Trial of Miles, Miles of Trials

Hello World.

Big news over here in the sunny (but not hot) southern California. As some of you may know I have signed up to complete my first marathon. I know what you’re thinking. Didn’t this happen last year? Wasn’t there a half-marathon I was training for and never completed? Yes, and yes. But this is different. Let me point out the reasons.

1. I’m motivated and ready. Ever since I moved out here to San Diego I’ve been searching for something to do, something to take the place of what I used to be and do as a cyclist. Running is quickly turning into that something. With my schedule and commitments its hard to fit in the 20 hours on a bike that I need to be competitive, but relatively easy to fit in the 25-50 miles a week I need to run a good marathon. Plus, I have a goal I want to reach.
2. I have a goal. I’ve never been one to just go out and do something for the hell of it. When I choose to participate in an event (especially an athletic one) I aim to do my best and push the limits of what I can do. While I have never run farther than 11 miles I am confident that I can achieve my goal of running a 3-hour marathon. For you number people out there that’s 6:52.213 mile pace.
3. I’m not just doing this for me. I chose to sign up for the Marine Corps Marathon for two reasons:
   1. I wanted to do an event that I could do with my father. The only time I have run competitively was in the 8th grade when I joined the middle school track team after an unsuccessful attempt at making the baseball team. I ran, and ran, and ran that spring and my dad seized the opportunity to enter us both into the Statesman Capitol 10k in Austin, TX. It was a great time, and I fondly remember the nightly 4-mile training runs around our block. Fast forward about 13 years and the spoils of retirement have started to take their toll on my dad. So I hatched a plan: Sign him up for a race, something that he would get excited about and cause him to change his habits and start being more active. Enter the Marine Corps 10k (run in conjunction with the marathon). The marines hold a special place in my dad’s heart (a story for another day) and it just so happens that I know he can’t resist taking part in something that benefits his favorite branch of our armed forces.
   2. When I went to sign up I had unfortunately missed out and the marathon had already filled it’s registration quota. This turns out to be a very good thing. One of the ways that you can participate in a sold-out event is to become a charity runner. As a charity runner you find a charity that is taking part in the event, has registration spots, and is willing to sponsor your registration in exchange for fundraising. It was an easy choice for me as I’ve done this before. My first real cycling event was a 100-mile ride  10 years ago that I completed as a member of Team in Training. I raised over $2000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, trained a ton, and in my own little way helped with the fight against cancer. 10 years later that fight is still going one and once again I’ve chosen to take part. I’ve signed on to raise money for the American Cancer Society a wonderful organization that is dedicated to all aspects involved in the fight against cancer.

I will be setting somethings up on this blog to help you track my training, my fundraising progress, and efforts towards reaching my goals.  Also, I will try to keep the blog updated more often over the next 14 weeks to keep everyone up to date.

Now, you knew this would come, and I understand that in this economy its tough to ask for money, but I would like your help. Your donation to the American Cancer Society will undoubtably help someone with their own personal battle with cancer. If you know someone, knew someone, or have had a personal experience with cancer please consider donating.  You can donate by visiting my Personal Donation Page or by clicking the image below.

Feel free to circulate my link, this blog, or my email address (if you have it) to others you feel would like to be a part of my effort.

Okay, 14 weeks to go and many miles to run.