Like everyone else, I got into marathons as part of a midlife crisis. Now that I've transitioned comfortably into the routines of middle-age as I approach 50, however, family fun usually wins out over running.

I do miss it, though. Occasionally, I will fantasize a way to be a marathon runner without having to actually run a marathon. Half-marathons don't count; once you've done a full marathon its hard to find the glamour in something with "half" attached to the front. No, I need to go all the way.