and we're off!

okay gang - if you know me and love me, you've probably seen this coming since at least 1983. that was the year lisa started running on the st. ignatius cross country team. one look at those muddy, grassy, rocky trails and i was hooked (not to mention the butter yellow sweat suits with the maroon winged sandal logo on them!). a year or two before (age four?) i had attempted to run the chicago park district turkey trot but, not understanding the ins and outs of outdoor racing, i foolishly expended all of my energy on what i thought was the race but turns out to have been only the course walkthrough. (incidentally, lisa came home with 1st prize - the 20lb. turkey.) i seem to recall winning a few olympic day races at s.m.m., some lifeguard events, and even an amazing high school track debut - the indoor 3200m race at OPRF against the then star of the high school track team. triumphs in the subsequent fifteen years have been a bit fewer and further between but there have been a few. and so, where is all of this heading? i'll tell you.

i just registered for my first marathon: chicago, sunday, october 22, 2006.

so hang with me here. you can follow my progress, laugh at my insanity, and pray with me to avoid injury. i'll post some photos and who knows? we may all have a little bit of fun along the way.

and now, for the details: i'm just back from a delightful 70 min. run around the neighborhood and over to the lake. the weather is perfect - 65 degrees and sunny - and, after a much deserved day off yesterday, my legs felt great. i think this is actually my longest run of 2006. my feet feel good, my knees feel good, my back feels good, my head feels good! drew and i are off for our first leisurely bike ride of the year. oop, and "official" marathon training doesn't start until june 5th.