I Would Never Survive in Kenya

In preparation for this blog entry, I decided to read up on some friends' blogs (many of which can be found in the "Playmates" links to the right)... After a careful review, I have determined that I have neither the talent nor the time to provide any witty commentary. So I'll leave that stuff for my sweet wife.

Anyway, Oct. 5th was the St. George Marathon, and I was a somewhat willing participant. Though my slender build and long stride may have you fooled, I am definitely not a runner. However, long hours behind a desk at work, coupled with a not-so-healthy diet of Coke and various chocolate treats, helped me to realize that getting into shape was going to require something drastic. So, with the mutual promise of my friend, neighbor, and fellow EQ-presidency member Resh Jefferies (who is in much better shape than I but needed a stress reliever from school), we decided to sign up for, what we in the business like to call it, the STG. OK, truth is that I don't know if anyone in the business calls it that, but that's the symbol on their website. Once I had made the commitment, my brother-in-law Trevor also decided to run with us. Now, Trevor is a runner, a former collegiate star who could qualify for Boston on two-weeks training. So I was certain at first that Trevor running circles around me would be some sort of attempt at male dominance in the family--but Trevor's quite a humble guy, and I realized later that running with me was the only way he was able to convince my sister to let him run yet another race.

Well, training certainly had its ups and downs as I struggled with bouts of dehydration, bloody nipples (see excellent post below), and overall laziness. But in the end, waking up at 5:30 am most Saturdays for the past few months wasn't bad at all, and turned out to be some nice quality time swapping stories with a good friend. As for the marathon itself, it was much colder than expected. Somewhere around 35 degrees to start, & I don't think I could feel my toes till mile 3. Fortunately, a trip by Trevor to the D.I. the day before provided me not only very fashionable attire (black beanie, red-white-blue sweatshirt, and olive green sweat pants), but helped me stay somewhat warm as well. Of course, the adrenaline rush and a little hip-hop on the old iPod helped as well. I wish I had some great story to tell about my determination and will to overcome all obstacles. But for the most part, I just ran along at my usual pace, getting more and more tired as the miles wore on, till near the end all I wanted to do was lay down on the lushious green grass on the front lawns of all the homes I was passing by. What kept me going, you ask? A few things: 1) not wanting to look like a wimp in front of all the onlookers; 2) a determination not to waste three months of getting up early on Saturdays just because I was a little exhausted now; and, most importantly 3) knowing that my biggest fan, Tommi, was waiting for me at the finish line.

In the end, I finished in 4 hrs & 40 min, a mere hour & one-half after Trevor. But I'm still proud of the accomplishment, & may even try it again some day. One more thing to check off of life's "To Do" list. A trip to Italy's next, right Tommi?!