When I first started running, it was quite the struggle. I couldn’t run very far even though it felt like I was running far.

As I began my final semester of college in the fall of 2005, I had been working out pretty regularly for nine months and I decided that my goal for the semester would be to be able to run five miles straight through before I graduated. It was a very slow process.

Remember how hard it was to run the mile in middle and high school? It was brutal. Four laps around that track! Are you kidding me?

But at my school’s indoor track at the recreation center, five miles required 45 laps.That is a lot of circles to nowhere.

The start of chasing the goal was simply figuring out what I actually wanted. Then it was about making it happen. That required me to run and run and run. A little bit more each and every week. It’s the same way I trained for my half-marathon and the full marathon I am tackling next weekend.

It is the same thing for anything you decide you want to do.

You figure out what you want,
make a plan and execute against it.

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Be sure to check out all my marathon videos!

Nine days away. Can you believe it?! In nine days I will be running the streets of San Diego … for my life. Okay, so maybe not that dramatic, but I will be running hard and it is going to be the greatest challenge of my life. Even harder than running for office.

After I ran my half-marathon in March 2011 I pulled back on my running just to give my body a rest. As I’ve said before, my body is not a runner’s body. I was built for tennis. But in the past five years, I have definitely changed my build, but that doesn’t change the fact that I have encountered a hurt back, IT Band Syndrome and have had to bust my ass through terrible weather in order to train.

But that is the beauty of what is going to happen in nine days.

It is that the training has not been perfect. But anything worth getting takes work, right?

Just take a look at this schedule so you can begin to understand the commitment required to do this.

For a six mile run, here is what it takes.

• The run itself will take about 57 minutes. But let’s just say an hour due to stoplights and stop signs.
• Then I usually walk for five minutes to cool down.
• Back at my apartment, I sit and stretch and let my heart-rate come down for about 20 minutes.
• At that point, I either eat or shower. That really depends on the time of day and when I last ate. But the shower takes ten minutes.
• Eating takes 20.

That amounts to one hour and 55 minutes. On days where the run is longer, just add in the time of 10 minutes a mile for math’s sake.

And this was my program. There are other marathon training programs that have you running five days a week! But I knew before I began to train for this that that amount of running would not be possible due to my past injuries.

Imagine running five days a week and the time commitment that requires. It’s beyond insane. It basically becomes your life. And it has. And while I am eager to get some time back to myself, it has been worth it.

You have to work hard to get what you want. You just have to want it bad enough.

Richard’s Thoughts…
I forget who said it, but I remember hearing it a long time ago, but it went something like this: The most beautiful sound in the world to someone is the sound of their own name. It sounds odd and possibly pretentious, but it is true.

I know that when I get a text message and the sender uses my name in the text, it adds a smile to my day. It is a level of personalization, of caring, of compassion.

That’s why this lesson is so important because these little showcases of personalization matter on a very deep level. Try it before the end of the week with someone you know. Don’t just say good morning. Use their name and see what happens.

I walked the block-and-a-half to the subway to go home to drop off my bag. You see, I had tickets to what turned out to be an amazing show for that evening. Usually on the train I read, either the news on my phone or a physical book. But I could do neither. I stood, holding the cold metal pole, stunned. I never in my life had I imagined that I would be fired.

Sure, I’ve lost an election before, but it wasn’t re-election. In a sense, I just wasn’t hired then. But now I had been given the pink slip, which ironically is white. Which makes me curious where that terms came from.

By the time I got home, still stunned, my roommate had made me tea. I walked into the hallway, dropped off my bag and entered the kitchen. He asked me what had happened. And as I began to talk, I lost it. The tears finally came. We sat on the couch, drinking tea while I cried. And it was cathartic. I let it out. My unhappiness. My anger. My shock. And my worry.

Then I quickly changed and while I walked back to the subway to go see my show, I responded to as many texts and emails as I could. Then I got to the show and tried to turn off my mind and take in the experience. And I did. After the show, I went to Shake Shack with my friend Vikash who had attend the show with me. It was just what I needed. The time with a trusted friend (but the chocolate and peanut butter shake helped quite a bit!) basically re-set my attitude.

As we sat there and conversed together and with the New Zealander working at The Shack, Vikash was more than excited. We was excited because he knew I had wanted more time to do the things I am passionate about. Writing. Painting. Speaking.

When I woke up Thursday, only an hour later than normal, I got right to work. I started writing again. In fact, the week after being let go, I had a blog post up each day of the week. I don’t remember the last time that happened. I am building online partnerships. I did one painting already. I’m looking forward to getting my camera out soon too! I’m working on a video script now as well. I’ve been on a few interviews. I have even sent my novel out to an editing team. And I’m relaxing. I’m breathing.

It only took me 12 hours to take the events from the afternoon of May 2 and turn them into something positive. Sure, I still have depressed moments as I truly enjoyed the experience and the team I spent 13 months with. But I constantly remind myself that in the end, it is the journey. It is the experiences. It is the people that matter in my life. Not the job. Not the name on the paycheck. It is the people that come in and touch my heart.

Sure I’m worried about the next paycheck, or rather, getting a paycheck again. But for right now, I am eager for the road ahead. The possibilities are endless and I can’t wait to share them with you here.

If this experience has taught me anything so far, it is that I really do believe in possible.

Running was never my thing. I grew up playing little league baseball as every American boy is destined to do. I actually regret that I didn’t play longer. I long for the days to go and play catch with my dad and my brother. But I had a bad coach when I was 12 or 13 which ruined the game for me.

So, I picked up tennis. And yes, the rest is history. I played and played and played so more. I made my neighbor and my dad play with me just so I could have someone to play with. Because of the two racquets hanging in our garage, I found a life-long love. I played on the high school tennis team. (Where I would meet me best friend.) I coached the team for one year. Then I went and worked for the sport for over five years.

But a back injury took me off the competitive streak I was on. And I really do miss it. In fact, the other day as I lay in bed, I imagined walking to the service line and the fuzz of the barely used tennis ball in my hand. Standing there, bouncing the ball and picturing the impeding serve in my mind. It is a moment of pure control. Your emotions. Your physical presence is all under your control. It is actually the only moment in the game when that is true. It’s like the pitcher in baseball. It is on you.

There are definitely similarities to that moment and the experience that comes from lacing up my running shoes each time. So, back to why I picked up running shoes in the first place. After my back injury, I was told by my doctor that my super-competitive days were over. I was crushed, but as an athlete, I knew I needed some kind of a physical outlet. So I, perhaps crazily, picked up running. Since then, I have logged over 1,100 miles which may not seem like a lot, but to me, it is beyond incomprehensible. I was never a runner. The other day as I ran my longest run of my life (18 miles), I thought back to high school when running a mile was a challenge. Not anymore.

When I was accepted to run the 2011 NYC Half-Marathon, I was elated. I knew the challenge had been accepted. And I ran. And ran. And ran.

I trained hard and all winter long. The race was on March 20, 2011 and all week, the weather had been unseasonably warm. So, that’s what I thought I would be getting. But as luck would have it, the night before, the mercury plummeted and the wind picked up. I don’t actually remember the temperature at race time, but the wind-chill could not have been warmer than 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit.

The race began in Central Park and by the time we broke into the city, I had already completed eight of the 13.1 miles. My energy exploded as I ran towards Times Square. I actually don’t remember much of the race after Times Square to be honest. Crossing the finish line was great, but I both of my knees were actually in quite a bit of pain by then, so just the feat of crossing the line was incredible. (Plus, my time shattered my goal by nearly ten minutes!)

I will never forget the moment, the experience of running through Times Square, the streets blocked off and fans on both sides of the road.

The journey last year was incredible and it was something I never ever thought I would do. But it was only a half-marathon. It, in reality, was only half of the journey I knew I wanted to go on.

Richard’s Thoughts…
Life happens. I have been telling myself that for the past 15 days and at times, it has not been easy. But I try to remind myself: life happens.

Sometimes you land the plumb job and sometimes you don’t get picked to be the star. Sometimes you win the big game or the big contract and sometimes the contract is swiped at the last minute. We have all been there. You win some and you lose some. But at the end of the job, at the end of the contract, at the end of the game, you as a person have to believe that you did all you could to find success, and then peace.

If someone else makes a mistake, remember that you make them too. We are all human and life happens.