Why A Marathon?

I never figured myself to be much of a runner, much (much!) less a marathoner. And you could say that until I actually complete a marathon, I'm not a marathoner. But everyone should have a goal, and I kind of happened into this particular one.

It actually started out as something of a lark. My wife, who was trying to get in shape, had signed up for the Diva Half Marathon in Long Island, NY. After taking the trip with her, she must have seen that I was interested in it, so not long afterward she suggested a marathon. The Marine Marathon, she said, would be relatively simple to get into, if you qualify in the race they hold in the Spring. Completion of that race (in 2012, the Irish Sprint 10K) within a certain amount of time guarantees an entry into the full Marathon in October. This is pretty significant, since the Marine Marathon - the fifth largest in the United States, with 30,000 entrants - sells out annually in about two and a half hours.

Just one problem, at least at that time - the amount of time I had to train to run a full marathon wasn't consistent with the training needed to actually run a full marathon. So I used the one deferment available. (The organizers of the marathon allow you to defer your entry to the following year, but only once. After that, you're out of luck.)

So, this year, I finally decided to do it. I would say try, but a close friend and colleague of mine is fond of Yoda's "Do or do not. There is no try", and that seems pretty appropriate. You either do the Marathon, or you don't. You don't get to around mile 15 and say, "well that was a good shot, but no thanks." Too much effort goes into the training.

The Marine Marathon, it has been said, is the perfect one for the first-timer. Aside from a hill right at the beginning, the vast majority of the race is run in Washington, D.C., and is mostly flat. And the fact that there are a couple hundred Marines encouraging you is inspiring.

This blog is a chronicle of my efforts to "do."