Chapter 1: In Which I Make My Wager....With the Beast

Let me make myself clear; I hate running. I hate it. I get out there, I stretch my legs, I put my head up, I put a foot forward, and sometime a few minutes after that, I collapse in a heap of exhaustion. So, it was a bit odd when, just a few weeks ago, I decided to train for and run in a marathon. Some would say that I have chosen to slay the dragon with nothing but a twig. I would say that would be charitable to me. Perhaps it is my newfound desire to do that which makes me uncomfortable, or that which will take strenuous effort to accomplish, which is pushing me to take on this journey. Perhaps it is a latent need that I have to attain success in the realm which few have tread, to do that "other thing", which is pulling me to push myself. Most likely, it is the fact that up until this point in my life, I have not had to push myself very far at all, which is making it urgent that I do this now.

So I made my decision, I crawled up to the hill, I dragged my twig behind me and stood outside the dragon's lair. I lifted up my too-large helmet and yelled at the beast, whose eyes I could barely see through the dense darkness of his cave, and I yelled to him; "within one year of today, I will come back here and slay you". I turned around and ran, not allowing to hear whether or not he laughed at my arrogance. "What hubris!" I imagined him saying "How cocky he must be, with just that twig and that small, puny, human frame, to think that he could best me!". Perhaps he said this, perhaps he didn't, but either way, I took it as my wager with the beast. I wager that I can defeat him, and he wagers that I cannot. Our ante; our respective lives.

I invite you to come with me, to read my entries as I construct a plan and (hopefully) execute it. Yes, within the next 365 days, I will run (and finish) a marathon. From now until next September, I will document my quest to surpass the visible limits, both physical and mental. This is about more than just a marathon, it is about life. It is about me setting small goals to reach the bigger one, taking stock of my weaknesses, and overcoming them, facing pain and exhaustion, and pushing on. Simply, it is about constantly moving, until the end, until there is no more. I don't claim to be unique in this quest, for I am merely describing life, and the way which, from here onward, I plan to live it.

GO!!!