Green or white?
The difference isn't as stark until you reach the corner of Woodburn and Madison. Just four blocks north of where our church meets is beautiful DeSales Corner, a hidden gem in our city. The business leaders in East Walnut Hills [those who dwell in East Walnut Hills tend to stress that geographic qualifier] have been investing in this corner for years and it takes center stage during the Flying Pig Marathon.
And that's where the difference between green and white become somewhat important. Those participating in the race are assigned a runner's bib with a number; the bibs are white for those running the full marathon and green for those running the half marathon.
Last year I decided to give long distance running a shot and chose to run the half. Both courses follow the same route through downtown and up Walnut Hills until DeSales Corner. Here the white bibbers turn right to proceed up Madison towards Hyde Park and the green bibbers turn left onto what becomes MLK and return to downtown. I think it was at this point last year that I started to think about going the distance and running the full marathon. As I was preparing for my green-bibbed left turn, I glanced over at the people running the 26.2 and thought, "I could do that." I wondered if that was just the adrenaline/testosterone following that would wane after a few months, but it didn't. It seems like the next logical mountain to climb.
So today, in the midst of our winter storm, I announce my candidacy to run in the Flying Pig Marathon. I'm registering online today so I can get the early bird rate. I started my training this month, not missing any sessions until this snow/ice. So far, so good. Running in the cold has never been my thing, but I've adjusted well to it. Of course, there's still three months to go.
I never felt like my body was built for long distance running, nor did I ever really enjoy it, so I'm not quite sure why I've decided to do this. But I'm going to have a good time with it.
Come May 3rd, I'll be wearing white and turning right.