“What a privilege it is to choose your own suffering.”
(@kellycarrdio on Instagram)
Wow! How prophetic is the quote above to my Walk into the Future running journey?
I didn’t get a chance to meet Kelly over the 2025 Atlantic City Marathon weekend, but I found her quote on Instagram after completing the race and hobbling back to my hotel. Her quote resonated with a lot of runners and brings a level of clarity to the life we live.
I had several great conversations with my friend Lauren Apgar as we continued to carb load before the race. We agreed that running is a great analogy for life while having an outstanding chicken parmesan meal at The Twenties Italian Bistro restaurant in The Claridge Hotel on the Atlantic City boardwalk. There will be a blog article on this concept coming your way soon. 😊
I made my way up to Atlantic City on Friday to get acclimated to the area and the cooler weather. I normally fly out of the Orlando International Airport while I’m on a running tourist adventure. Spirit Airlines surprisingly had direct flights out of Palm Beach International (PBI) Airport and the price was very reasonable. I jumped on the opportunity to fly from PBI since it is only a 58-minute drive from my front door to the terminal. The flight times out of PBI were a lot better than Orlando and I didn’t have to get up at 6 am to make it to the airport on time.
The flight to Atlantic City was a little over two hours and I was able to get a little nap in before we landed in New Jersey. The Enterprise rental car process was seamless, and I was out of the airport in less than 20 minutes. I raced in Atlantic City back in 2022, so I was familiar with the area and knew I was only 20 minutes away from the Atlantic City boardwalk and my hotel. I decided to find some food before making my way over to the boardwalk. I pulled my GPS out and located a Buffalo Wild Wings (Bdubs) 5 miles from the hotel and still on the way towards the boardwalk. Bdubs is a go to spot for me when I’m carb loading so this was a welcome detour for me. Posted up at the bar and got my normal wings, potato wedges and a tall Bud Light. There were not many folks in Bdubs, so I was able to get my food quickly and relax a bit.
I left Bdubs and headed east to check into my hotel and take in a few sights. I booked the Sheraton Downtown close to the Atlantic City Convention Center. This location put me in the center of a lot of downtown activities. I was within walking distance of restaurants, the outlet mall, casinos and the boardwalk.
I walked over to the famed boardwalk after checking into the hotel to take in the sights. I got a few pictures close to the water and then went into Bally’s casino to walk around. I’m not a huge casino person and I’m not a fan of cigarette smoke. I spent about an hour playing roulette and left the table with my winnings of $38.00. I used their money to buy a couple frozen drinks on the boardwalk before heading to the outlet mall. I never need much when I’m shopping but made a trip to Nike but didn’t purchase anything.
Googled restaurants and discovered The Twenties Italian Bistro restaurant was only three blocks away and had tremendous ratings. I made my way back down the boardwalk and headed to The Claridge Hotel and headed to the sixth floor for The Twenties Italian Bistro. I was surprised there were only four people in the restaurant based on the ratings. Oh well, I found a seat by a window so I could look out at the water and review the menu. They have a simple menu with traditional Italian dishes, and the prices were fantastic. 😊 I decided to go with spaghetti and meatballs. It was outstanding! I recommend the bread sticks—they are delicious! I got to bed early on Friday to get off my feet.
The marathon EXPO was held in a ballroom in Bally’s. I got up on Saturday morning with a plan for a quick shakeout run but decided to hit the Sheraton’s exercise room. I rode the stationary bike, ran on the treadmill and got a quick workout in before making my way to the EXPO. I thought the EXPO would be a larger setup since we were in Atlantic City, but it was a smaller event with a laid-back vibe. Bib pickup was seamless and made my way through the event to check out venders. Lauren and I walked around the EXPO to explore, and we both booked a session with on-site physical therapists. This quick 10-minute stretch routine provided some relief for sore legs and gave me a little bit of a bounce to my step. We carb loaded at Wingcraft Kitchen & Beer Bar after the EXPO. Fun fact, we ate at this same spot back in 2022 when we ran the Rock N Roll Atlantic City Half Marathon. The food is still good. We parted ways after this meal so we could get off our feet.
We agreed to meet later for more carbs and agreed to head to The Twenties Italian Bistro. I’m a creature of habit and this was a great place for pasta and bread. I got chicken parm this time and it was just as good as spaghetti and meatballs. Doubled up on the bread this time. 😊 We discussed race strategy a bit but relaxed with a good meal and caught up on life. Race day was near.
I headed back to the hotel to get my race outfit ready and get to bed early. I normally travel with multiple race outfits and didn’t figure out what I was going to wear in the marathon until 10 minutes before going to bed. 😊 I took a picture for Instagram of the original race outfit idea but changed the top before heading to the marathon start line. The start/finish line was only a half mile from my hotel, so I used this as part of my race warmup.
I got to the boardwalk at 7:15 am and got in some light stretching and jogging. The mood on the boardwalk was relaxed and almost felt like a party. Lauren and I connected around 7:30 and made our way to the start corral to lock in for the marathon. We agreed to run together at the start and then run our own individual race. Fast forward, Lauren’s race was outstanding! She set a PR and broke the five hours barrier—well done, Lauren! 😊
Fun fact—I also ran a PR and took 6 minutes off my best full marathon time. This was my third PR in three different distances in 2025 (10-miler, half marathon and marathon).
My marathon race strategy was to go out at a measured pace and then see how much I had in the tank. The weather was warmer than normal, but it was still cool with low humidity at the start. Mile 1 was completed at 10:10 (ten minutes and ten seconds), Mile 2 was completed at 10:08 and Mile 3 was completed at 10:23. My plan for a measured approach was executed well and I had a smile on my face for a large portion of the race. My 18-week training program was paying off, and I enjoyed a large portion of the race. A not so fun fact—the Atlantic City boardwalk is made of wood. This may not be a huge revelation but some of this wood is worn and is not conducive to running a marathon. There are multiple spots that are not sturdy and I saw a few runners take a fall because of the footing. I tweaked my left foot on the boardwalk at Mile 15 but kept battling my way towards the finish line.
Fast forward a bit, I crossed the finish line in 5:17:37 which was not the 4:45 target I wanted. This is still a marathon PR for me, so I celebrated like I won an Olympic gold medal! 😊 This was the culmination of a great 18-week training block, and I finished with a smile on my face and enjoyed the process.
Caught up with Lauren and we got pictures ringing the PR bell in the race village. I’m super proud of her efforts to complete the marathon in under 5 hours! This is a tremendous accomplishment, and she put in work to get her PR—bravo, my friend! 😊
What’s next for me? Rest, recover, massage and take a week off from running. I earned this break.
So, let’s reflect on the quote from above. I agree, it is a privilege to choose my own suffering. How lucky am I to be able to travel around the country and run in these races? My suffering (pain) is done on purpose, and I enjoy every minute of it.
Let’s never take for granted our ability to live life daily!
Irie!
Calvin Williams
“The real purpose of running isn’t to win the race, it’s to test the limits of the human heart.”
(Bill Bowerman)
Walk Into the Future 
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