Motivation motivates, and this is an easy image to grasp. Drew Carey ate better, trained, and dropped 70 pounds, on his way to a 1:57 finish in the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon last year, at age 53. His health was a lot worse than mine when he started. My goal is 2:30. If Drew can do what he did, why can’t I? After Charlottesville this April, the MCM Historic Half will be my race on May 20, 2012.
This is what I am made of. My father served in the Army Air Corps in Europe during World War II, and he spent the rest of his life serving this county in public health and national defense. Today, his ashes are inurned in Arlington National Cemetery. My mother came to this country as a refugee; today, she is recognized as part of the iconic Times Square photo and has regularly spoken about these wartime experiences.
The strange thing about being 51 is that you look around you and you notice you have a lot of time invested. In the things you have, the places you live, the people you know. This coming August marks 20 years in the car business for me. The first 11 with Saturn and the past nine with Chevrolet. Before that, I wrote and produced for an ad agency. I started out in radio and tried to make it in the music business, but that seems like a long time ago. I’ve built a career in the retail car business, yet I’ve never had a hand in a traditional car dealership. The way Saturn was in its stores is still the way that I work online. It’s a promise I’ve made as much to myself as it is one I’ve made to everyone else, to tell the truth, no-hassle and not too much haggle.
I don’t want to create a false impression. I struggle with running, and I am not good at it. I am extremely slow. My first attempt at a half-marathon went well enough. I ran eight miles, walked a bit, ran a bit more and finished in 3 hours and five minutes. I actually placed last in Charlottesville. The race, like many, has a three-hour time limit. Much to my dissatisfaction, I could not go faster than 3 hours in Ashland, either, and again, I finished last. I’m still training and improving, however. Last fall, in the Richmond race, I felt different (stronger and faster) and I finished in 2:47. Next up, Charlottesville, April 7, 2012.
I’m at 207, and I stand six feet tall. I would like to make that 175 or 180 at most. So my main dishes are lentils, brown rice, eggplant, quinoa, almonds, raisins, oatmeal, salad, broccoli, egg whites, spinach, salmon, chicken, grapes, apples, peaches, tomatoes and whole grain breads and pastas. It’s been several months since my last red meat. Other foods on the way out: cheese, chocolate, donuts, ice cream, candy and deserts.
I am 51 years old, as of January 18, 2012. In the summer of 2011, I began to train to run half marathons. I’ve run four, so far: Los Angeles in October of 2010, Charlottesville in April of 2011, Ashland in August of 2011 and Richmond in November of 2011. Why? a.) I want to live for another 50 years, at least. b.) I want to work for the next 50 years, at least. c.) I want to approach life and work with enough energy to achieve extraordinary results.