On Jan. 12, ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd will run the Disney Half Marathon. He will share updates on his training and approach as race day nears on ESPN's Endurance page.

In high school and college, I looked at running the same way I did a midterm. There was nothing I enjoyed about it. I grew up as a team sports kid. Football, hoops and baseball -- to me –- defined sports.

After college, the pursuit of my personal career covering these sports became a consuming battle of balance. Time was crucial because I found myself having less of it. The idea of being a weekend warrior on the basketball court, then coming to work on Monday limping because of a knee I took to my ribs, was no longer an athletic option. Around my late 20's I started running and met my wife, who was virtually addicted to the sport. From then on, running became my primary athletic pursuit.

Thinking back, it was my high school basketball coach, Jim Conn, who shared a simple lesson that still sticks with me today. He would always gather our team around after practice to preach "moderation," an appropriate message in our small town where binge drinking was also seen as a sport.

Today I run 20 miles per week, usually by way of four-mile runs throughout the week. My pace is about 7:15 per mile, and although I prefer to run early, early afternoons usually fit best with my ESPN schedule. After each run, tearing my sweat-soaked shirt off is my favorite feeling of the day.