One Step at a Time: My Path to Marathon, Ironman, and Ultra
They say a journey starts with a single step. As I write this, I’m about one month into my fitness journey to run a marathon, an Ironman and an ultramarathon.
Hello! My name is Joshua (JD). My goal is to motivate myself and others to pursue their dreams and transform their lives. I’m not an elite athlete; I don’t have a team of coaches, and I’m not sponsored. I work a full-time job (about 50 hours a week), and I don’t always fuel properly—I can easily polish off a whole pizza. But I want to become a better version of myself. This forum is my way of holding myself accountable and, hopefully, reaching someone who feels the same way.
A little background: I’m an Army veteran (68W). Fitness mattered a lot to me, so after I left the military I continued my journey. Everything was great; I met my now-wife, who also loved fitness. I even became a cycling instructor and taught classes at my local gym. Then I encountered a loss deeper than I could have imagined. My twin brother passed away after major surgery to correct scoliosis. He developed a blood clot in his leg that broke free, causing a pulmonary embolism. Losing him crushed my passion for fitness. Instead, I spent more time with the people I love, ate unhealthy food, watched TV and played games with friends. I no longer wanted to grind out two hours in the gym or meal prep every Sunday.
Fast forward to July 2025. My wife and I stepped on the scale, and it was no surprise that I had gained about 60 pounds—I weighed 243 lbs. That night, as I lay in bed, I thought about conversations I had with my brother before his surgery. We had watched a video about Dick and Rick Hoyt, the father and son who ran triathlons together. My twin, who had cerebral palsy, said he would love to run a triathlon, and I promised we would do it together. We never got the chance. After stepping on the scale and reflecting on this promise, I decided it was time to honor my word and exceed our expectations.
I started training the next day, following a hybrid athlete plan because I don’t want to be extremely lean—I want to maintain some muscle mass to look and feel good. I’m lifting weights 3–4 days a week and running 4 days a week to keep my promises to my kids, my brother and my wife. I’m currently prepping for the marathon, and let me tell you: the first three weeks of running were brutal. Now, as I start week four, I can say it’s getting easier. I can breathe better; my calves aren’t cramping half a mile into the run and forcing me to stop.
Week 1: Training went well. Lifting felt good, but the runs were tough—in a good way.
Week 2: I felt like I was crashing. I wasn’t fueling properly, and my body wasn’t used to the volume. Lifting felt awful, and I cramped during every run. I left early two of the five days I worked out and struggled through the others. It was discouraging to feel like I was losing progress.
Week 3: I ate more, had more energy, drank more water and used glucose and electrolytes. My workouts started to feel better than in both prior weeks. Lifting weights returned to my baseline, and I finished all my workouts.
Week 4: I’ll take notes at the gym and start posting updates every few days. I plan to stay consistent, so if you see this, know that no matter what you’re struggling with, we all have it in us to change ourselves and transform our lives.
Be unlimited.
— JD
