Is It Me, or Is It My Friends, or Is It Words That End in “thon?”

Is it me? Is it my friends who suggest things? Is it Southern California? Is it first time events? Is it words that end in “thon?”

Four years ago, I was talking with a friend about walking with a pedometer. When I told him how many steps I was averaging each day, he said, “Wow! If you walk that much every day, it wouldn’t be that hard for you to run a marathon!” The idea took root. I registered for the first Pasadena Marathon and bought a book for people who were not runners who wanted to prepare to run a marathon.

I bought some shoes, and began following the training program. I completed it over four months, going from not running to a couple of 18 mile long runs in anticipation of the race itself. On the weekend of the race, brush fires sprang up around Southern California. By the time the race was supposed to begin, the air very smoky and the race was cancelled.

I appreciate that it was not safe to run a marathon in the smoke. The end result for me was that I gained a very expensive T-shirt.

So, a couple of months ago, another friend sent me a link to a story about the first Los Angeles Beerathon, wich was scheduled for today. The plan was 26 beers, each in a different venue in Los Angeles. This is an event that I have been preparing for most of my life! I registered, and began getting ready.

The training program I followed did not vary that significantly from my regular routine.

Yesterday the organizers announced that the first ever Los Angeles Beerathon was cancelled.

I appreciate that life is a journey, not a destination.

This time I did not even get a T-shirt.

[Image by misteraitch]