The Beginning 12/19

So I know it's not quite that time yet, but my official marathon training will be starting soon. I thought it might be a perfect time to start this blog and give you a little info on what it's about. I hope you enjoy reading it and hopefully we can inspire each other to increasing heights!


I'm a 27 year old marketing coordinator, runner, step-father of 3, and husband. My wife's name is Naomi and my step kids are Carlos (8), Jacob (13), and Anna (14). I married my wife, Naomi, in 2008 and it's been a journey ever since. When I first met Naomi she had told me she was diagnosed with Essential Tremors (ET), but I didn't have a clue what that meant. For those who don't know (ET) is a progressive neurological condition that causes a rhythmic trembling of the hands, head, voice, legs or trunk. It is often confused with Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. Because of stereotypes and a lack of awareness, many people with ET never seek medical care though most would benefit from treatment. In the early stages it was barely visible. Now, after 5 years it's really started to grow and she has many bad flares of it. The fact that she's able to still be super woman without a hitch is amazing. She's a full time supervisor, mom, and wife to a high-maintenance husband!


Naomi's helped me over the years to have more self-confidence and motivates me to keep moving along. She does that now more than ever. Three years ago I weighed over 235 pounds, smoked at least a pack of cigarettes a week, and was truly unhappy with myself. Naomi never made me feel like I was anything less than great, but she also helped challenge me to be better as I challenged myself. After a year I dropped 50 pounds, quit smoking, and I was in the best shape of my entire life. Feeling like I had a new lease on life, I took up competitive running to stay in shape.


The year of 2011 I set a goal to run my first half marathon. I was completely new to competitive running so I had the fun experience of learning everything the hard way. I start in January thinking that it would be just as easy as putting on some shoes and heading out the door. After 3 weeks, I injured my peroneal tendon and couldn't run for 2 months haha! Naomi and I still went to the race that I had targeted as my first any way and volunteered. It was the Rock n Roll Dallas Half Marathon which benefits breast cancer. That day I absolutely fell in love with running. The spirit of pushing yourself to do things you never thought you could can't be beat.


In April 2011 I took what I learned from the race and all the information I could find from Runner's World and began my training all over again. I ran my first 5k at the Redbud Classic, then my first 10K in June, and finally I began the training for my first half-marathon in the blistering summer heat. October 16, 2011 I ran the Spirit of Survival Half Marathon and finished it at 1:42:43.  It was the greatest goal to accomplish and easily began an addiction, but I once again injured my tendon. This time not as severe though and I knew exactly what went wrong. I'm great at learning the hard way. In November I decided to run my second half-marathon at the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, but this time just for fun. I ran it in 1:55:20, injury free, and feeling great. Mission accomplished, and another New Year's Resolution completed.


Now, what it all leads up to, the infamous question, "Where do we go from here?" If you ask me there's no way to go but up and there's no other person that inspires me or makes me happier than my wife Naomi. Seeing the pain and struggle that she has no choice but to deal with everyday pushes me. ET is truly a debilitating disease. It sucks the life out of Naomi sometimes, and yet barely any one has even heard of it and there is NO proven treatment. As you'll learn I'm definitely one to just sit back and hope for things, I'm a go-getter.  I want to do anything and everything I can to help cure this disease. That's what this is all about. I'll be honest with you, running a full marathon (26.2 miles) scares the mess out of me. The training alone is tough and staying injury-free is essential. Am I positive that I'll be able to do it? Not exactly, but I'm going to give it all I've got. I've got people counting on me and we've got work to do. Let's knock this disease out, one step at a time.