First things second

OK, now the introductory post that normally comes first in a new blog.

"Why the hell are you starting a running blog? Don't you already post on dailymile and Twitter everything you have to say?"

Yeah, but come on, a lot of that is minutiae. When I post tonight on dailymile that I ran 5 miles in 42 minutes for my weekly Tuesday easy run, no one is going to give a crap, not even my running friends (hardly even myself). What is there to discuss? And my Twitter page is 99.9 percent not about running.

This blog is intended for items with a little more substance that have wider appeal. That seems to be what the cool kids are doing with these things: posting race reports, asking friends for input on gear, or stuff like what I posted earlier about the Boston Marathon. You know, stuff worth reading.

"Wait a minute, I don't even know you, dude!"

Oh, a real introduction, huh? OK, well, I'm Brian, I'm 35 and I live in a suburb of Dallas. I was not much of an athlete growing up -- not beyond mediocre youth-league soccer and swimming, anyway -- and certainly not a runner. I somewhat accidentally got into running in the fall of 2007 because I thought it might relieve the symptoms of my Restless Legs Syndrome (yes, it is legit).

Long story short, I ran my first 5K in March 2008 and moved on to progressively longer distances until finishing my first marathon in November 2009. I'm currently training to run the Tucson Marathon in December with the goal of qualifying for Boston -- well, maybe, as you might have read -- and am eagerly awaiting 2011 and beyond, when I'll be running a wide variety of races. I'll run pretty much anything I think will be a good experience, from the Dash Down Greenville (my first race; I'll run this every year) to the Rouge-Orleans (penciled in for 2012, after I get my qualifying 50-miler done in 2011, most likely the Katy Trail 50).

I'm fast enough to be reasonably competitive but I'm certainly not going to be winning any major awards. My approach is very DIY; I've never even been professionally fitted for shoes. Even my training plans are amalgams of several different experts. I have tried and erred and am quite happy in taking ownership of the results, good or bad.

"Well, that's all good to know and I look forward to reading and contributing to this thing. But what's up with the name?"

If you have run a marathon, some idiot co-worker of yours has asked, "Hey, how long is your marathon?" or something like that. It's kind of my knowing nod to my fellow runners. Plus, on some screens on this site, the last word gets cut off, so that's kinda funny too.

Enjoy!