You're gonna do what?

I'm gonna hit the brakes, and he'll fly right on by.

Sorry, Top Gun was a favorite movie of mine as a kid...

I get a lot of strange looks when I say I run marathons.  There's the inevitable questions, how long is this one, why, who's chasing you?  All of us runners have heard these.  When I mention I'm running a 50k this weekend, the blank gaze comes on... maybe they're doing the math, yes, 31ish miles.  Yes, I'll be running for around 8 hours.  No, no one will be chasing me.  I don't really know why...

I'm going to try and run 100 miles this November.

Done thinking about how far that is?  It's from Heflin to Sylacauga if you're curious.  I'll have 30 hours to complete the distance.  I'm hoping to better my friend's time of 29.5 hours.  Yes, that's more or less non-stop.

Here's why: God.  1Kings19:7 - And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, "Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you."  I don't look like a runner.  I looked it up and I'm literally 80 pounds heavier than the average elite marathon runner, though I've completed 15 so far.  The only explanation I have is the strength of the Lord.  I'm not running 100 to test the Lord, but to praise the fact He'll give me the strength and perseverance to go the distance.   How awesome are His machines that we can run that far, for that long with so little sustenance?  On a typical 4 hour marathon I may only eat 3-4 gu's (little energy packs about the size of a ketchup pack - 60-100 calories) and aside from water or Gatorade don't drink anything.  Amazing!! 

So I thought I'd start a blog to journal this adventure and showcase what God is doing in my life.  And answer a few questions about running.

How long is this marathon: All marathons are 26.2 miles.  You can thank the Brits for the extra .2.  The nobles were too lazy to walk to the end of their driveway so they had the race extended so they could watch the finish from their balcony.  Thanks.  Halfs are, well, half.  13.1 miles.  Sometimes they come with fun names for shorter runs, like a mini-marathon for a 2.x mile run, etc.  But yes, a marathon is 26.2 miles...

Why: Mainly cause I can.  The t-shirts are cool, the medals are usually pretty cool, you can eat whatever you want during the training... take your pick.  I just do it cause it's fun and I like to see how far far is...

Who's chasing you: well... I suppose the slow people behind me.  Though as I get slower and slower each year I don't think that applies as much.  Maybe the fat kid I ate when I was kid... or again, cause it means if I run 20 miles every Saturday for 4 months in training I can eat pizza every weekend without any guilt!! :-)

Why would I ever want to run 100 miles?  Most people don't even like to drive 100 miles.  I don't either, butt always gets tired and I get really bored unless my wife is there keeping me company.  But for the 30 hours of running, I'm going to have a lot on my mind, doubt I'll get bored at all!  And I'm fascinated by the body God has given me.  As mentioned I'm not in great shape (though maybe after all this running in training...?) and I'm certainly not special (even my mom would agree with that...) but I have no doubt that with God pacing me I'll have no problems.   

So I guess as my wife would say, let the adventure begin!