In 13 weeks I’ll run The Light At The End of the Tunnel Marathon. This will be my 14th marathon. Between now and then I have approximately 75 days of training. Today was day one.

I love day one because today is the day things kick-off. Just me, a goal, and a plan to get it done. No bells, no whistles, no fanfare. Just me, the open road, and my desire to test myself against the distance, the elements, and the physical and mental obstacles that will contrive on a daily basis to get in the way of my wish to run yet more marathons in 2017.

I love day one because it’s the day when I transition from the important but somehow more  mindless work of pouring the foundations, the easy-paced, base-building runs that establish an aerobic platform, to the more technical, more precise activities where time, distance, pace, heart rate and type of run all arrive on the schedule in a fairly remorseless and unforgiving manner. Six days a week of speed runs and strength runs, tempo runs and long runs – you can’t get your time if you don’t put in the time.

I love day one because I know that 75 days of training later, I’ll be stronger, fitter, and leaner (please God yes, leaner), than I am today.

More than anything, I love day one because I’m one day closer to one of my favorite places on earth – the start line.

I hope you can keep me company along the way.

Keep moving.

Rob