I look forward to very few days out of the year.  I really don’t even enjoy my own birthday as much as I do November 10th and the birthday of the United States Marine Corps.  I think most of it has to do with being proud of serving in an organization that is so amazing and bigger than myself.  There is a ton of pride in being a part of the smallest, yet most easily recognized branch of the department of defense. The Marines are always being called upon to do crazy missions- undermanned, with fewer resources, and normally little planning time. Marines every day are doing more with less.

I guess after six years in the Marines this pride, professionalism, and desire to do more with less has transferred to how I conduct myself as an athlete and coach. It was a source of pride in country and more so in Corps to push alongside or past the Army with its long logistical trains in Iraq. There were days that we kept up our drive to Baghdad clearly pushing beyond our originally given resources. My first shot at the Marine Corps Marathon as a part of the Marine Team was 48 hours after a week long field operation (little sleep, lots of movements with loads on my back, and tons of MRES to eat). I was proud to be testing my physical mettle alongside others who had been sleeping in big beds and eating good food all week. I find a lot of athletes that I train and race amongst since leaving the Marines don’t have this ability to get the job done when facing more obstacles than they have trained for.  Honestly, over the years, I have started to forget that flexibility to get the job done with my resources and time.  Its great for me to reflect every year on my life as a Marine and push myself to go back to utilizing every resource given to me and get the mission done no matter what- militarily or athletically.

As a coach, I enjoy working with athletes cramming workouts in amongst classes, family time, and intense work environments or the hardworking physical overachievers.  It’s all about what you can do with what you are given. For example, most of the more talented athletes I have worked with are part of the military and it is a source of pride to help these men and women to compete at the highest level with late night workouts and restrictions on getting to races between military obligations.  My other favorite athletes are those who may not have the perfect genetics or deep athletic history or have some physical limitations, but are working twice as hard as those with the perfect athletic pedigree.

On this November 10th, the 235th Birthday of the Marine Corps, I am proud to have served with such a professional group in the Marine Corps.  I will walk a little taller today, and renew some of those ideals I learned in the Marines and how it continues to drive me. Today, I remember how we did so much more with less.

Semper Fidelis!

Racing Kona 2005 for the Marines

At the Marine Corps Marathon 2005 (2 weeks later)

Coaching/motivating 2009 USNA Tri Captain Derek Oskutis. He currently is doing more with less, as he looks towards the 2016 Olympics and serves in the Navy as an EOD officer.  Note the USMC jersey ominously faded in the foreground.