Welcome

Hi, and welcome to "On the Run", my personal blog, where I will share my passion for running with anyone who wants to listen.

A bit about me. I am a retired US Navy Officer who is residing in Sri Lanka. I started running as a means for stress relief / stress release; basically, I would go for “a run” to get out of the “office” and let things sort themselves out. Back in the days before mobile phones, I was completely “free” and pretty much “untouchable” while out for a run; and with the US Navy’s passion for fitness, nobody was going to tell me that I couldn’t go out for a run.

After retiring from the Navy in 2003, I relocated to Sri Lanka, a tropical island off the southern coast of India and maintained my passion for running. Retirement provided more structured time for training, and I ran my first half-marathon in 2007. It took me nine years before I got up the courage to attempt the (full) Marathon in 2016 … and it was a serious “wake-up” as to what is required for long-distance running (in the tropics, none-the-less). Although it was a painful experience and the struggle to finish was real, I DID FINISH … and of course I felt that I could do better “next time”. I’ve pretty much run a marathon every year since (including four “Virtual Marathons” held during the global pandemic of 2020-21 and the “financial crises” Sri Lanka brought upon itself in 2022-23+).

Shortly after running my second marathon in 2017, I happened to get connected with a local running group, Colombo Night Run, that basically ran a 5K every Thursday evening in Colombo … these were some of the finest people that I have ever met … anywhere. We all shared a passion for running and as a group we just encouraged each other to achieve our best, no matter our personal abilities. This group has a “sister” group, the Colombo City Runners, that meet up on Sunday mornings for longer runs, usually 10K or more. If you are a runner (of any ability), and find yourself in Colombo, Sri Lanka, then be sure to look us up and join us for a run if you are able … we’d love to meet you and I am sure that you will enjoy it. :)

2023 was a “magical” year for me in terms of running; and it will continue into 2024. Paris will be hosting the 2024 Olympics during August; and in their effort to make this year’s Olympic celebration more inclusive, they have decided, for the first time ever to host a Marathon for the Masses. Basically, they will allow 20,024 men and women to run the official Olympic Marathon route on the evening of 10 August 2024 (between the Men’s Olympic Marathon in the morning of 10 August, and the Women’s Olympic Marathon on the morning of 11 August). This event is open to anyone, anywhere. There were several ways that one could “win a bib” for the MTP Paris 2024 Marathon; one of them was by completing “challenges” using an app that could be installed on your smart phone. This app presented four running challenges each month and from all of those who completed a challenge, a certain number of names would be drawn to receive a bib. For the most part the challenges were not difficult, and most people would be able to complete the majority of them without too much effort.

God must have been smiling on me, because in June 2023, I was notified that I had been selected for a bib to the MPT Paris 2024 Marathon. This was beyond my wildest dreams … in fact, I was afraid that perhaps I was misreading it (as it was being translated from French) and contacted the organizers to confirm my good fortune, which they did. I was literally over the moon.

This will be my 10^th official marathon and my first “live” marathon since Chennai in January 2020. I want to put together everything that I’ve learned about marathon training so that I can be the best that I can be for this event. And while I am doing that, I thought that I would share it with any who care to follow along. Cheers. :)