ING New York City Marathon -- Entry Number 228793

In 144 days, I will be running the NYC Marathon.

Last week was the lottery for the 2008 NYC Marathon and, unfortunately, I was not selected. Strangely, neither were three other friends who also entered the lottery

However, as I have always said, there was a plan B: run for a charity. And that is ultimately what I will be doing. After making a number of calls to different organizations, I quickly learned that this was not as easy as it sounds. Many charities, including the MS Society, Autism Speaks and The Lance Armstrong Foundation, were sold out.

After searching around a bit, I settled on the Thomas G. Labrecque Foundation which is working to prevent lung cancer through early detection and research. I was attracted to this charity because they specifically focus on educating people that lung cancer is not just a "smokers disease." This is particularly important to me personally because my father in law, Sam, died of lung cancer in December 2004 and had not smoked in many, many years.

So, the formal countdown to the NYC Marathon began this weekend. To kick things off, I attempted a very aggressive schedule over the past 10 days.

Sunday, June 1 - 10 miles in Prospect Park
Monday, June 2 - 1 mile indoors at full speed; plus full workout
Wednesday, June 4 - 7 miles indoors
Friday, June 6 - 20 mile bike ride in Prospect Park; achieved an all-time personal best average speed: 19.3 mph
Saturday, June 7 - 6.7 miles outside in brutal 95 degree heat
Sunday, June 8 - 7 miles indoors
Monday, June 9 - 1 miles indoors plus full workout

For the week ended June 7, I ran a total of 25 miles, which is much more than I need to be at this point. My target is about 15 miles per week.

Add in the 20 mile bike ride and the total distance I propelled myself for the week is 45 miles.

Indeed, the race is truly on.