7,000-Mile Journey

Apparently a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. My journey to the 115th Boston Marathon in April 2011 is more than 7,000 miles long (that's how many miles I hope to log in the 19 months between now and then).

And this is my first step. I've wanted to become a runner for a long time. A real runner. I ran my first marathon two years ago. Running is a chore. It's painful, monotonous, and time-consuming. It's also the closest thing I've ever felt to flying. On a bad day running, I am exhausted. On a good day, I am invincible.

I've been a little too -vincible lately ... too lackluster, too unmotivated, too glued to yesterday. Been trying to find the motivation to run again, to work-so-hard-you-cry again, to come alive again. But the past 9 months have been colored by fits of stops and starts ... high hopes for renewal but no real movement. These low moments come in races, too. But in races, there are hundreds -- sometimes thousands -- of ways out, if you just know where to look.

It's 10 a.m, and you hate running in the morning. You've headed into mile 15, and every muscle in your body is screaming. You're hating life, thinking come oooooooon, why didn't I train better?!, and you can't believe that old man is passing you AGAIN.

And then ...

Then, you turn a corner and are greeted by this:

and this:


and this:



These are the spectators. They are what make races worth every last second (and every last dime). They cheer you on, shout your name, and tell you to go, go, go!!! "Lookin' good!" "You can do it!" "Almost there!" And know what? I usually believe them. I can't tell you how good it feels to see them there. Somewhere near the end of the race, usually where they're all lined up, cheering as loud as they can, I usually end up crying a little. Gawd. I know. But it's just so simple and good and inspirational ... these complete strangers, encouraging you to run faster and harder than you have before. Encouraging you to believe. And then you do.



So that's the real reason for starting this blog. I'm hoping you'll be my spectators as I tackle my greatest running (and ok, personal) challenge to date -- qualifying for the 2011 Boston Marathon. It's really hard, you gotta be really fast (well, for the average runner, and boy am I average!), and -- though I've said it before -- I really, really want it.

So I'll be here, running and blogging, for the next (roughly) year and a half. I promise to try my best, stick to my training, eat right, and blog about it every day. Feel free to come along to keep me honest, tell me I run like a girl, or tell me not to poop in my pants (guys, that is such a myth -- they HAVE porto-potties on marathon courses). Please drop in and comment as little or a lot as you like ... in any case, it'll be great just to know you're there.

On the docket for tomorrow: short trail run and cross-training. You hafta be strong to be fast. Andy knows: