I’m Running the New York City Marathon. Maybe.

Today I was officially admitted to the ranks of New York City Marathon registrants for 2010. I got the good news shortly after my morning run. There had over the past few days been a bit of a snafu involving whether I had actually met the qualifying deadline or not. But now it is resolved, and I am registered. (Though apprehensive; I have had some hamstring trouble over the past couple of years, and I am afraid of getting injured.) 

The marathon is a story of running, but it is also a story of New York: of neighborhoods, and languages, and diverse cultures, of the many people from all over the world who run, and the many people from all over the world who gather to watch them. The course covers all five boroughs, and it is an extraordinary experience.

I ran this race four times from 1992 to 1995, and I have gone to Central Park to watch the runners almost every year since. If I do end up running this fall, it will be the first New York City Marathon in 15 years where I will be a participant rather than a spectator.

Pimsleur might help! Today, for example, as I have done in the past, I used Pimsleur to ensure that I stretched sufficiently after my run. What I mean is, I would not allow myself to stop stretching until I had finished a full half-hour lesson. This is a great system, because when I am doing something else besides just stretching, I tend to abandon the routine less quickly. As my brain benefits, so does my flexibility.

The race is November 7, 2010. I will have to see how it goes in the coming months. Marathon training is no joke.