I never thought that in my mid-fifties I would be running 13.1 miles in a half-marathon! It all began when my two daughters signed up for the 2014 IMT Des Moines half-marathon and were starting their training. By-mid summer they had talked me into signing up for the October marathon.

I had been running three miles a day on the treadmill, 3-4 days a week, but 13.1 miles was really an intimidating goal. What kept me adding more miles over the next few months was the thought of running my first half-marathon with my two daughters. An opportunity that not everyone has.

I learned a lot over the few months of training. I didn’t do everything the right way. If I had to do it again, I would listen more to my daughters and others who had done these types of things before. I did learn a tip to help prevent blisters: Turn one sock inside out, put it on, and then put another sock over it. I didn’t have another blister after a friend shared this tip with me. Also, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, and eat a diet that’s appropriate for runners. Something I had to learn the hard way.

Race day came on October 19, 2014. I had no idea what to expect. People tried to tell me, but until you experience this first hand it’s hard to imagine. There were 10,000 passionate people altogether, in one place, for the same goal — to make it to the finish line.

Race morning was a chilly 41 degrees F. and was supposed to warm to mid-fifties throughout the morning. I was nervous and cold but was excited and anxious to get started. After an hour, we slowly made our way to the start line, and we were off on our long-anticipated 13.1-mile journey.

There aren’t any words that can describe the emotion I felt. That many runners looked like a river flowing through the streets. There were supporters and people cheering, bands playing, and people cheering everywhere we looked and ran. We had our own support team waiting for us at mile 4, my wife Paige, RaeAnn’s husband Ben, and Alyssa’s boyfriend Henry was there with smiling faces and words of encouragement. It was just the boost we needed to keep going.

To make a long story short, we all were able to run across the finish line. We did it! Ran the 13.1 miles that I had never imagined I could ever run and I did it with my girls. We didn’t break any records, didn’t come in first and some of the marathon runners even passed us (it’s amazing how fast they can run). But we did it and nobody can ever take that accomplishment and feeling away from us. The picture above is of the three of us while we were waiting for the race to begin.

I just want to say thank you to RaeAnn and Alyssa for talking me into doing this. Without you guys, I couldn’t have done it!