How about that? Tomorrow is the PF Changs Rock and Roll Marathon. I wonder what that is all about.

So I will wake up really early, put on the running duds (plus more layers since it is supposed to be near freezing temps tomorrow), get in the unexpectedly long lines to park and get on the buses downtown, line up with Team-D, and…. I have no idea what my legs will want to do. I may run smoothly, slow, walk, etc, but sometime tomorrow, I plan to get my body across the finish line, not look at the time, and call it a “race”.

This is how not to train. I’ve not run in a month, bicycled maybe twice, as I wait for the pains in my leg to move on. On a daily basis, the pain might be in front, down low in the calves, up high in calves, and sometimes not at all. I’ll stoke up on my aspirin (the only thing that makes it go away), strap on my mp3 player (oops, the iPod Shuffle died, do I have another), and get out on the streets.

There was a great quote/headline in today’s Arizona Tribune:

Sunday’s P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon will be a chance for 36,000 people to push themselves to their physical limits, and for about 3.6 million Valley residents to wonder why.

Coach Dave has always said only about 1% of the general population runs, so his math seems right– although from last year’s experience a lot of the 36,000 are from our of town, so the local percentage is even lower.

As one barely in the sub 1%, I internally know why— there is absolutely nothing quite is self-inspiring, meaningful, and fulfilling as trying to take your body where you think it cannot go, and then succeed or just try your best. It’s much better than wondering at home on the couch.