JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
It's a cool spring afternoon on Joint Base Andrews as he regulates his breath because he has been running. He poured his blood, sweat and tears into training for an event that is important to him and historical for Joint Base Andrews.
Staff Sgt. David Nicholson, 779th Medical Group NCO in charge of presidential support, is training for the Joint Base Andrews Inaugural Half Marathon. The event slated for April 20 is sponsored by the Joint Base Andrews Chief's Group.
Like many Airmen, Nicholson took up running to improve his PT scores, but found it to be a great way to blow off stress and unwind.
"I was inspired to run my first half-marathon when I was stationed at Osan Air Base, Korea," Nicholson said. "The USO offered free registration to the 2007 Seoul Half Marathon and I've been running long-distance ever since."
Participating in the half marathon has a wide variety of benefits; it is more than just winning a trophy, said Chief Master Sgt. William Sanders, 11 Wing/Joint Base Andrews Command Chief, a coordinator for the half marathon.
"When you're out training it contributes to readiness," said Sanders. "When you're training, whether it's a 5k, 10k, half marathon or marathon, you are conditioning your body and more likely to be successful with the Air Force mission."
During this training season, Nicholson said there were several factors impacting his training routine, but he hasn't let that prevent him from working toward his goals.
"No training plan is set in stone, and there are plenty of times that life and the mission have gotten in the way of my training plan," he said. "The best way to deal with it is to just stay flexible."
Nicholson has devised a training regimen that allows him to keep up with mission requirements while improving his run time. By running three times during the week and two long runs on the weekends, he noted steady improvement in his run.
"The most challenging aspect of my training this season has been the weather," he said. "It can be hard to find the motivation to use the treadmill on cold, rainy days, but that won't stop me. My goal is to beat my personal record of 1 hour 39 minutes ... I'm not quite there yet, but I always perform better on race day."