Reason #57: Running my First Marathon - Philadelphia 2009

I was on my way to the Barclay's Golf Tournament on Sunday when I received a text from my friend Chrissie. It read, "hey! jesse and i are going to do philly marathon nov 22, u interested?" A marathon I thought, 26.2 miles? In less than 3 months? At first I laughed and responded, "there's no way ill be in shape to do that.....but ill think about it." So I thought about it....

At first I kept shaking my head, "no, no, not just yet, next year." Yet as the day went on, the thought of running gnawed at me. What was I scared of? Why not now? I have always wanted to run a marathon; it has sat in the #1 slot on my bucket list just waiting to be crossed off. So I told Chrissie, "let me run tonight, and I will make a decision after." So off I went for a run on the Hudson River. Eleven miles later, I came back a bit sore, but with my mind made up - I was running the marathon.

The thought of completing 26.2 miles at this point seems pretty impossible. Yet I think that is what attracts me to it at the same time. My college roommate use to always ask me, "why would you ever want to run a marathon? Running is miserable." In a way, she had a point. Running was our punishment in soccer. Show up late to practice? Run 10 suicides. Lose a game you should have won? Run 10 laps after the 90 minute game you just played. Get caught "initiating" the freshmen soccer players? Run for an hour holding hands with the rest of the team.

Here is our reenactment at homecoming 2 years later:

Yes, there is the aching, the sweating, the urge in your glycogen depleted muscles to stop moving immediately. However, there is also the thrill of the challenge, the thought of making something impossible be possible, and the strange delight in the thought of being able to cross off your #1 goal on the bucket list.

In the next few months, I plan to gear my blog toward the journey of completing a marathon. Subjects will include training plans, nutrition, gear, tips from past marathoners, and also the joys and challenges of hopefully making the impossible become possible.

"The marathon is a charismatic event. It has everything. It has drama. It has competition. It has camaraderie. It has heroism. Every jogger can't dream of being an Olympic champion, but he can dream of finishing a marathon."
Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon Co-Founder (Also a proud passenger when he received a ride home from my father in Bermuda in 1982, destiny?)