I hate to admit it, but I’m getting close to an age where I *may have* passed the point of my peak athleticism.  Now, I’m not ready to give in, so I took the bait from some friends and signed up for the Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon.

Some people will just run the race with quiet dignity.  But, not me.  I’ve decided that 13 miles is a long way, and frankly, there are a lot of reasons between now and June 25 for me to back out.  So, now I’ve announced what I’m doing on this blog, and the faithful 4 of you who read it must hold me accountable.

So that means when you say, “Let’s go grab a beer” and I reply, “Let’s go run Greenlake instead,” I’m not saying I’m embarrassed to be in public with you.  Nor am I curious to see what you look like in a rainstorm. I just need the run more than I need the beer.  

Anyway, there are a number of months between now and then, so Mike Decklever, Rob Newton and I are putting together a couple of teams for some upcoming races, and you all should join us.  March 13 is the St. Patty’s Day Dash, a nice little 4 mile run around downtown, followed by an Irish celebration at Fisher Plaza.  Two months later on May 15 is the Beat the Bridge Run.  Team “No Runner Left Behind” will be making its mark for the 5th or 6th year.  This 5 miler has the extra challenge of making the 2 mile mark before the University Bridge goes up.   If you haven’t done this race before, join us, as it’s one of the more run races to take part in.  Plus, there’s a champagne breakfast at my house after the race for the whole team, so double bonus.  I’ll get the team info set up shortly and set up a Facebook Page or something.  

So how is the training coming?  I have Ryan Bostick leading me on 3-4 mile mountain trail runs to get me acclimated to hills.  And a number of different folks have joined me for regular trips on the Greenlake loop.  So now that I’m about 15 pounds lighter from Jan 1, and up to a steady 3 miles in 31 minutes pace, I think the groundwork is pretty well laid.  I’m not fast, but I’m not hopeless.

All of this is a long way of me saying, that I’ve planted my stake in the ground and not letting myself off the hook.  So if you’re hitting a trail or going for a quick jog, drag me along.  Left to my own devices, I can always convince myself that a powerpoint *needs* to be done instead of running.