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First Marathon Story: The Last Song on the Playlist: Grief, Sobriety, and 42K w/ Jose Martinez

  • Writer: Taylor Sayles
    Taylor Sayles
  • May 4
  • 4 min read

Updated: May 5


Jose describes running as a pal he's always had, that he's always come back to throughout his life. He wasn't hugely interested in running or sports, but he found running was a good time. Growing up with 80s movies, he saw running as a way to make himself better (cue the "Rocky" montage).


Around 2000, he started training for a 10K entirely on a treadmill. He was in school at the time, and trying to keep himself "out of too much trouble." The 10K wasn't that bad at all, and he talked himself into signing up for a marathon just two weeks later. After his first marathon, he said, "I am never doing that again."


Finding His Way Back to Running

Jose kept running throughout the years, but he never took it seriously. He'd run 10Ks here and there, and his training mostly consisted of not drinking for the two weeks before the race. He always woke up on race morning why he had signed himself up for this, but he always enjoyed that accomplished feeling afterwards. But again, running was just for fun, with very little intention behind it.


That all changed in 2021. His cousin passed away at a young age, and then his father passed away later that year. He found himself in a dark spot, and exercise was the last thing on his mind. His focus was on family.


He came through the haze, and he and his wife decided to take a trip to Portugal. Jose had put on weight at this point, and he started getting up early while on vacation, walking every morning - first 20 minutes, then 30 minutes, then an hour. He was enjoying the physical aspect and the mental therapy it provided. He often found himself reaching 10,000 steps before he started working in the morning. And he started thinking, maybe he was ready to start running again.


"Never Again"

He was glad to be healthy again, and to be running again, but whenever anyone would joke about him doing another marathon, Jose was steadfast in his response: "Never again." But every week turned into more mileage, and he was enjoying it. One day, he was scrolling through photos on his phone, and he came across his record from his first marathon in 2000. And was it a sign from the universe that it was 25 years to the day that he stumbled across this photo?


And "never again" turned into "let's do it."


When Your Second Marathon is Like Your First

As soon as he got the confirmation, he posted on his Instagram and put it out into the world. There was no going back.


He started doing a bunch of research and stumbled across other runners who had used running in their early sobriety, which felt even more like kismet. Even though it was technically his second marathon, Jose felt like he was going through the real process for the first time. He got drawn in by all the data and just started running. Luckily, a friend of his who had run marathons before recommended that he find a training plan to follow, which Jose ultimately found on Instagram and YouTube.


The training plan wasn't perfect. Life, as it always does, got in the way sometimes. But he found it helpful to think of it less like a "job" and instead like a "healing journey." He started hitting milestones, from 3K to 5K, to "only running a 10K." He found the harder runs much more memorable, especially a half marathon long run where he accidentally ended the run early on his watch, and then started feeling a niggle in his calf when he kept going. He felt bummed by the outcome of the run, and took two days off. And then a few days later he was able to do the half marathon distance easy - with no problems.


Six weeks out from the marathon, he started feeling pain in his knee. He found a nearby physical therapist, but the recommendations seemed to hurt more than help. He decided to "run for fun" rather than focusing on his form, cadence, or anything else. Despite the pain in his knee, despite being completely beaten up by training, Jose was determined to run that marathon. Even when he got sick with COVID just a few weeks before, he was determined to make it happen.


He made it to the start line, and when the tough times crept in, seeing familiar cases on the course boosted him through. He felt like Super Mario getting the yellow star. As the miles got harder, he started to think of his father, looking for his help, just when a song that reminded Jose of his father the most came on. Right before his headphones died. He had never run without music, and at only 28K, he knew it would be tough. He made it through the rest of the race utilizing walk/run. He was worried if he stopped, he wouldn't start again. he repeated his mantra over and over again: "You can't stop."


At long last, with the support of strangers in the crowd, he made it across the finish line.


Lessons Learned

  • Be patient.

  • You can do the hard things.

  • Listen to your body. Address the discomfort right away.

  • Not every run has to be a PR.

  • Have fun. Your first marathon is always going to be your personal best.


Want to hear Jose tell the story himself? Listen to the full episode now: The Last Song on the Playlist: Grief, Sobriety, and 42K w/ Jose Martinez— available wherever you get your podcasts.


Listen to my most recent mini episode: Mindset and Running w/ Nick Savin



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Follow along with the show:

👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays

🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod

📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast


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