END IN SIGHT...OR NOT

I will admit, having run 9 of the 12 marathons I intend to this year, I have briefly entertained thoughts of calling it quits after December's Santa Barbara International. But I have also, so far, quieted those voices, and have started planning for marathon life after the 12 in 12.

Today, I got an added boost. After weeks of camping out in front of my mailbox, in anticipation of the arrival of my official "Big G" Goon Squad Runners singlet, my patience was rewarded this afternoon. I had been sent one before, but it was an "L". Despite the loss of numerous pounds over the past year and, literally thousands of pre-dawn situps, the L was a tad on the snug side. No, to be honest, it was more like a sausage casing than a piece of clothing. So much for thinking I'd become seriously skinny. The "XL" is way more the trick, although there is still some serious work to be done.

Now that the Big G is here, there is no way I could stop running. I may not even go back to running fewer than a marathon a month.

I am thrilled to be headed back east in September, for the Rochester Marathon, number 10 of the 12. It will be the first time I'll run in the Big G. I have been promised it imparts maGical powers. I will be meeting up, for the first time, with my friend Laura. I do believe there will be talk there, over brews and bbq, of a possible destination marathon effort in 2010, with our friend, Karoline, who lives in Trieste. (Poor thing! Someone's got to live there, though.) Not sure K knows anything about this yet. But, hopefully, after Laura and I set personal bests on the Rochester course, we'll set something even more exciting into motion.

I am already scheduled to run Europe's Marathon in Trieste AND the Prague Marathon in May of next year, despite those moments of weakness when I considered cutting back. K knows about those, as I'll be running at least one of them with her. Hoping she may even want to try Prague, too.

After next month's Rochester race, I have the Silicon Valley Marathon in San Jose (California, not Costa Rica, sadly!) and then Santa Barbara. After that, the world is my oyster.

Here's some of what I'm thinking about.

How about Sydney, in September 2010? After all, if I had to choose one food item to eat for the rest of my life it would surely be shrimp. Big ol' shrimp off the Barbie, after running 26.2 miles through Australia's capital city? What could be better? HA! You thought you caught me in a mistake, right? I know Sydney's not the capital. I was just joshin' ya, mate! The only problem I have with the Down Under idea is the plane flight. Unless I can score First Class, that much time in the air can be killer.

Then there's Nairobi, Kenya, in October 2010. As I will never run LIKE a Kenyan, perhaps I can run (for ever such a brief moment) NEXT to one. I can't even wrap my head around what it must feel like to wake up in the Kenyan capital on race day morning. I'm guessing it would be nothing short of stunning. I have a pretty good idea what it would feel like to wake up the following morning, having done 26.2 miles in east Africa. About the same as it feels having done the distance anywhere else. Hurting.

While those choices are certainly numbers 2 and 3 on my short list, my current number 1 is Reykjavik, Iceland, in August. In my mind, this is surely one of those corners of the world that, once one's gone into it, one may not ever want to come out of. (Poor grammar, I know. Deal with it.) From what I've been able to glean so far, it's mind-blowing scenery, food, drink and people. The event also takes place the same weekend as Reykjavik Culture Night, which features a midnight fireworks display that is not to be missed. Then, there's the thermal pools after the run. (I know, I know, ice baths, blah, blah, blah.) Give me a beer and a hot tub every time.

Not sure if any one of these dreams will ever come true, but it's sure fun having them. I love sharing these kind of hopes with other people. Hoping Laura and Kari are down, too. Would also love to hear from anyone else who may consider joining in on the fun. The world is full of way cool stuff to be done...and, after all, we're marathoners. We can.

Gotta run!