It all started this Summer

That is not an accurate statement. It really started back in February. That is when I signed up for the Footworks Fitness 101 program. It was a short 8 to 9 week program which trained me to run 4 miles. I finished the program and was able to run 4 miles without skipping a beat.

Later in that summer, I was tricked into signing up for the Footworks Marathon Training Program. Yes, I went from not being able to run 3 miles in February to thinking that I would be able to run 26.2 miles on January 28, 2007. For those who don't know, a marathon, all marathons, are 26.2 miles. There are no short marathons or long marathons. They are all 26.2 miles.

I signed up for a variety of reasons. First, the health reasons. The more I ran the better I felt. It was that simple. Second, I was meeting people and making friends. Third, there were girls. After a few unsuccessful relationships I needed a fresh outlook. Finally, my cousins gave me the final push. They had done it before and they assured me I could complete one.

I would like to give people an insight on how they lure you into this. They are these crazy fools who run marathons. It basically starts like this. They remind you that you've already ran 4 miles. They ask if you think you can run another mile? Can you do 5? I say yeah I think I can. So ok lets do 5 miles on Saturday morning. Now I've done 5 miles. Do you think you can do 6? Eventually, yes - I believe I can run 6. This little by little approach continues until you reach the 20 mile mark. That's when they tell you that at this point a full marathon is only 6 miles away.

See, they trick you. Back in February before Fitness 101 I would scoff at anyone who suggested I would be running 10 miles 3 months later on April 29. This past Saturday we ONLY ran 10 miles. Yes ONLY. I am using the adjective? Adverb? (Grammarians, help me out here) of ONLY to describe the 10 miles. There is nothing ONLY about 10 miles. 10 miles is a LONG WAY. However, that's how your mind thinks. We've done 10 miles so many times now that it feels like a walk in the park. 10 miles now is a short run. It's crazy to think that way but it's happened to each of us. Ask anyone in my group and they will agree. They will all agree on two things:

1) Anyone can run a marathon with proper training and
2) They will utter the words, "Only 10 miles"

It's too late now to start training for the Miami Marathon. But February would be the perfect time to start training for 4 miles.