Newfound respect for Will Ferrel, George Bush, and Oprah

Just finished the Grand Rapids Marathon. Unofficial time: 5 hrs 27 min. As much as I am happy with my time, it was far behing Will Ferrel, George Bush, P Diddy, and Oprah. I started my run with the Al Gore pace team (he did it in just under 5 hrs). I think I saw that Will Ferrel did it under 4!
New at the marathon was the addition of pickle juice as a refreshment. I understand there is some value to all the electrolytes in pickle juice, but I could not bring myself to drink some out of fear of an upset stomach.

I hope this inspires people to aim high with their health and fitness goals. I am not genetically made for running, but I did it. Start small and build upon it. You might surprise yourself. Just do it!

Marathon

Well, my first marathon is now only a few days away. The big question is: am I ready?
My answer: I don't know. I've never done a marathon before.
My gut says that I am ready, although my gut also told me that 19 miles was enough about a month ago. ( a marathon is 26.2 miles).
Wether or not I do well, I am sure that I will finish.

I would like to thank my wife Sheri Beth for her support during my training. She has offered me both encouragement and accountability throughout the past 8 months. She also happens to watch over our daughter while I take up to 5 hours to run on the weekend. Thanks honey.

One final pitch for the Anticancer Fund. You still have time to call the office and pledge money for this worthy cause. Like I've been saying all along, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but it's easier to profit from the pound of cure. We need more studies done on how diet and lifestyle changes can make a difference in cancer prevention. That's what the Anticancer Fund does. Our office number is (616) 301-3000.

I have never been much of a runner myself, and I hope that maybe I have inspired others to start running. If you are thinking about it, you can check out this video on stretches for runners. I shot it last week at John Collins Park in East Grand Rapids, on a beautiful but unseasonably warm October day. Hope this weather holds out for my big run!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMV6-KzV_WY