The Reason

My wife Tammy and I.

Hi. My name is Colby, and I hate running.

I run maybe twice a week because it’s healthy.  Usually 3-4 miles each run, just enough to keep my heart healthy(ish).  I lift weights.  I like weights.  Weights like me.  But I hate running.

On the other hand, my wife, Tammy, loves running. The first thing she did after getting three positive pregnancy tests in a row was to start googling running strollers for the baby.  She got one from her mom and is ecstatic about it.  It may have replaced me as her single greatest prized possession.

I think I watched the Boston Marathon bombings with the same feeling of horror and sadness that others did. My heart hurt for the suffering that was forced upon so many people by that act.  Add that to the Sandy Hook shootings, the Aurora shootings, and all the other sad things that happen, and it made me painfully aware that life can be so very fragile and precious.

So, enter my running.  I don’t know how to show my support for people that have gone through these and other horrible things.  But I wanted to do something.  And I wanted it to be something hard, so that I could stand with all you people that have lost limbs or loved ones, and let you know that there are a lot of us out here cheering for you and willing to walk beside you in your journey.

I am going to try and qualify for the 2014 Boston Marathon.  I need to run a 7 minute mile for 26.2 miles to do that.  Right now I can run 1 mile in 7:45 and I’m gassed.  I have until mid-September to bring my times down.  I have never run a marathon before, and there is no guarantee I will qualify for Boston—I will need to avoid injury, train hard, and have a lot of luck on my side.  But I’m all in on the effort part.

My name is Colby.  I love working out.  I have always and will always hate running.  Now, see me run.