Day 1: It begins

As Carson said when Cross-Country Bicycle Trip '08 came to its official conclusion, yesterday: "The adventure is just beginning." Something like that, anyway, and although it sounds a little like a tagline for one of the Star Trek movies, it is, in point of fact and no matter how you slice it, true.

And so, inspired by the amazing experience of the bike trip, I now begin this next Big Thing: running the New York City Marathon, which will be held on my birthday this year. Ridiculous? Incomprehensible? Contemptible? Well, yes, obviously, to those three and many others. So be it. Except for a couple of brief attempts in my earlier years, including two 5K races after college, I never really thought I could run. But last November I began to be serious -- well, as serious as I get. In December and March I ran two more 5Ks; in the latter, though disappointed, I set a new personal best. In April I ran my first five-miler, and a couple of days later decided to dive off my bike, breaking my face, contusing my ribs, and inflicting a snazzy scar upon my eyebrow.

Then, of course, was the bike trip. From April 26 through June 13, I biked over 800 miles... and during the trip, once I'd healed enough from the crash (I could bike sooner than I could run), I started running again. Between running, biking, and a little swimming, I figure that I'm on track to be in the best shape of my life. (Weight is already down nearly 10 pounds just since March, and endurance is way up.) I'll probably never have a better opportunity to do a marathon, and the fact that New York is on my birthday is a strong karmic signal, n'est pas?

I have never run anywhere near that long, so this will most likely be the greatest challenge, so far, in my life. No getting around this one: either I can do it or I can't. I'll have to work hard, avoiding distractions, lack of discipline, and the great scourge for me: shin splints. Carson, Jordan, Rachael, Esther, Katie, Julie, Alisa, Illyce -- you have all helped to inspire me, and I am determined to join your ranks. (When did it suddenly become the case that so many of my friends were marathoners? If you're wondering why you're not on the list, I don't know that you've run a marathon! Or I've forgotten.)

To run the marathon, I've partnered with the Central Park Conservancy, and I will be doing fundraising for them, with a goal of $3,000. The Conservancy is a great organization with a worthy mission: maintaining one of the world's greatest public spaces. It was founded in 1980, at maybe the lowest point in New York City's history, when the park had been all but abandoned; today, it provides nearly all of the park's operating budget, and is responsible for all basic care within the park. You don't have to be a city planner or a New Yorker to appreciate this (although I'm both). Stay tuned for details on where you can send your bearer bonds, precious-metals certificates, and suchlike.

This morning I ran six miles, tied for Longest Run Ever. Here we go.