Chicago Marathon

I won the lottery and will be running in the Chicago Marathon.

My friend, Tim Sackett, nearly had an aneurysm when I told him the news.

He’s like — Get ready for non-stop updates on what you’re eating, how much you’re drinking, how hard running is, how much you hate it, how much you love it, your shoes, your gear, and all the other crap that goes along with doing another marathon.

And I had to laugh because none of these topics were going through my head when I told Timmy about the Chicago Marathon. I was mostly thinking about how much my husband hates Chicago and doesn’t understand why I want to run the race. (It’s flat!) I was also thinking about how easy it is to stop running, how much harder a marathon is in your 40s than your 30s, and how maybe I’ll just defer my marathon entry and eat potato chips and drink champagne on my couch.

(Sounds great, right?)

Unfortunately, running never gets easier. That’s why I’m training for the race in Chicago right now. It would be nice to run a marathon without getting injured, so I hired a coach who is planning my program. We are going to try to change the narrative in my head from “large and out-of-shape” into “strong and seasoned athlete.”

(Because I am a strong and seasoned athlete. I’ve just been eating a lot more carbs during the past year.)

My other goal is to cross the finish line with a smile on my face. I’d like to feel good about my training and preparation, which means I’m declining travel engagements in the month of September to prepare for my long runs.

(Goodbye, Cape Town. Hello, American Tobacco Trail.)

I know Tim doesn’t want to read another post on how running makes me poop, but I can’t do anything without writing about it. So get ready for marathon-related posts. The good news is that I have my running-and-pooping strategy on lockdown. I can move on to more interesting topics.

Maybe.

Let the journey begin!