Running Down Your Dreams, One Step at a Time

Kevin Boyle grasped running from a young age to make it a part of his lifestyle. As you read about Kevin, think of the words determination, commitment, self-confidence, and hard work. As you journey through life, you’ll face obstacles, like work and family challenges. Imagine Kevin running on the track and a hurdle appears. He has the choice: take the hurdle or go home. It’s never too late to manage your challenges and obstacles. It is time to running down your dreams.

What is your current occupation? 

I’m currently a professor at American University. I teach undergraduate law in the Justice Law and Criminology department. Before that, I served 26 years active duty as a Judge Advocate, retiring in 2015 as a colonel.

When did you first start running? 

In first grade, I was on the CYO track team and ran the 40-yard dash and the 11 x 40 relay (yes, eleven 6-year-olds ran 40 yards each to complete one lap of the 440-yard track. I have no idea how the coach got us to the excellent starting areas for the relay handoffs!). In 8th grade, I started running more distance events on the junior high school team, and then in 9th grade started cross country. I ran track and cross country for the remainder of my time in high school. Also, in 10th grade, I ran my first marathon in the spring when I was 15. Although I loved track and cross country, the marathon fascinated me the most. At 8 years old, I saw Frank Shorter win the Olympics. As I saw him running on the track, I asked my dad how he can still be running after all those miles. My dad said, “run a marathon and find out for yourself.” He did not say that in a bad way; instead, whenever we were curious about something, my dad encouraged us to find our answers through hands-on experience (or, in this case, feet on experience).

While in college, what made you continue running? 

I attended St. Johns University on a track scholarship. St. Johns had no dorms, so everyone on the team lived together in a big house. I was lucky to be coached by Matt Centrowitz. Matt taught us the value of hard work, time management, making decisions for ourselves, and taking ownership of our running careers. I stayed with the sport through these years as I knew the skills Matt was teaching us would be helpful down the line in our professional lives. 

What motivated you to enter the Army? 

I attended law school at night, and during the day, I was a high school gym teacher and track coach. I was also still running at this time for the New York Athletic Club. As I got closer to graduating from law school, I tried to figure out how to practice law and still run. My dad said, “Join the Army.” I was like, join what? I had no idea the Army even had lawyers. I began to research the Judge Advocate Generals Corps and the Army as a whole and liked the work the Army offered to be in a courtroom very early on in my career. Plus, I also learned about the All-Army Track team and the potential to still run while in the Army. I applied during the fall of my 4th year of law school and came on active duty after I passed the bar exam after graduation. The night before I headed to Fort Lee for the Officer Basic Course, my dad drew a picture of every enlisted rank and said, “every one of these people knows more than you, respect them and ask them for help.” He also said, “Run as fast as you can on the PT test; this will show you are motivated.” I ran my first PT test on the track at the University of Virginia, where the Army JAG School is, and finished in 9:01, and right after that the school G1 spoke to me about the All-Army track team.   

What distance did you run on the All-Army team? 

Back in the early 1990s, the All-Army track team met every spring at the Presidio. We would go there from around March to June and train; then, we would travel to Camp Pendleton for the All Services meeting. I ran both the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters while on the team. When I was first selected, I asked where the JAG Office was at the Presidio, assuming I would run and work while there. I was informed to report to the gym. I soon found out that the entire time there was only training and running meets. This was fabulous for my running; however, I fell behind my peers in the legal field. After a few seasons, my boss said, “do you want to be a runner or a lawyer?” I chose to be a lawyer who could still run various road races and marathons.  

What were some of the challenges you faced while on active duty? 

While on active duty, I utilized Matt’s time management skills back at St Johns. I think time management is the biggest challenge in the Army. You have your work obligations which come first. If you want to run a marathon, you have to work your training around that work schedule. I always made sure to do my run first thing in the morning to get it done for the day (and my bosses were very accommodating as far as allowing me to run extra at PT each morning). If I got my run in in the morning, I knew that the rest of the day, I could focus on work and any crisis that pops up during the day. I think running helped me with the challenges in the Army. One military challenge is moving, but I always saw that as an opportunity to see new areas to run. Another challenge in the Army is work-related stress.

I was a defense counsel for many years and defended many individuals accused of murder. Running during trial prep and during trial helped reduce stress. Going to the field was another challenge. I remember, in 1997, we were in the area for two weeks for our Warfighter. These two weeks were the two weeks leading up to the Honolulu Marathon. I could not run during these weeks; however, I volunteered to do the night shift, and I would leave the TOC each night at about 3 a.m. and take a long walk on the Kole Kole pass under the moonlight, trying to maintain some fitness. The Warfighter ended at 9 p.m. on Saturday, and the marathon started at 5 a.m., eight hours later.  

How did you balance training with family and military obligations? 

I think this ties into time management. I would always make sure I would run before work to focus on work and family the rest of the day.  

How has your fitness level changed over the years? 

I have the mind of a 17 year old and the body of a 57 year old. I still run every day but much slower, even though in my mind, I feel like I am going at the same pace. Also, I can’t run 100 miles a week anymore. My fitness level is to make sure I run every day and enjoy the scenery as I run.

What are some things you do now that you didn’t do before?  

I watch my diet now more than when I was younger. Also, I do more stretching. In the 1970s, the theory was to use every minute of your workout to run, and there was minimal stretching. Today, I need to stretch a lot more to get moving on the C/O Canal. 

Looking back at last year, what changes did you make to continue with your fitness? 

Over the past year, I have been very fortunate. I have been teaching online since March of 2020. Heather teaches second grade and has done so online since March 2020. And Cam completed his fourth grade than fifth grade online. So, we have all been home and created different classrooms in the house. Before us all being online, I would be home after my AU classes, and they would both be in school, so I had more flexibility of when to run each day. Now with us all home (which has been great), I go back to my military system and get my run done first thing in the morning to be home to teach my classes and help Cam with any computer issues.  

During this period, did you exercise less? 

During this period, I think I ran a bit more because being on a rigid system of running first thing in the morning keeps me honest. When we were in person, if I came home from teaching a three-hour class, I may be a bit tired and say to myself, I can skip a day.

As you begin to return to the new normal, what are you doing now that you didn’t before? 

Now that I started having a few in-person classes this spring and Cam had many in-school activities this spring, I am sticking to my run first thing in the morning routine.

What can you pass to the novice to get moving with walking and running? 

Use running and walking as an opportunity to see the world. You see more on your feet than from behind a car windshield. We move so often in the Army to new areas. Take a walk or short run to see places where you live. I saw so many great places in the Army by getting out there to walk or run: The Han River in Seoul, the D.C. National Mall, the Country Club Plaza in Kansas… Use the opportunity to explore on your feet, and do not worry about the time or distance.  

Is it essential to be competitive? 

Not at all. There is a difference between being competitive and challenging yourself. Certainly, challenge yourself to walk/run further than you did the week before. But do not worry about how you compare to others. In the Army, we say “Stay in your lane.” Do your best, and do not worry about how far or fast others run. 

What is the perfect run for you? 

The Han River bike path at night when it is dark. I often ran as a second run for the day if the day was stressful, especially if we were in court that day. The bike path is divided into walks/runners and bikes. As you run along the river, you can look across and see all the buildings lit up as well as the Namsam Tower. And since the bike path is divided, you do not hear “on your left” from bikers.

How was your time with the All-Army team? 

I enjoyed my time a lot, but this ties into the previous question. The team is ultra-competitive. First, you must meet a specific time standard to apply for the team. At the time, it was under 30 minutes for the 10,000 meters. Everyone who completes the various time standards for each event is invited to the Presidio in March. So, you get perhaps six individuals per event who meet the time standard in each event in track and field. There are about 15 events in track plus field, so about 150 individuals (male/female) arrive in March, and you stay in the barracks, officer and enlisted alike. I had a great roommate who threw the shot put. Each Saturday, we had a meet in the California area. On Monday morning, we would all go to the gym, sit in the bleachers, and they would call the names of people getting cut from the team and hand them a plane ticket back to their duty station. Eventually, both the male and female teams were reduced to two per event (some people doubled). Sunday night was always so stressful in the barracks, with folks figuring out who was going home the next day. I was lucky because, with distance races, you knew where you stood week to week; sprints, on the other hand, it’s tenths of a second each week. Once the team was down to two per event, we trained together every day twice a day. My biggest challenge was that college Centro was my coach; in law school, Matt guided me. So, for eight years, I used his system, and it worked for me. The All-Army track team coach had a different approach, so I was not as confident in my training at the beginning.

Were there any skills you developed during that period? 

This ties into the above question. I had to adapt to a new training system and be confident in change. With PCS moves and new jobs, adapting to change is a considerable skill needed in the Army.

What was your distance of choice? 

5K because it is over so fast. But I will always like the challenge of the marathon the most.

How did you handle it when your performance didn’t match your expectation? 

Forget about it as quickly as possible and look forward to the next race. This is easier to say at 57 than at 17. But now I realize each race is not the end of the world, and there are new opportunities. In 2012, I was up in New York City and picked up my race number; five minutes later, the race was canceled. For the next two days, Central Park was a sea of people complaining about the canceled marathon. I was like, you know the 2012 NYC Marathon is not the last in the history of the world; there will be other marathons.

Did you have any injuries which kept you away from the sport? 

I have been fortunate. If I felt something coming on, I do not train through it. I will walk each day until whatever aches me goes away.

What keeps you in the sport? 

The challenge is to see what I can still do as I age. When I ran 3:09 in Berlin in my late 40’s, I was happier than when I ran way faster in my 20’s. I thought that being able to run that at that age with family and job responsibilities was more impressive to me

What is your of running? 

Balance. Running is not for seeing how fast you are or how many people you can beat. Running is for your mental and physical health.  

What’s your most memorable running moment?

At 7:30 a.m on May 2, 1979, I was in a panic. I had been up since 4 a.m. for an 8 a.m. marathon start time. At 4 a.m. I had two pieces of toast and a cup of Tang, then took a short walk in my neighborhood. On my walk, I checked the temperature and wind direction and also used the time as my final time to break in my new Nike Elite racing sneakers. I had spent the last eight weeks transforming myself from the slowest person on my track and cross-country team into a soon-to-be marathoner. I had trained on my own; however, I planned to run my first marathon with a co-worker of my dad’s who had run a few marathons and could pace me. Pace me to what time I had no idea. After my dad dropped me off at Eisenhower Park at 7:30, I searched for Mr. Donlon among the 4000 seasoned marathoners. “All runners to the start” was the call at 7:45 and at 5’2″ and 15 years old, I lined up alone near the front of the pack, figuring I would go out slow, and eventually Mr. Donlon, who I assumed would start behind me, would catch up with me. As I looked up at all these grizzled marathon veterans who must have all thought, “What is this kid doing here?” I thought about the miles ahead but had no idea of the journey I was about to begin. A journey that would take me across six decades, a journey that would see the sport transform, and a journey that would see the best and worst of the marathon (Boston bombing). My dad stared my journey when he said, “If you want to see how someone can run 26 miles, run a marathon.” Three hours and four minutes later, my dad was at the finish line. Mr. Donlon finished a few minutes later. “Lucky you didn’t run with him; he would’ve slowed you down.”