Go the Distance

Near the beginning of the fall semester, I was charged with bringing in a song that represented one of Chickering and Reisser's (1993) seven vectors, Developing Competence. I brought in the Michael Bolton rendition of "Go the Distance" from the movie, Hercules. (I'm fairly certain I've blogged about this before, solely based on the title alone but you probably don't remember.)

I was reminded of this song today. Not because I'm in a Disney mood and went back and watched the good Disney films of our youth (or my brother's) and not because I think Michael Bolton is an amazing singer (although I'm shamed to admit I did have one of his cassette tapes back in the day...). But I'm reminded of it moreso for the title as I just registered for my first half-marathon!

On Saturday, April 25, 2009, I'll be going the distance running the 10th Anniversay Country Music Half Marathon in Nasvhille with Caleb, Christy, Dawn, Lindsey Anne, and DP. I am really excited about it for many reasons. First, it's something I never thought I would be able to do. I enjoy running but I considered a mile or two run a feat. As I prepare to head back to Athens and tackle 7-8 mile runs, I'm excited that I stuck with it and even more so that I now feel that I can run a half marathon. Second, I'm really looking forward to the group going. On the one hand, it's a great way to bond with members from my cohort in a completely different way outside the classroom. On the other, it's another adventure for DP and I. I feel like we haven't had one since skydiving and I'm excited about us tackling the half together. Plus, he'll get to meet my Athens friends and it's always great to bring your friends together. Lastly, I'm always game for a road trip.

So over the next few months, I'll be donning my running gear, trying out my new Nike+, and hitting the roads and the trails. I'm sure I'll encounter plenty of days when I want to just stop and throw in the towel. But I know I can persevere...I can GO THE DISTANCE (Sorry, that was cheese. total cheese).

Hope everyone had a merry Christmas. It was great spending time with family and Santa was incredibly nice to me this year. Glad I was a good boy!

Cheers.