Wednesday, December 17, 2008

#1,228

ORN: none...still resting ITB

It's now official:



I'm now a member of the Marathon Maniacs, #1,228, complete with my very own list of marathons finished. My shirt arrived today in the mail and it finally feels real.

It's a little unclear to me why I pursued this or why it is such a quiet pleasure. The best I can come up with is this is the first serious thing I've ever earned in distance running. I'm sure glad membership is about endurance and not speed.

And maybe that is the entire reason for the pursuit; it emulates so much of life. Endurance very, very often trumps speed.

I'm honored to be in such great company. It'll be fun to meet more MMs at races and not to have to say "Hey, I'm going to qualify." Thanks for having me.

As we all persevere.

10 comments:

Pat said...

congrats, maniac.

Anonymous said...

Congrats!

John said...

Congrats, Joe, this is great. Nice validation of a goal that was met this year.. Perseverance pays off!!

Wes said...

Totally A-W-E-S-O-M-E!! I too wish to be a maniac some day! I had a chance at the beginning of the year, but I opted out due to other committments. Still, its the coolest!

Sarah said...

Congrats from #355! : )

Unknown said...

Congratulations, 1228!

From #97

Backofpack said...

Hey #1228, welcome to the club! It's all about going the distance at whatever speed you have. Now you'll know the joy of looking for the yellow jersey, the smile and the wave at all the marathons you go to. That was the highlight of the Seattle Marathon, and last year's Portland. So many Maniacs, and everyone of them gives a wave when they spot the Maniac yellow. One of these days, I hope it's me waving to you!
#402

Darrell said...

Ah, yes, the "Why" question. I think if we ever really figured it out, we might actually stop running.

It's kind of like some famous mountain climber being asked why he did it and he answered, "Because it's there". (I apologize for my lack of details and historical accuracy.)

IronWaddler said...

I love it!! Too cool!

David said...

From perseverence to maniacal endurance.
What's next?