Chicago or Bust?

There is something weird about the first post of any blog. A bit of excitement. A bit of trepidation. I really have no idea what to write. But what the heck, I'll give it a go...

I created this blog as a means to share the trials and tribulations of my running experiences. In particular, my experiences as I train for the Chicago Marathon in October.

See, this will be my first ever marathon. I wasn't going to sign up for a marathon this year. My plan was to run a few half marathons, build my confidence up, and then, in 2016 sign up for a full marathon. That was plan until one evening when my girlfriend simply asked me "Why not put your name in the lottery?" To which I replied "...." (a typical response).

Sure enough, the next day, I tossed my name into the hat. A month later, like a kid the night before Christmas, I nervously waited on the day they announced the "winners." Then the message arrived:

I raised my arms in triumph and was filled with joy and excitement ... until the next day when it hit me: I am going to pay to run 26.2 miles. Holy #@$%!

All this is not to say that I am going to do a couch-to-marathon experience. I have been running for about a year. I have run numerous 5K races, a couple 10K races, and in May, I completed my first half. So, I guess, the marathon was just the next logical step in the process.

This blog will hopefully provide me an outlet for the stress and excitement I will inevitably encounter along the way. I'm not going to lie, I'm making this all up as I go and that also goes for the training. At the very least, it should be an interesting journey.