I joined the Marine Corps when I was 19 years old, and running three miles was part of our required fitness test. That’s when I started taking running seriously, because it was literally a job requirement.
(Show off your love of running all year long with the 2018 Runner’s World Calendar.)
Once I was a Marine, running was part of daily life on base. I hated it at first because of the pain, but after a while it started to become what I looked forward to most; it was the only time I got to be in my own head.
I had a commanding officer who liked to take us on runs without telling us how long they were going to be. Sometimes it was five miles. Sometimes it was 10. It was a mind screw, but the truth is when you jump out of a helicopter during a mission, you don’t know how long you are going for. It was a great way to build up that mental toughness.
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I learned in the Marines that you get your running done early in the morning. Because you will come up with every excuse under the sun to skip it once people wake up and the work piles up.
I took that lesson seriously when I moved to New York to start doing comedy. Because I was still serving in a reserve unit during the day, and doing standup at night, I ran before the sun came up. My wife and I would run to Central Park, around the reservoir, and back home. It was about three miles.
Rob Riggle Doesn’t Joke Around About His Running Rocky and AC/DC songs—this is back before Apple watches and earbuds—which I listened to on a Discman I would have to carry. It is hilarious to think about that today.
Rob Riggle spends his weekends prognosticating game results during a popular comedy segment on “FOX NFL Sunday.” We asked him to make picks on a few running-inspired matchups.
I volunteered for active duty again after 9/11 happened. During that year back in service I entered the lottery for the A Part of Hearst Digital Media and got in. I didn’t have any time to train because I was still working at Central Command. I got back home just one week before the marathon, so I did it without any real training. Now, I think I may have one more marathon in me. I’d like to do Marine Corps Could You Teach Your Cat to Run.
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I have been lucky to be in a few pretty memorable movies, and no matter where I am, people will randomly yell lines to me on the street. The most common are, “In the face!” and “Not up in here!” from The Hangover. They are some pretty motivating statements to hear, actually.
