Day of Napa Marathon

Today, the Napa Marathon takes place. I had considered running it this year but the timing was too tight relative to the impending arrival of our next little bundle of joy. Given that Isaac joined the world a month earlier than originally expected, I didn't want to push the envelope - at least not in that department.

I have a great desire to run another marathon, and there are a several options, Napa being near the top of my list. One reason it appeals to me is that I would have a great support network there and perhaps, I could share some of this craziness I seem to possess with the people who care most about me. It's also a beautiful area, as I've written before - the scenery is amazing and the temperature this time of year is fairly ideal for me, someone who doesn't handle the heat well.

The Napa area is also where the story of Ultramarathon Man Dean Karnazes begins. I'm about half way through this book and it's a pretty amazing and account of perseverance and insanity. A few highlights so far:

• Eating an entire large Hawaiian pie from Roundtable Pizza with double toppings, an entire cheesecake and a large coffee MID-RUN (they delivered to him on the side of the road!)
• Projectile vomiting after his first 50-mile race INSIDE of his new Lexus... yummy (kind of reminds me of my experience after my first half-ironman event.
• "Karno's" finishing time in his first Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run was 21:01:14, but the biggest achievement was smply finishing.

Here's a quote from the book that I'm will help me keep focused this year:

"Most dreams die a slow death. They're conceived a moment of passion, with the prospect of endless possibility, but often languish and are not pursued with the same heartfelt intensity as when first-born. Slowly, subtly, a dream becomes elusive and ephemeral."

My goal / dream for 2008 is to raise at least $20k for charity via my athletic endeavors. I stated that dream at the end of last year, when I surpassed my own expectations and raised more than$15k. It's time to get moving and make this another great year!