Lofty. Ambitious. A soaring peak. The top. A vivid image of a place yet unseen. A goal. A vision. Directed purpose. Do you see it? Go.

Of all the accounts iv'e read of people climbing Everest, none of them began without a dream. The powerful vision of standing on top. This goal drives people to endure untold pain, and to cross unforeseeable obstacles. Where the outside world sees foolishness, the climber sees fulfillment. The peaks on the horizon draw them.

On my current horizon is the Missoula Marathon. To me, running a marathon still seems preposterous. I mean, 26.2 miles on foot, on purpose? My longest run to this point is 8 miles, and trust me is wasn't pretty. I watched Lesley train right past me as she prepared for the half-marathon last year. She's an animal. So proud of her. It's difficult though to stand at the finish line and watch people triumphantly finish and not feel a bit jealous. Yes, it's selfish, but I want to share in that feeling. So there it is. The mountain before be. The Missoula Marathon. Go.