Endorph Us Launch

The New York City 2011 Marathon is likely to be held on November 6, 2011. Weather reports for that day call for a partially sunny skies and a high chance of yours truly. After running 9 New York City Road Runners races in the last six months and volunteering for an additional race, I have earned a guaranteed spot in the 2011 NYC Marathon.

So what, you ask?

Well-- to all you long-legged, fit, thin, "I can run fourteen miles before breakfast" people out there-- you, I am not.

No, I'm the kid who struggled through the mile in seventh grade and vomited from exertion as I crossed the finish line. I'm the kid that consistently opted for the extra serving, and the one who found it easier to skip a meal or two to make up for it rather than pound the pavement.

Sadly for me, adulthood caught up with me and exercise was not my highest priority. And as I reentered my college campus for my five year reunion fourteen months ago, I outweighed my college self by twenty-five pounds. And none of it was muscle. What's more, I was about to lose my job and I was severely depressed.

So-- I started to run. It wasn't completely foreign to me because I had dared myself to run a few times before. I was called the bomb squad on the cross country team in seventh grade (they had to send me in first so we'd all finish at the same time) and I sucked it up and trained for a Brooklyn half marathon to prove to myself I was capable of running for distance. I completed that in 2006. But for the most part, I was a running virgin. It started as a means of doing something positive with my new-found free time. I ran 3-4 times a week to get in shape and lose weight. Then, my wife recommended I sign up for a five mile race to give myself something to work towards. I ran it, then two weeks later found myself signing up for another. Before I knew it, I was halfway towards my marathon spot and in a fit of passion, I signed up for the remaining races so that I would have no choice but to keep it up.

I confess one of the largest reasons for this blog is a selfish one-- I am hoping that this blog will give me extra incentive to stay in shape and actually run this marathon. I'm also hoping it will be therapeutic to read and write. And now that my difficult year is behind me and my career is starting to be back on track, I'm hoping that having readers will force me to find the time to get my miles in. So thanks for reading. I'll check back in after my next run.