathons. This fall I’ll be running the New York City Marathon (for the 11th time) and then, in January, I’ll do the Dopey Challenge at Disney World.
Tomorrow, I turn 56-years-old.
I still play baseball as a pitcher. I exercise every single day, usually twice a day. This (of course) includes a lot of running.
I run, a lot.
Continue reading “28,433 (When Is Enough… Enough?)”
I’m running every single day this year. Every single day. Today was Day 223.
Continue reading “For 223, I did 12.0…”
The first HUGE step is over.
Today I hit my 100th consecutive day of running.
I set out this year to run every single day.
And I am doing it!
Continue reading “100 Consecutive Days Running!!!”
I always feel the need to preface these posts with, “I wasn’t fast.”
And, it wasn’t fast, but today I ran great and good and far and wonderfully.
With my oldest son, and his wonderful wife, we set out from our beach house to do one of my favorite long runs – to the Point Pleasant Inlet and back – a solid 16(+) miler.
This is one of my favorite long runs. When I can do this run, I know I am (just about) marathon ready.
Continue reading “SWEET 15.85 (Not Quite 16)”
The 2021 NYC Marathon is 17 weeks, plus one day away.
This week, two weeks before my real “training” begins (aren’t we, as runners, always in training?), I took a GIANT leap forward.
Continue reading “30-Mile Week”
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