So after lots of thought and deliberation with my wife, we have decided to give this marathon a month thing a shot in 2016. 2016 will be my fortieth year. Instead of buying a Porsche or a Harley Davidson (which I can't afford), or perhaps bungee jumping into an active volcano to accomplish item number 757.4 of section 18 on my bucket list, I've decided to run 316.4 miles over a 12 month span.
Certainly training will tabulate much more than that but the idea of running twelve marathons, for 12 medals in 12 different venues, in multiple states is very intriguing. For those that have started and finished a marathon, we understand that it takes effort, dedication, discipline, and focus, to name a few. Trust me, when I say to name a few, I mean the list can go on and on for the things one needs to do in order to cross that finish line. In addition to what a runner must accomplish emotionally and physically, said runner needs to get family and friends on board. Those late night bar crawls begin to disappear as training ramps up. Rolling out of bed hungover after a Friday night blackout is replaced with early Saturday morning long run since you get about 16 weeks out from D-Day. Granted at my age and status of a husband and father of two young children, I know very little about Friday night binge drinking. The commitment however, to training, is something that my wife needs to agree to and understand.
Why do 12 in 12? I've done 2 in 1 year and one a year since 2003 but there is a next level and next step for me. I played team sports and boxed and the nature of games would be to train and prepare for game time. The game, in theory, would be you at your best. I miss that constant game time feel. I run year round without taking any significant time off but when July hits and I have a marathon in November my mentality changes. I no longer run recreationally, I train for a marathon. Before July and after Marathon day I sort of shut it down and simply run for the love (haha). There is nothing wrong with that but I want to live and train like a pro athlete. I'll have to watch my diet, my rest, how much I exert myself, for an entire year. Floyd Mayweather Jr., one of the greatest boxer ever is said to walk around at his fighting weight while other fighters need to cut weight in order to be prepared for fight night to make weight. I won't be able to taper for twelve months. I will be marathon ready from January 25, 2016 (or thereabouts) to some time in December. Foam rollers, Sticks, vitamins, and water will be important staples to get through with 12 medals in twelve months.
I am not the first to do it. I'm not the last to do it. I'm not the coolest. I don't have a cool story Bro. I don't have a sad story nor am I raising money. It will not be as difficult as Dean Karnazes doing 50 marathons, in 50 states, in 50 days. It is not an ultra and I have not overcome any particularly difficult ordeals. All of that said, this is my journey that means a lot to me, my wife and my kids.
I quoted Einstein because I am getting an education on running in general and my running in particular. The challenge is, how do I look at what I've done and what I need to do in order to accomplish my goal, not how to do it. That answer is simple.
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