Three weeks into training, I'm finally getting some distance out of my runs. Not a lot, but something that isn't embarrassing to admit. The first two weeks all I did was walk. Week One was 20 minute walks. Week Two was thirty minute walks. Week Three, walk-running. And my last run I did thirty-five minutes of five minutes walking/five minutes running. Went over two and half miles.

For those of you who have been following this blog since the beginning you may be wondering why the heck I'm starting out so slow. Marathon training is different than 5k training. Keeping the legs strong and healthy is far more difficult, and so my runs will be much slower, and over much softer ground. Increases at this stage will be pretty gradual. Ok, back to the point of this entry ...

So yeah, I'm finally working up to a decent speed and a decent time ... and then I get a cold. It's funny, but throughout the winter ... through the H1N1 scare of October and November, to the Incomparable...

I dialed the number. I could hear the phone ringing. This was it. If he picked up the phone there was no turning back.

“Hello.”

Here we go. Full steam ahead.

“Hey Mike, it’s Hen.”

“Hey man, what’s up?”

Last chance. Make something up or you’re doing it.

“Mike. It’s been ten years. It’s time.”

Pause.

“No way in hell, my friend. But good luck to you.”

“Understood.”

And it was done.

I did understand, of course. Mike and I don’t live as close to each other as we did back then. And he’s married with three kids now. But he deserved the first call. He jumped into the breach with me ten years ago when I announced to the world I was planning on embarking on an insane, crazy journey of training for and running a marathon with no previous experience. He ran the long runs with me and kept me going when my knee gave out. He was at the starting...

It is time.

I have to apologize, loyal readers, for leaving you all in the dark these past months. Lately, 40 has been rearing its ugly head in my direction. I hit The Big Four Oh in two months, and since my last entry middle age has assaulted me with more bad ankles, kidney stones, a broken wrist, and several yards of impassable snow. So I have reacted to this onslaught the best way I know how: Sit on the couch, eat lots of snack food and nap a lot. Sadly, none of these activities make for very good blogging material. Hence, my absence.

In addition to my lack of blogging, I have to admit mild depression has set in. I didn’t think 40 would bother me when the time came, but I guess it has a little. I blame my various recent ailments (and the snow) but whatever the reason, I have come to realize I am now beset with a full-blown case of Mid-Life Crisis. This has led me to consider how exactly to deal with said Crisis.

My first option, research...

Well, here I am outside my house, staring at the straightaway.

It looks a lot longer than I remember. It’s hot outside. High 80s at least. And humid as hell. I should go back inside. I’ve got a perfectly legitimate reason to stay off the road today.

Bah. Just take a step. Go forward. See what happens. I’m not breaking any records today. I’m not planning any heroics. I’m just going to go for a slow walk around the block to see if the foot feels any better …

***

It’s been a full ten days since I last ran. I’ve only run three times this entire month. Some time in late June I noticed a soreness around the back of my left heel. I tried to ignore it and run through it a few times but it just got worse, even when I slowed down to just two 11:30 miles. After a quick search on the internet I found what I was looking for: Achilles Tendonitis. The first thing I had to do was stop running entirely to avoid making it worse, or even rupturing...

Friday was Race Day.

After months of training I was finally going to get the chance to test my mettle in true competition. My sister and personal running Guru had selected the Crystal City 5K and agreed to run it with me. It was a good choice for me because the race starts at 6:30pm and I prefer running later in the day. First thing in the morning has never worked for me. The only thing I like to do first thing in the morning is drink coffee. If someone else makes it.

My sister and I met up at the event an hour early to sign up and familiarize ourselves with the surroundings. It was a nice flat course and the weather was absolutely perfect. About 70 degrees and overcast, so no sun would be bearing down on us during the run. It threatened to rain the whole time but never did.

All manner of runners were there to sign up. Young and old, thin and fat, and whole lot of regular Joes like me. At one point my sister asked “why is that guy wearing a...