Sports Illustrated

Yesterday morning, I was interviewed by Sport's Illustrated.  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that the worlds most popular sports magazine would want to interview an every day guy like me.  They are writing an article on the historical significance of the Athens Marathon and are interviewing a number of people who will be participating in the race.  They saw my press release and were interested in learning the background story that is taking me to Athens.  The article is scheduled to publish shortly after the race. 

The interview reinforced to me what an incredible honor it is to be given the opportunity to represent the City of Baltimore, the Baltimore Police Department, and my family in this historic event.  I am extremely grateful to Diane Homberg and the entire Baltimore-Piraeus Sister City Committee for this amazing opportunity. 

With 4 weeks left, I am training hard. I was out at 4 am this past Sunday running 15 miles and then back out again yesterday for 5 more miles. I have a few more moderate distance runs this week and my next long run coming up this weekend for 20 miles.  

I continue to run

Last week I met up with a group of police officers who are also training for the Baltimore Marathon for our weekly training run. 

We ran down the Gywnns Falls Trail, with half of the team finishing 13 miles.  I continued around Fort McHenry and ran a total of 17 miles.  It was a great day to run and everyone did exceptionally well.  The last 2 miles for me were tough, but I was able to gut it out. 

I am really pushing myself to build my physical endurance and after 1 day of rest, I went back out and ran a 5 mile interval / hill course.  The next morning, I was back out again starting at 5 am for 5 more miles at a steady 10 min mile pace.  

Training Update

I have about 6 weeks left to train before the marathon.  I am currently training 5 days a week (running 4 and cross training 1 day.)  I am averaging about 30 to 35 miles per week...with 3 moderate distance runs and one long run.  Last week my long run was 16 miles. I usually train in the early morning, starting at about 5 am because of family and work obligations.

Some history

In 2009, The Baltimore Police Department partnered with Corrigan Sports in the Baltimore Marathon. Twenty members from the Baltimore Police Department participated in the Marathon. Five relay teams competed against one another for the Commissioners Cup prize.

In October of 2010, we have recruited sixty members from the Baltimore Police Department to participate in the Baltimore Marathon. Corrigan Sports agreed to waive the entry fee and in return, every member will donate $50 to the Frank J. Battaglia Signal 13 Foundation. The purpose of the Signal 13 Foundation is to provide financial assistance to Baltimore Police Department personnel, both civilian and sworn, who unexpectedly suffer extreme personal emergencies.

Participation in the Baltimore Marathon promotes physical fitness and camaraderie amongst officers within the Baltimore Police Department.

My Family

This trip to Greece holds a tremendous amount of personal significance for me. My wife, Vayia, is a first generation Greek- American. We were married in the Greek Orthodox Church 15 years ago, and have four beautiful children.  Vayia's parents both emigrated to the United States in the mid 1950s, and are from Karpathos, one of the most beautiful islands of the Dodecanese. Our family is actively involved in the Cathedral of the Annunciation Church located in midtown Baltimore.