I worked for 7 years to break 3 hours in the marathon

I turned 50 years old this year and on Oct 2nd, 2021, I competed in the St. George Marathon, finishing in 2 hours, 52 minutes and 54 seconds, averaging a 6:36 mile pace and, in doing so, getting a 7 year monkey off my back.

The goal to break 3 hours in a marathon is a common pursuit among running enthusiasts but it may have seemed like folly to those that knew me years ago when I was 60 lbs heavier.

Pictures of me in the early 2000's

St. George Marathon, Oct 2nd 2021

In my younger adult years, I enjoyed playing basketball, tennis and table tennis. But as work and home life with 4 children became more demanding, coordinating to play team sports became increasingly difficult while eating comfort foods became increasingly easy! It was a common practice for me to run to Wendy’s for a late night Spicy Chicken sandwich to satisfy a craving.

In the mid 2000’s, I decided enough was enough and began to run to lose weight and get healthy. I remember that first run, running around the block feeling terrible with every step. But I kept it up and eventually developed some stamina and began to enjoy it. I made a running buddy and together we decided to sign up for a half marathon.

I was a true running greenie, discovering the woes of bloody nipples and dehydration alongside the joys of milestones such as the first 10 mile training run! I ran my first marathon in 2010 in 3 hours 57 minutes and it was so painful that I vowed not to do another one. But as many marathoners will attest to, I was ready to learn from my mistakes and hop back on the train the very next day. I qualified for the Boston Marathon 3 years later and since then, have been training to try to break the 3 hour barrier but failing each time. This goal seemed less and less attainable with each passing year as I was not getting any younger but in 2021, I was able to put it all together.

Here is a list of the top 10 things that allowed me to finally accomplish this goal!

1. Partnership—My darling wife and life partner, Julia, has been my number one supporter throughout the years. She has a BS in Exercise and Wellness and has helped me understand not only how to eat healthy but understand the science of food. She has helped me countless times driving me to training locations and coming to pick me up after a failed training run. And she is a runner herself and it’s been a joy to be able to run together.
2. Consistency — The covid-19 global pandemic has been truly awful for so many and all of us have been affected. However, one silver lining for me has been that my busy work-related travel schedule ceased and I was able to stay home and put in consistent training miles. I have averaged about 50–55 miles a week during the pandemic getting to 75 miles during peak training weeks. Before the pandemic, I would be lucky to find time to get to 50 miles.
3. Team—Earlier this year, I started doing hard speed workouts with a local running group. They are fast and young and I am slower and older, but they are kind to let me join in and the weekly group workouts along with the camaraderie is a huge motivator.
4. Knowledge — I have spent many, many hours watching YouTube videos of professional runners and their coaches doing workouts and explaining what they are doing. Through this self-paced education, I have learned about physiology, strength training, workout types, workout purpose, running form, running psychology, and more. If there was a YouTube degree for running, I would have earned it.
5. Strength — I am privileged to live in Provo, Utah which has incredible access to both paved running trails as well as mountain dirt trails for running. The combination of running on both the road and trail as well as doing long, steep trail runs has helped me develop significant core strength. I was able to run two 50-mile trail races this year which psychologically makes the marathon seem not so formidable.
6. Sleep — This past year, I have committed to go to bed early and get enough sleep. This has benefited my life way more than just running, it has helped me with work and just to be happier and more energetic all around.
7. Strava—Strava is social media for runners and bikers. It’s been a wonderful platform to cheer others on and to be cheered on. It’s inspiring to see others get their workouts in and to learn from them. And, I’ll admit, it’s motivating to post accomplishments for others to see (or give “kudos” in Strava speak).
8. Super shoes — A few years ago, Nike unveiled new shoes with a carbon fiber plate embedded in the foam that optimized energy return when running. These were controversial at the time because one study showed that they gave a 4% advantage to athletes using the shoes. Soon enough, however, all major brands have their own versions of such shoes now dubbed, “super shoes”. These shoes do indeed make you run faster, but in my opinion, the larger benefit is that they help you recover faster by mitigating the pounding that occurs from hard workouts.
9. Experience —Learn from your mistakes as failure is the greatest teacher. Boy, ain’t that the truth?! I have failed in so many marathons, bonking, hitting the wall, being unprepared, cramping, etc etc that each experience has been a great teacher.
10. Positive attitude — The greatest marathoner of all time, Eliud Kipchoge, is known to start smiling towards the end of marathons when things get hard and the pain is the greatest. There is a great lesson in this. When things got hard for me, I was in the habit of feeling sorry for myself and exerting unnecessary energy catering to a spiral of negative emotion. In the past few years, I have determined to stay positive, to realize that no matter how hard things get, I am so blessed to be running, outdoors, in beautiful surroundings with so many friends and supporters. This positive outlook has helped me to stay relaxed leading up to a race and during a race.

My son asked me this morning if I think I could run even faster in a full marathon. Maybe, but with the 3 hour barrier finally broken, I have already set my sights to my next goal, conquering the 100 mile distance! Here we go!