Running Towards Fitness

Personal Awareness
The ancient Greeks used to believe that a healthy mind and a healthy body not only went together, but were both critical for happiness and a successful life. They were also intertwined, meaning that a weakness in either area would affect the other. When I started this transformation I was overweight and full of excuses. And by overweight I don't mean just a few pounds - I weighed over 70 pounds more than I do now. I finally took my life into my own hands and started exercising. At the time, I had no idea where it would lead - to a stronger body, a happier, more nimble mind, and a chest full of race medals. Healthy mind, healthy body, indeed! It hasn't been easy, or without issues, but I wouldn't trade the experience for the world.

NYC Synopsis

Well, I had previously said that my low-end goal was “at least a sub four.” Anything slower than that would be a dissapointment. Turns out that I was wrong. Today was a pretty brutal day, with decent heat, high humidity and what was (to me) a very rough course with lots of hills. But you know what? While I think I could have done better for various reasons (stay tuned), I’m happy with my 4:01. Would I have liked to go faster? Sure, but in the end I had a really great time. And that’s the whole idea. More to come.

Popularity: 4%

About

I'm Richard Stanford, a fit, happy runner. Of course, that wasn't always the case. Dip into the archives to follow my progress from couch potato to sub-four hour marathoner.

I also like to cook, write, code, and play with power tools...

Personal Records

DistanceRaceTimePace
Marathon2006 Freescale3:54:078:56
20 Miles2006 RunTex3:00:089:00
30K2005 RunTex2:42:448:45
Half M2006 3M1:42:577:51
20K2005 Decker1:40:428:06
10 Miles2005 Pervasive1:20:138:01
10K2005 Dublin Dr Pepper48:437:51
5 Miles2005 Turkey Trot37:017:24
5K2005 Margarita Run22:327:15
4K2006 Fila Relays17:247:15
1 Mile2006 Congress Ave6:236:23

Sponsors

  • Amazon - Books, gear, and more
  • Dreamhost - Cheap reliable hosting
  • iTRAIN - Downloadable MP3 workouts
  • Shoes.com - Good prices on athletic shoes, gear
        NEW! Use code GIVE10OFF for a 10% discount!

Activity

17 total comments, leave your comment.
  1. Mark
    Nov 6th 2005
    9:58 PM

    AWESOME Richard! Looking forward to hearing more. :)

  2. Yvonne
    Nov 6th 2005
    10:03 PM

    BIG CONGRATS to you Richard. It was seriously warm day. I was sweating profusely, and got sunburned - and I was just standing still watching! Looking forward to the race report =)

  3. Jay
    Nov 6th 2005
    10:09 PM

    One should never be unhappy with a PR, much less a 10 minute PR. Good running, my friend.

  4. Congratulations on a new PR! Especially with you being sick shortly before a marathon, which can really bite into your energy reserves.

  5. Great job! That’s an awesome time. It was really unseasonably hot for NY.

  6. Kim
    Nov 7th 2005
    12:52 PM

    Richard, I think that is a great accomplishment. Heat and humidity make a huge difference, no doubt. I hope you feel good about it.

  7. Congratulations!

  8. Ben
    Nov 7th 2005
    3:19 PM

    Good job at New York. Is it too soon to think about your next marathon?

    Happy trails,
    Ben

  9. Anne
    Nov 7th 2005
    6:23 PM

    Great job and great attitude. Can’t wait to hear all the details on how you managed those hills and that humidity. See, I tried to warn you ;-)

  10. Meghan
    Nov 7th 2005
    7:28 PM

    Congrats on a hard-fought race under less than ideal circumstances! Perhaps one of these days you’ll hit a marathon with ideal conditions. If that is the case, then I think you’re gonna blow your brand new PR away. Recover well and I look forward to the report!

  11. DGC
    Nov 7th 2005
    9:07 PM

    Congratulations! Can’t wait for your report!

  12. Rob
    Nov 7th 2005
    10:32 PM

    Nice Job Richard! I have had to adjust my marathon goals nearly every race and I think it is always good to be happy that you perservered and did your best.

  13. jank
    Nov 8th 2005
    9:29 AM

    4:01 is great! Considering the heat, the crowds, etc, well-run race.

  14. Connie
    Nov 8th 2005
    6:27 PM

    Awesome job, Richard. You always want to do better, but your progress is just awesome. You have done such a great job and have so much to be proud of. A 10 minute PR! You are an inspiration.

  15. Congrats on the race, Richard! 4:01 looks sweet to me. Waiting for your full report.

  16. Mike Jeroslow
    Nov 11th 2005
    8:10 AM

    I’m proud of you, bud. Congrats on a PR and for having a good time!

  17. That’s half my time to run a marathon, so pretty darn good in my books. Congrats!


Leave a Reply


Search

Search the archives by entering keywords or topic strings.

Famous Marathon Times

RunnerTimePace
Al Gore4:58:2511:23
Oprah4:29:3010:17
P. Diddy4:14:549:43
Will Ferrell3:56:129:01
George W. Bush3:44:528:35
John Edwards3:30:188:01
Carrie Sapp3:29:067:59
Boston Qualifier3:10:597:17
Lance Armstrong2:59:366:51
Gilbert Tuhabonye2:23:075:28
Paula Radcliffe2:15:255:10
Paul Tegat2:04:554:46

People I Train With

Alex - Addicted to Exercise
Carrie - Tri to be Funny
Erine - Thousand Miles
Frank - Running Blog
Gilbert - Gilbert's Gazelles
Jay - Leotian Blog
Mike - BROTH