There was a time, not too long ago, that I resigned myself to taking on life alone. As a husband and father now, I cannot imagine going about life without them by my side.

I love my wife and kid in an over-the-moon, movie-like kind of way. There is no me without them. My accomplishments are their accomplishments. My little family is the center of my universe and I would not have it any other way.

Pre-family me is hard to remember or relate to now. The best example of this is with the marathon that I ran last year.

On paper, it was my seventh time running a marathon. I have never made much of a fuss about running them, it has just been another thing that I do from time-to-time. Running in general has been a constant for me since high school. Even in the lead up to this marathon, I did not think too much about it.

But, around Mile 18 (nearing the dreaded “wall”) I began getting emotional and tearing up thinking about seeing my wife and kid waiting for me at the finish line. I realized that everything about this race and the training that led up to it was different. The race was the culmination of the first year of us navigating the complexities of being a young family. Life is a marathon as it turns out, with both highs and struggles.

We trained for and were completing the marathon and racing toward the finish line of our first year together. Every training run, carb-loaded meal, and running shoe unboxing was a group effort. We all made sacrifices so that I could run a silly race. For the first time, I was not going it alone. Confirming what I already knew, I was better because of them and ran a personal best.

I do not think I would even be writing this without them. Everything I do comes back to the desire to be a more present and engaged husband and father.

As we navigate life, and train for another marathon, our little family gets stronger.