After training for his very first marathon -- running almost every day, through the rain, through the cold, even when we were traveling -- Felix finally achieved his goal. It took five months of intense preparation, but on January 13th, he completed the Walt Disney World 20th anniversary marathon, not quite in the time he'd planned but impressively darn close: 3:17:50. 

The perseverance and joy was amazing to watch. In fact, as I sit here thinking about it, I realize it's hard to describe how proud I feel, as it was truly one of those remarkable experiences when you see someone put his mind to something...and actually succeed! Exhilarating. Grueling. And inspiring.

So inspiring that I decided to sign up for the September Disneyland half marathon, along with Felix and a whole crew of family and friends.

Hooray, you might think. However, I'm not a runner. No, really, I know some people say that, yet they jog on the treadmill or run the occasional lap with their neighbors. 

I. Don't. Run. Not a mile, not a 5K, nothing. Never have, and never thought I would.

But living alongside my Other Half through all this... I find myself wondering: what could I do if I tried? Do I even possess that kind of sheer dedication? Believe me, these are very fair questions to ask.

The truth is, I don't know. I have a little over seven months to figure it out, and I think it will be "interesting."

I put on my shoes yesterday, encouraged Bryce to get on his bike, and trotted a little over two miles to/from downtown. Thank goodness my buddy was there to keep me motivated, looking over his shoulder to make sure I was going to catch up, or I would have listened to my inner whiner and slowed to a walk at the first stop sign.

Sigh... Thus, the journey begins!