well, things are moving right along. i can run for a whole five minutes without blowing out my lungs. little....tiny...baby...steps. i actually ran 1.5 miles today [ not all at once - i'm still doing the run/walk thing, but i did run 1.5 miles out of 2 total miles travelled ] and felt pretty good afterwards. we now have around 12 accidental marathonists that are going to run with us. i think some of us are going to run in the reeds lake 5k as part of the training. voluntarily running a 5k is still a little beyond my comprehension, but then again, running 1.5 miles was beyond my reach just last week.

i guess you can find inspiration in the funniest place. i like this advice from john rhodes' webword which usually focuses on usability issues, but occasionally serves up running-related content. i like his goals. i might make them the official motto of the acidental marathonists:

" I don't train very much and I am not trying to be a champion runner. Instead, I have two goals when I race: I never stop and I try not to finish last."

hmmm. interesting. i remembered that dan bricklin wrote awhile ago about a company called championchip that worked with nextel to provide real-time tracking of runner's progress:

"Nextel let each runner specify up to six email addresses (up from two last year) to which to send an email immediately after each crossing giving the time and estimated arrival at the finish. Of course, these emails could be to cell phones (hopefully Nextel ones...) of loved ones trying to cheer you on at various places. (With careful planning you can see someone along the way and use public transportation to meet them at the finish, too.) Now this is a good use of wireless: Very meaningful, timely, personal data, not couch-potato entertainment, with a broad definition of wireless."

i discovered that championchip going to be at the chicago marathon. maybe i'm getting ahead of myself, but it shouldn't be too difficult to link the messaging with blogger to provide real-time updates on the day of the race.

i'm not a runner. but i am running in the chicago marathon. and i am going to finish.

as with most crazy-in-a-good-way predicaments that i find myself in, i blame my wife. and todd mundt. see, it was on the todd mundt show that kris heard one of the authors of the non-runner's marathon trainer and decided that she was going to run a marathon. initially, i thought it was a passing phase, along the lines of "let's move off the grid to canada", but then i noticed the book sitting on our coffee table and the topic of marathons entering into our conversations more frequently. slowly, but surely, she was planting the seed.

i scoff at the idea and then find myself flipping through the book. she lets the idea ferment for a bit, and then mentions that we should go buy some running shoes. i scoff and then find myself wondering what kind of shoes i'd buy if i were going to run in a marathon. she says we should register for the chicago marathon. i scoff and then wonder when it was that i decided that i couldn't run a marathon.

dang. somewhere along the way i decided that i couldn't run a marathon. that me and marathon's don't mix. of course, then frank comes to mind, with his words of wisdom about devising limits for personal convenience and the next thing you know i'm standing in the store seriously contemplating a shiny new pair of new balance 764s

so that's how it started. me and my imaginary boxes.

i originally conceived of this site as the accidental marathonist, but kris has sucke....er...convinced 8 other people to do some box busting, so this site is for all the accidental marathonists. if they feel comfortable, maybe some of them will contribute. maybe not. nonetheless, check back every so often and peek in while i train for something that i convinced myself i couldn't do. kris and i started today by running. for five minutes. and then walking for five minutes. yes, in fact, i almost blew out one of my lungs. but it's a start.

i'm not a runner. but i am running in the chicago marathon. and i am going to finish.