I finished the Honolulu Marathon. It was much hotter than I thought it would be (85 with 90% humidity) and I came in slower than I wanted but I did it. I came out of there thinking "that was the most miserable $&#**&@-ing experience of my life but guess what? I'm doing it again. I'm going to run the Los Angeles Marathon in March, also for AIDS Project Los Angeles. The experience was so worthwhile and I met so many wonderful people along the way that when they asked me to join them in LA I couldn't say no. (Plus my friend Michael made an executive decision that I was running with him and his partner so I really had no choice). I really believe in the work that APLA does and I'm very happy I have found a way to help out. So it's on to the LA Marathon.
By the way, thanks to my friends and family the final total I raised for APLA for the Honolulu Marathon was $8,495.19. As a returning Marathoner, I only have to raise $500 for LA but of course I hope to raise more (although I fear I may have exhausted my resources) so if you know of anyone who is interested in contributing, please direct them to my new APLA Marathon Fundraising site.
I took a lot of pictures and video from Hawaii and the Marathon which I will post later after I get back from my holiday trip to New York but for now, here's a picture of me crossing the finish line.
Thanks for reading and may you all have a joyous and healthy New Year.
Well, the Marathon is 11 days away. I cannot believe it's here. Now comes the worst part - traveling. I hate traveling. Well, I like going places, I just hate getting there. I hate airports. I hate airplanes. I hate flying. Other than that, it's great. I'm getting antsy about traveling. I've never packed for a marathon before - I'm deathly afraid I'll forget something as basic as my running shoes. I have decided to wear my running shoes on the plane, just in case something happens and we have to bail out in a hurry. I can buy new shorts, socks and shirts in Hawaii if necessary. I can't break in new running shoes in two days. These are the stupid things I think about.
I'm glad some of you continue to read this blog and I appreciate the comments that have been left (even if I don't respond to them, I really do appreciate them).
Back to traveling angst. I wish my wife and I were going on the same flight but we're not. My travel was booked through APLA on Delta and she's flying in on Continental. She's supposed to get in an hour after I do. I will not relax until we are both in Honolulu together. God I hate traveling.
I'm worried about my dogs. Our friend is house-sitting for us and will take good care of them but I still worry that they will all be OK. What if he locks himself out of the house? I should let him know that if he does get locked out, he has my permission to break a window to get back in.
The only good thing about all this traveling angst is that it's keeping me from worrying about the actual Marathon itself so I guess that's a plus. I think I use worrying as a form of control - if I worry about everything, then maybe none of it will happen. But still, I'd much rather be relaxed. But it's not gonna happen.
Oddly, I still don't feel like I'm a runner. I'm much more the tortoise than the hare. Still feel like a plodding old man whenever I'm out running and I still hate actually leaving the house in the morning to go run. I thought by now I'd love running but I don't think that's ever going to happen. I'm also disappointed by the fact that I haven't really lost all that much weight. I've lost about 8 pounds but I really thought I'd lose more than that. I feel better and my clothes fit better but I really thought there'd be more of a change. I still feel like the same fat guy at 50 that I was at 49.
I really can't wait until this is over.
