Welcome Back

It's been so long, dear readers, that it will be virtually impossible for me to catch up on the details. Since my last running post, I've completed seven more marathons, several half marathons, and covered thousands more miles. In fact, in total miles, I've covered the distance between Los Angeles and New York City more than twice since then. But that's not why you're here. You're here for a story.

In October of 2015, my lovely bride and I decided to join some friends on a trip to Boston to cheer on our mutual friend (one of the toughest guys I know) as he runs the Boston Marathon. (If that doesn't mean much to you, see here, here, or here to read why it's such a big deal.) After deciding the four of us would make the trip, my friend (let's call him "Cakes") casually says, "I have a working relationship with some people at John Hancock (the title sponsor of the Boston Marathon). I wonder if we could get you in."

I looked Cakes in the eye. And walked away.

Let's be clear about something: I'm a realist. Well, about most things, but especially about running. I know my own marathon PR (3:58, twice) and that in order to qualify for Boston (yes, you have to post a qualifying time in order to get in. The Tough Guy posts sub-3 hour marathons in his sleep), I'd have to drop nearly 45 minutes from that. And so I figured if I ever wanted to qualify, I'd need to get much faster in a relatively short amount of time or maintain the same pace for another 40 years. (For you fact-checkers, I'd have to keep the same pace for another 25 years, but that doesn't seem nearly as dramatic or funny.) In short, I never really dreamed about running Boston. I just want to keep running marathons as long as I'm alive and healthy (see this guy for inspiration), even if it takes 8 hours. But Boston?! My brain couldn't even process the possibility.

And what does Cakes do (without my request or prodding, I should add)? The very next day he sends me a screenshot of an email response he'd already received from someone at John Hancock about getting me a fundraising waiver number. "Thanks, Cakes, but please don't send me any more updates because my next marathon is this Sunday, and I need to get my head straight before I can even think about this."

For now, I'll gloss over completing my 8th marathon and say that 8 days after Cakes initially makes his preposterous proposition, I receive an email. "Welcome to the 2016 John Hancock Boston Marathon Invitational Program!" Whaaaaaat?

Now it's my turn to share some screenshots. In the flurry of excitement, one friends simply points me to Psalm 37:4. The crazy thing is (and as I hope I made clear above), I've never imagined I'd run the Boston Marathon. How could this be considered the "desire of my heart"? But my friend is right. The opportunity to run this race is a blessing, one I have to delight in and take seriously.

That is why, faithful readers, I am working hard (thanks to a revamped training plan by my brother-in-law Bungo) to cover the miles. And that is why I have chosen to raise money for the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley. I'll tell you more about the RMMV in the coming weekly blog posts, but know that this place, while so very much more than a simple homeless shelter or soup kitchen, feels like home to me. The residents, academy members, volunteers, and staff are my friends and neighbors. To date, a little more than 4 weeks into the fundraising campaign, we've raised over 50% of the $10,000 goal!

If you'd like to contribute to the campaign, you can donate at my CrowdRise page or send a check directly to the Rescue Mission with "RB to Boston" in the memo line. Thank you in advance for your donation.

Here's my mileage for the week:

Monday- 4.38
Tuesday- 5.02
Wednesday- 7.27
Thursday- 1-mile swim
Friday- 3.1
Saturday- 15.06
Total: 34.83 miles

This is a picture after my second marathon, the Canton Marathon, from Father's Day 2012.