What I Learned from Running a Marathon
My bucket list was pretty short: Run a marathon and write a book. The book is a long way off—I'll need to come up with something to write about first—but for several years I've thought somewhat seriously about running a marathon. I kept putting it off because I didn't think I had the time to train. But finally, last summer, I signed up for my first marathon. I figured life was only going to get busier, so this was my shot. I set a goal of running the marathon in under 4 hours, which is a popular target for amateur runners. It's sufficiently difficult to be an impressive accomplishment, but it's also attainable. I knew that I'd only have one chance to run a marathon—at least until my kids were in college—so I was laser focused on breaking 4 hours in this race. I paced my training runs accordingly, and I told family and friends about my goal. I was confident I was capable of breaking 4 hours, but I didn't know whether I'd actually be able to do i...