By Ambsassador Bryan Kreitz

This is hard work! Notice, I didn’t say it was work, but that it is hard work.

What am I talking about? Training for the Aramco Houston Half Marathon or Chevron Houston Marathon of course.

It takes time, commitment, and a little bit of crazy to wake up day in and day out with a goal of running 13.1 or 26.2 miles in one day.

If you’ve run before, you probably know all to well those friends with comments like:
“You’re crazy for waking up that early”
“You’re insane. I don’t like driving that far”
“You’re nuts. Humans weren’t designed to run that far”
“You’re ………..” Insert whatever else you have heard.

The point is, yes, we might be a little off center, but that’s ok. We made a commitment to our friends, family, self, to push ourselves a little further than we have before. To want to push yourself beyond you’re comfort zone takes a little craziness, and it’s that craziness that will help take you to the next level.

I thought it was crazy that anyone would get up at 4am to workout. Guess what? I’m that guy getting up at 4am to workout. People think I’m crazy when I talk about sleeping in until 6:30am. (I know, late sleeper.)

The point is, do not let the thoughts of others dictate your race and training. You are not alone. There are at least 25,000 others who on January 18th, will be just as crazy as you are. At that point, we will all be one crazy happy family.

I look forward to meeting my extended crazy family soon.

Follow my crazy adventures on Instagram or Twitter – kreitz09

About the Author: Ambassador Bryan Kreitz

Bryan started running after tipping the scales at 200lbs, and ran his first Aramco Houston Half Marathon in 2006.  It took him four years after that endeavor to attempt another.  After taking another couple of years off, eating correctly and training properly, Bryan began to get his “running” legs.  He has PR’d in four straight half Marathons (2:10, 1:51, 1:50, and 1:47). He also set a PR at the 2014 Chevron Houston Marathon, taking a whopping 45 minutes off his previous best, going from 5:36 to 4:50.  In 2015, he hopes to see the four hour mark fall.  He also PR’d at the Galveston 70.3 by 11 minutes, when he finished in 5:52. Bryan has been married for 11 years and has two wonderful kids.  They are his best cheerleaders ever and are at 95% of his races, which is an amazing commitment on their part. When not running, he enjoys softball, time with the family and racing.
Twitter – @kreitz09