FORT BLISS, Texas – “My hips were hurting from all of the impact they were taking,” said Sgt. Adam Ross, a broadcast specialist for the 16th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment. “My knees ached, and my thighs and calves were so tight that anytime I slowed down to get a sip of water, they seized up.”

At the 21st mile of the Arizona Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, the Afghanistan war veteran was beginning to feel the effects of his very first marathon. Even though he had completed long runs in the past, the feeling of a 26.2-mile race was something completely new to him.

“Every step I took was the farthest I’d ever run,” said the Portland, Ore., native. “I just felt mentally spent.”

Despite all of the pain and hardship, Ross finished the race in 4 hours and 44 minutes, and still felt confident enough to claim anyone can run a marathon.

It may be seem unthinkable to many, but he said it simply takes dedication and the ability to find a comfortable running pace. After that, the only thing left is to slowly build up running distance over time.

For Ross, it took almost a year’s worth of preparation before he could accomplish his goal in Phoenix, Ariz., Jan. 15, 2012.

“It was a huge commitment for him,” said Marianna Ross, Adam’s wife and college sweetheart. “He really had to commit to training up and being able to go on these long runs every weekend. It’s just kind of remarkable.”

Marianna, who met Ross more than a decade ago, said her husband originally came up with the idea while he was deployed. He decided to run in a 10-mile race to take his mind away from the combat environment and his passion grew from there.

“It felt almost too easy,” said Ross. “I had to keep going.”

The Fort Bliss soldier continued on to complete a half-marathon and gradually worked his way up to running 20 miles straight.

“Once you find that slow pace that you really feel comfortable with and it doesn’t really make you tired, you will be able to stretch those runs farther and have confidence in your body’s ability to do it,” said Ross, who rarely ran before joining the Army. “So much of it is mental. Just find a pace and find a reason to run.”

It may not be easy, but the payoffs for finding such an ambition can be tremendous.

“Finishing something that takes that long in preparation and takes that long to do – I just had so much confidence after I finished it,” said Ross. “I was just so glad to be able to go up to my family after and hug my son and say, ‘I did it.’”

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