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Posted On: January 22nd 2025, 05:18 pm
This post is for anybody who’s struggling with their goals right now (long read)
This past weekend, I ran the fastest marathon I’ve ever run in my life, finishing in 2:46:11. An unimaginable time for myself. This is probably the biggest athletic feat I’ve ever accomplished thus far and it’s really cool to have done so, while nearing 30 years old.
This didn’t just happen overnight. I wasn’t always focused on running. In fact, I spent most of my teenage / low 20s years walking around ~175lbs, hoping I’d qualify for the CrossFit games one day.
During this journey, I ran the 2018 NYC Marathon with a friend’s bib and clocked in 3:22, with no training. I went apeshit thinking that I qualified for the Boston Marathon in my first attempt. I went to Rubirosa for dinner with family to celebrate after, only to have the hype crushed while we researched what the correct BQ times were. From that moment, I knew I was going to take on marathon training.
It’s never been easy. I spent the first few years of training like a distance runner, running everything at ~9-11min/mile pace. I figured there was no chance I could ever pick up the pace.
It ended up taking me 3+ years to finally run a sub-3 hour marathon in Chicago.
My point, in all of this, is to stick to the plan. If you really want something to go how you’ve always dreamt of it, you’ve gotta become a little fuckin obsessed by it (see @zachpogrob for more on this).
Nobody ever succeeded in something by half-assing it.
So if you feel like you’re plateauing or not hopeful with where you’re at, just remind yourself that it’s all a ladder.
Keep getting the fuck outside, run your slow paces, run your hard paces and be disappointed by them afterwards. Tell yourself some crazy shit to get hyped.
It doesn’t just have to be about running. It’ll all add up into something bigger than you could ever imagine if you make it a priority.
You might lose friends, you’ll probably make even better ones. But it’ll all be worth it when you take a step back in the future and see what you’ve created for yourself.
This past weekend, I ran the fastest marathon I’ve ever run in my life, finishing in 2:46:11. An unimaginable time for myself. This is probably the biggest athletic feat I’ve ever accomplished thus far and it’s really cool to have done so, while nearing 30 years old.
This didn’t just happen overnight. I wasn’t always focused on running. In fact, I spent most of my teenage / low 20s years walking around ~175lbs, hoping I’d qualify for the CrossFit games one day.
During this journey, I ran the 2018 NYC Marathon with a friend’s bib and clocked in 3:22, with no training. I went apeshit thinking that I qualified for the Boston Marathon in my first attempt. I went to Rubirosa for dinner with family to celebrate after, only to have the hype crushed while we researched what the correct BQ times were. From that moment, I knew I was going to take on marathon training.
It’s never been easy. I spent the first few years of training like a distance runner, running everything at ~9-11min/mile pace. I figured there was no chance I could ever pick up the pace.
It ended up taking me 3+ years to finally run a sub-3 hour marathon in Chicago.
My point, in all of this, is to stick to the plan. If you really want something to go how you’ve always dreamt of it, you’ve gotta become a little fuckin obsessed by it (see @zachpogrob for more on this).
Nobody ever succeeded in something by half-assing it.
So if you feel like you’re plateauing or not hopeful with where you’re at, just remind yourself that it’s all a ladder.
Keep getting the fuck outside, run your slow paces, run your hard paces and be disappointed by them afterwards. Tell yourself some crazy shit to get hyped.
It doesn’t just have to be about running. It’ll all add up into something bigger than you could ever imagine if you make it a priority.
You might lose friends, you’ll probably make even better ones. But it’ll all be worth it when you take a step back in the future and see what you’ve created for yourself.
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