October 17, 2005

It’s now 10on7in10….and counting?

I was in the port-o-let with I heard the starting gun signal the start of the Columbus, Ohio marathon….not a good feeling. Let’s just say I finished my business promptly and dashed for the starting line, desperately trying to catch the pack. Caught up at the first mile marker and made my way into the middle of pack – where I usually start now and where I usually finish now.

In September, just when I was beginning to relax, I noticed the upcoming Columbus, Ohio marathon mentioned in a magazine. It was only 90 minutes away. Linda was going to be out of town that weekend and wasn’t expected to return until 3pm on the day of the race. I figured I could get up at 4am, drive to Columbus from Cincinnati, and be at the starting line by 8am. If I finished in a decent time, I could be back in Cincinnati at the airport to pick Linda up at 3pm, and STILL listen to the Bengals game while I was in the car. Busy day, but what else did I have to do? Why not?

The plan worked perfectly. The morning was cool and brisk. Except for my tardy arrival at the start line, the run was smooth and well-done – sort of like a fall foliage tour on foot. I had never really been on The Ohio State University’s campus before, and it is gorgeous, even more so with the palate of fall colors. Granted, the race didn’t include the Great Wall or Kilimanjaro or Antarctica, but I got to sleep in my own bed the night before and night after the race and never had to get on a plane!

Made it back to the airport in Cincinnati in time to pick up Linda, and when she asked what I’d been doing all day, I just said shrugged and said “Went for a little run…”.

One a month so far – maybe I should go for an even dozen by year’s end???