"Life's a journey, not a destination..."

Who knew I would one day work an Aerosmith quote into a running blog?

But the message rings true, whether it's life or training for a marathon.  The race is just one part...the destination...of the journey.  It started when I trained for Disney to qualify for Boston.  It continued through the last 3 months, through rain and snow and ice.  Up hills and along routes that were becoming way too familiar.  There were favorite routes and trails and runs of varying distances.  There was the constant tug of my right hamstring and the occasional knee, back or foot issue which seemed to resolve themselves.  There were days I felt like I could run forever, and days when I could barely get loose.

But ultimately, that's all part of the marathon experience.  And if the journey is the true adventure, then I can't be disappointed that I won't get a chance to reach the destination.  This past Tuesday will go down as one of the worst days imagineable.  It started with the news that my brother in-law's father Jeno had been struck by a car the night before.  The day continued to spiral downward from there. 

On Monday instead of lining up in Hopkington, I'll be at a funeral in Suffern celebrating his life.  For someone who enjoyed the journey so much, his destination came way too soon.

As for me, I'll just have to go out and qualify again.  The journey continues...NYC marathon is only 6 months away...