Beginning

 I never thought of myself as a runner. Running was something I would do when needed, but not something that I ever sought out. While growing up, I preferred spending my time with my friends, playing video games, or searching out excitement. Running was boring, painful and exhausting.

When I joined the Army, running became a regular part of my life. I was ok at it--middle of the pack. In the Army we regularly did 3-4 mile runs at a 8 to 9 minute pace during morning physical training. I was a young man and never found these runs to difficult. But these morning Army physical training runs remained the only time I ever ran. 

This was all before I became a runner because I now now, at 45 years old, view myself as a runner. In becoming a runner, I have discovered the joys of benefit of running. Running has enabled me to transform my body and mind.

This is the story of how I went from being unfit to fit. How I went from being overweight, out of shape, and unhappy to being healthy, strong, and confident.

But before I tell you how I became a runner, I have to tell you how I got unfit.

It all started in 2008, when I was 30 years old. I had been in the Army since 18, but had been away from regular duties for three years completing law school. I attended the University of Arizona Law School as part of the Army's Funded Legal Education Program (FLEP). This is a program where the Army takes active duty Army officers and sends them to law school to become Army lawyers. I never thought I would become a lawyer, but the FLEP program was just too good an opportunity to pass up.

My first job as an Army lawyer was to serve as a prosecutor in XVIII Airborne Corps, the most prestigious unit in the United States Army. The XXVIII Airborne Corps is located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It was a dream job for me. I got to serve in a highly professional Airborne Corps where part of my regular duties included jumping out of airplanes. I also got to serve as a prosecutor. I always wanted to be a prosecutor. Prosecutors protect society, vindicate victims, and ensure the rights of defendants are guaranteed. Prosecutors emblemize selfless service. They don't work to get rich, but work to make the world better. And it was self gratifying. Serving as a prosecutor for the Army's premier Corps level unit was prestigious and challenging. It was professionally fulfilling, but stressful.  

And there was a not of stress. The prosecutor job is one that is full of conflict, drama, and trauma. I had to deal with difficult witnesses, hostile defense attorneys, and complex rules of evidence. I had to handle sensitive and complex cases that involved life-and-death decisions and moral dilemmas. I had to relive with witnesses and victims the horrors and tragedies of violent crimes.

But despite all the challenges and hardships, I loved my job. I felt that I was doing justice. I was helping victims who had been harmed. I was protecting the rights of accused soldiers as a prosecutor by guaranteeing that they would receive a fair and timely trial. And I was moving criminal cases towards resolution to ensure that defendants, victims, and witnesses could obtain closure and move on with their lives.

I found my work meaningful and rewarding. But it also took a toll on me. It consumed my time, energy, and attention. It drained my emotions and spirit. It isolated me from my family and friends.

I had no balance in my life. I had no hobbies or interests outside of work. I had no fun or relaxation.

I had no life.

And this job--the job of being an Army prosecutor at the most prestigious Corps in the Army, was only part of my life. I was also a father of three triplet boys, born in 2008. They were wonderful blessings, but required constant care and attention. Luckily, my beautiful wife Becky took on most of the challenges of caring for our children. But she deserved my support when at home. With work and household duties, I quickly found that my fuel tank was perpetually on empty.

Chapter 1

 Running Home from Iraqi

Chapter 1 -- Becoming A runner

• My name is John Longley. I am a 45 year old Army lawyer. This book is about how I became a runner. Specifically, it is about how I went from someone who only ran when the Army made me to a frequent marathoner. It will talk about how I went from being tired and overweight to qualifying in and running in the Boston Marathon in 2012.
• I graduated from the University of Arizona Law School in 2008. I attended under a program that sent active duty officers to law school to become lawyers in the Army. So upon graduating, I went right back to the Army.
• We call Army Laws JAGs, or Judge Advocate Generals.
• Near the same time of graduation from law school, my wife gave birth to three baby boys--Jack, Robbie, and Joey.
• My first job as an Army JAG was prosecutor. I spent three years as a prosecutor. I was a good prosecutor. With a strong belief that victims and accused deserved timely resolution of criminal cases, I worked 16 plus hours a day trying to resolve criminal cases.
• When home, infant triplets proved tiresome. My wife Rebecca took on most of the child caring duties, but it goes without saying, there was never any opportunity for rest.
• With a demanding job and a chaotic home life, for the first time in my life, I started getting heavier. I am 5'10 and typically my weight remained around 160 lbs. As the years of being a prosecutor passed, I quickly saw my weight balloon by 30 lbs. I has heavier than I had ever been. I was chronically tired, frequently sick, and had no energy beyond what was needed to push through each day.
• I remember my boss at the time, Colonel Berg, once told me that though I was a good prosecutor, I wasn't taking care of myself.
• My weight was a problem. Professionally, for the first time in my career I no longer met Army height/weight standards. I had to lose weight or suffer a premature end to my career.
• But I loved eating. Throughout my whole life, eating is how my family has dealt with stress. It is the lesson I learned as a child. Eating is what provides comfort when stressed.
• My go to stress food was Twinkies. I fondly remember Twinkies in my lunch when growing up, and still turned to them for sugar infused happiness when live became challenging.
• After three years of watching the weight line expand, I had no answers to my weight problem. Life's challenges were in control. I was in total reaction mode.
• And then, in 2010, my boss came into my office and told me that he was going to deploy with to Iraq with the 20th Engineer Brigade. I would be the Chief Lawyer for the Brigade. I was overweight, tired, and now I was heading to Iraq.