Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCXLIII

Today's article is as much a conversation with myself as it is a message to others. I guess you could say I'm "Thinking Out Loud." It's just that I have a decision to make, and the time to do so is now. Although this is being written specifically for today, and will give the impression that I'm writing it the same day that you're reading it, in actuality, it was written more than two weeks ago. They say you're not supposed to shop for groceries when you're hungry, and you shouldn't discipline your children or have family discussions when you're angry; so if that's true, I probably should not try to make decisions about physical activity while I'm sick...like I am at the time of this writing. I have severe sinus congestion and a sore throat, and all I want to do stay in my recliner, so the thought of any type of physical activity sounds horrible to me right now. Back to the present: Hopefully I'm feeling better by now, and I'm excited about the fact that we're about to board a plane to Chicago for a fun-filled weekend with friends and family. We do this on a regular basis, and it's always so much fun spending time with people that I love, but it's the primary purpose of the trip that's putting me in this decision-making mode. We're going to run a marathon (26.2 miles). Here's my dilemma: I just don't know how many more marathons I want to run. First of all, I'm not even considering quitting running or discontinuing these trips...that's all a part of who I am and what I love. I've told you before that there will probably come a day when I'll decide to cut back to half marathons (13.1 miles), and I think that time may be now. When Mark Twain was born, Halley's Comet was making its appearance, and he once said "I rode in on Halley's Comet, and when it comes back, I'll ride out on it." That turned out to be a true statement. My first full marathon was Chicago, and it just seems fitting that it also be my last. It's amazing to watch people and their range of emotions as they cross the finish line of their first marathon, with many of them bursting into tears. I can only say that I felt a mixture of pure elation and touch of disappointment because, although my wife and a few friends were in the crowd watching for me, there were so many runners crossing the line at the same time, they couldn't pick me out of the crowd and didn't see me finish. The elation came because I had accomplished a goal that I once thought was out of reach. I no longer had to wonder, "Can I do it?"....I had done it! Since then, it has been an awesome ride. This journey has taken me to places such as Nashville, Washington, DC, Dallas, New Orleans, Jackson, Mobile, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis/St. Paul....and some of these cities multiple times. If I count half marathons, I can also add Ft. Worth, Oklahoma City, and Portland, Maine. As I look forward to next spring, I see half marathon trips to Little Rock, Arkansas and Fargo, North Dakota. Training for and running a full marathon is a commitment, and it's something you have to WANT to do....because you have the desire and weren't just talked into it by someone else. Who knows? I may change my mind a dozen times over the next few years, but as of now, this Sunday will be my last one. I no longer have that desire. Preston