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Photo Information

Master Sgt. Jay Harris, 970th Airborne Air Control Squadron, poses with friends and running partners. Pictured left to right: Mandy Kierbow, Barbie VanOrsdel, Jay Harris, Ashley Smith and Shawn Kilbourne. (Courtesy Photo)

Photo by Staff Sgt. Caleb Wanzer

513th Airman pushes self from 'good' to 'excellent'

1 Jun 2013 | Staff Sgt. Caleb Wanzer

When Master Sgt. Jay Harris was appointed as his squadron's fit to fight program manager three years ago, exercising wasn't a part of his daily routine and his fitness scores were just above passing.

"When I took over as the [970th Airborne Air Control Squadron] fitness leader three years ago, I couldn't run a mile if someone put a gun to my head," Harris said. "I thought it would be pretty hypocritical if I tried to hold people to standards I couldn't meet."

He decided he had to make a change to his lifestyle.

Harris started small. A one-mile run turned into two miles after a couple weeks, which led to 10 miles in a relay race a year later. It wasn't an easy road, and he didn't do it alone.

"Shawn Kilbourne, his sister, girlfriend and I ended up starting a support group to run together," Harris said. "Shawn helped me out a lot. It's a lot easier when you have someone there with you. Running can be boring, so it's good to have a buddy to joke around with."

Harris didn't let up and kept improving during a deployment to Southwest Asia last year, running an Air Force-sponsored half marathon. After his redeployment back home, he heard about the Oklahoma City Marathon in late April and decided to do the 13.1 mile race again in his hometown.

"I was planning on doing the half marathon at the Oklahoma City race, but my training was going so well back in February that I decided to run the full marathon," he said. "I thought if I'm ever going to do a full marathon, it has to be now."

Just a few hours after the race began, Harris crossed the finish line.

"I was one of those guys three years ago whose average fitness test run time was 12:35, which was barely making the minimum for my age group," he said. "My latest run time is 10:13, and my test scores have gone from just passing to excellent."

For those still struggling with their run times, Harris encourages them to start small.

"If I was on a treadmill or track, I never looked at my pace," he said. "I'd make small goals; try to run for 2 songs, then 3 songs."
Before he knew it, Harris was losing count of the songs playing through his headphones and had to start counting miles. Harris is now setting his sights on the weight room after reaching his marathon goal.

"Never say never, but I'm not planning on another marathon just yet," he said. "I think my new summer goal is to bench 400 pounds."