Ha. I guess it was a good thing that I put “maybe” on my Instagram post.
1. I am not running 26.2 miles.
2. I can sleep in on Marathon Sunday.
3. I’ll be able to root and cheer for folks this year because Mile 22 goes right through my neighborhood. Oh, I get to buy glitter for my signs.
4. I probably can schedule my toe surgery and have time to recover before training for Madrid’s marathon.
5. No Marathon Monday soreness.
6. No painful post-marathon shower. It’s over for me once the soap and water hit the areas of chaffing.
7. I can have a beer while watching the runners. Well . . . technically, I usually have a few shots of beer while running the marathon.
8. Since I can defer my registration, I do not have to worry about completing my 9+1 for guaranteed entry into next year’s marathon. This is important because the marathon was supposed to be one of my 9+1 races and I am NOT doing that NYE midnight run again. I know this is bad, but I did (for a millisecond) consider selling my marathon bib. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know that you are not supposed to do this.
9. Once the hip fully heals (hopefully in a few weeks), my running motivation will be restored. Usually, after the NYC Marathon, I do not want to think about running until mid to late January. Maybe this will be the year (technically 2020) that I will run NYRR’s Fred Lebow Half Marathon, which will be held on Jan. 19, 2020.
Man, coming up with 26.2 reasons is tough.
10. No worrying about having to use a porta-potty.
11. No post-marathon blues. I’m already dealing with the ‘I’m injured and cannot run’ blues.
12. I will not have to deal with the Marathon expo. I’m not really a large crowd, massive lines kind of guy. But, I do like taking this picture.
13. My friends and coworkers will be glad that I’m not going to be constantly talking about the marathon. However, it is a great way to make a conversation about yourself . . . unless you are in a group of marathon runners.
14. I will not have to deal with walking another half of a mile (at least) after the marathon to get my bag.
15. No running across the 59th Street Bridge, which always has been a thorn in my side.
16. No stressing out about flying from Hawai’i to NYC the day before the marathon.
17. If I wake up early enough, I can see the top, elite marathon runners in action.
18. No falling short of time goals. I guess not running the marathon is technically falling short of a time goal.
19. Not running this year (hopefully) will make me want it more in 2020.
20. I guess that I do not have to buy new tennis shoes.
21. I probably will have a nice sleep the night before the marathon. Last year, I think that I only got only 3 hours of sleep the night before NYC Marathon.
22. No eye-rolling on the Staten Island Ferry bus to Staten Island. I cannot stand people who are super chipper first thing in the morning.
23. No bloody nips.
24. No constantly dropping F-bombs after mile 21. Once the marathon hits Manhattan for the second time (Mile ~20), I’m pretty much over the entire thing.
25. I’m going to my favorite Seafood restaurant on Marathon Monday.
26. No monitoring what I eat 48-72 hours before the marathon. Actually, did I ever do that?
0.2. Who wants a heavy medal anyway?