So… hah. Remember when I mentioned that I was “retired” from running Full Marathons? Yeah that proclamation really took it in the shorts…

You know, I’ve run only one Full. ONE. It was punishing enough. Afterward it wasn’t like I exactly swore off doing another, but the concept of ‘retirement’ sounded fine by me. The glory of the act was great, but it was time to put it on the shelf, accept the gold watch, and spend most of time out fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Except for the fact that the Gulf is on the OTHER side of the state from me, it sounded like a pretty good idea at the time.

Well enough of that. I’ve been bitten by the bug again. After watching my buddies having a blast at the 2014 Disney Marathon — by running TOGETHER, not as surly solo running monkeys as per my usual tradition — I decided I wanted to give it another whirl, by going at it with less crazed madcap insanity. I want to be competitive, but I don’t want to go all messhugah about it, ya know?

So while I’ve already committed to doing the Disney Dopey Challenge next January, that’s not going to be my next Full Marathon. That particular honor goes to … may I have an egg-roll please…

… the 2014 Space Coast Marathon! I have heard such great things about this race from friends who have run it. Everything from the organization, expo, facilities, and course is supposed to be pretty top-notch. The bling every year is a different Space Shuttle, and this year commemorates the Challenger program. Of course no race is complete without their challenges and “chase” bling, so they naturally offer 3- and 5-year bonus medals to keep people coming back.

But they do offer great runner perks, like unlimited eggs, pancakes, pizza, and beer at the Finish, plus a complimentary beach towel on top of that. Plus if that wasn’t enough, take a gander at this here race tech shirt:

Le drool…

So anyone looking to do a Marathon, do this one with us! It’ll be a hoot! The Half Marathon unfortunately sold out in a few hours, but there’s still spots open for the Full (as of this writing anyhow, 2/19/2014). So hop on it. My buds and I are dressing up in 60s Star Trek attire. I’m going as a Klingon… TOS style. No ridges. But weirdly offputting facial hair is still on the menu. Here’s the video: