20 reasons why you should run a marathon

the start

danny's mom. and a megaphone.

before after
almost there! my legs felt like they weighed a million lbs

1. you can eat whatever the heck you want. and still lose weight.

2. you get sick tan lines.

3. you get muscles on your legs. in weird places too.

4. you can say you ran a marathon

5. you usually get a free t shirt

6. free food

7. free gator aide

8. there is nothing like using a porta potty in the middle of a race.

9. it gives you an excuse to download a lot of pumping music such as "eye of the tiger" and no one can make fun of you. they aren't running a marathon.

10. you learn how to push yourself

11. you learn discipline.

12. it forces you to work out even if you don't feel like it

13. you get to watch people cry, go to the bathroom in their pants, and limp for several miles.

14. fun pictures

15. there is no feeling like the feeling of crossing that finish line

16. you can buy cool running shoes

17. it gives you an excuse to get out of the house

18. it makes you really thankful for ice. and ace bandages. and hot tubs.

19. you get to explore new scenery the day of the race. i ran through the weirdest places that i would never have seen otherwise.

20. it gives you an excuse to never wear real clothes.

you should run a marathon! Tis rad.

This is What I Do at Work All Day

This is what the little girl from the story below reminds me of. except she was chubbier.

The Wrong Place at the Wrong Time

I am running the Salt Lake marathon on April 18th. As such, I have a pretty strict training schedule which I adhere to.
The other day I was out doing a 5 miler (it was my short day). I was thoroughly enjoying it-- it was so warm outside. There were no clouds. I could feel the sun baking my pasty winter face, you know, just that wonderful feeling when the sun warms your skin. I love that.
The music playing on my ipod was very summery feeling. I had it blasting.
I had been running good and hard and was down to my very last mile. Because I had been running so hard, I had worked up a good amount of saliva. Occasionally, I would turn my head to the side and spit, if you will. I know, it's gross right? But I haven't found a better alternative.

Throughout my run, I noticed a young girl on her bike. She was probably about 10 years old. She had really really really thick glasses. Really. They looked like magnifying glasses and made her poor little eyes look humongous.
She had ratty hair, about to her shoulders. In the basket of her bike, she had a rock collection, McDonald's cup, a few sticks, and various assundry items. She wore a navy blue hoodie that probably belonged to her dad (who was probably a very, very large man).
She rode her bike at about the pace that I run.

I hadn't seen her for a while. My thoughts were focused on the sun, the sounds, the spring smells.
I had worked up another set of saliva in my mouth. I turned my head to the left to spit. And then I saw her. It was too late. I watched in slow motion as the loogie flew through the air, and yes, you guessed right, landed right smack in the center of her forehead (I don't know how it missed her ginormous glasses).
There was instant shrieking. Shrieking and hands flipping in the air. EWWW. EEwWWWWW. I wish everyone could experience the sound of this poor little girls shrieking. I have never heard anything like it. At best, I would imagine it sounded similiar to what a Taradactul would sound like. I choked back laughter while this little girl choked back tears.
I tried to calm her down and make sure she was ok (I understand, this must have been the most traumatizing moment... i felt HORRIBLE) but the longer I tried to help her, the funnier it got. So, after I had determined that she was going to survive, I just kind of patted her on the back and went on my merry way.
Hopefully I didn't ruin her life.
And hopefully no one saw me as I finished my run, as I stopped to laugh about every 100 feet.