Profession… eye surgeon.
Life philosophy… For 99% of people: there is no substitute for hard work. The remaining 1%: I’m jealous of them.
Sport philosophy… Quitters never win and winners never quit.
My favorite spot to be active is… in or around Alamitos Bay in Long Beach.
My running experience with AREC has been… a lot of fun and really consistent. It keeps me motivated to run more than once a week because I know I’m going to run at least on Wednesdays.
I’ve been with AREC for… four years.
I run with AREC because… of the social aspect.
The best thing about AREC is… having a couple of beers at the end of the run and talking to friends. Lately, in the last couple of years, it’s become a family thing with my little kids. They’ve been doing it since they were little. It’s fun to run it with my wife and kids, gives us a chance to get out.
I run because… it feels good (when I’m actually in shape and provides me with an athletic goal.)
When I’m not running I… read, spend time with my family, surf and play lacrosse.
My pre-race meal is… Peanut butter and banana sandwich with honey, Gatorade and oatmeal.
After a race I treat myself to… beer and steak.
My favorite race is… Grandma’s Marathon, which is my most recent too.
My goal is… in running: stay fit, qualify for Boston. In life: be a good father and husband.
My running mantra… I’m not good enough to have a running mantra.
I’m inspired by… Olympic athletes and other runners my age and older. I’m also inspired by stories of exploration, that kind of thing.
My running hero is…Haile Gebrselassie.
When I run I think about… trying to find a rhythm and once I find it, thinking about whatever I can to maintain it. Sometimes I just kind of do random thinking when I’m running—the next day, my schedule, my family.
My dream is… to see my children be happy and achieve.
My best training tip… is to always warm-up at the beginning of a run, go slower than normal and always cool-down at the end. It’s kind of like a sandwich. Think of the run as the middle and warm-up and cool-down are the bread. I always try and warm-up and cool-down whenever it’s a run but in a race, very rarely. Another useful tip I’ve picked up from Bernard is never run hard two days in a row. I rarely get injured since I’ve adapted these two philosophies.
The best advice I ever got was… “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I think the quote is anonymous but it’s something my father has always said and continues to tell me.
I have learned… you can never believe what you hear or read, specifically when it’s about another person. And you can only believe about half of what you see. It’s another of my dad’s quotes.
Running has helped… keep me on an even keel, lower stress.
I love… my family, Trojan football and tall, skinny brunettes, specifically my wife.
I hate… the victim mentality.
My biggest pet peeve is… not getting enough sleep, people who don’t take responsibility, dishonest people.
I run marathons because… I guess I like the fact that it’s a long-term goal. It takes discipline to work your way there. If you have discipline you end up getting in great shape.
I wish… I was more motivated to run more often.
My most embarrassing moment was…one time I was pushing Tomas in the stroller in a race and I gave someone a flat tire. I ran into someone and knocked their shoe off. The embarrassment was that a bunch of runners saw it and thought I was being reckless and shouldn’t have been in the event. Fortunately, I don’t have any poop stories!
Final thoughts… I love my friends at AREC and just wanna say thank you to all who treat my little kids with warmth and kindness when they show up for runs.