One day, I will run a marathon. Not today. Not tomorrow. But I will do it.

If Kerre can run the Auckland Marathon (and later, the New York City marathon) with less than 40 weeks training, I can do it too… at a much slower pace.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading through this trip, and Kerre Woodham’s book “Short Fat Chick to Marathon Runner” was devoured in 2 days. Those of you outside of New Zealand will be forgiven for not knowing who Kerre is – she’s a NZ personality with plenty of personality (less a ‘celebrity’ and more just famous for her work).

Not only did she go from walking the dog to running marathons in less than a year, but she did so in the public eye (so to speak, she’s a radio talkback host) and without giving up her well-enjoyed beverages of the alcoholic variety. Oh, and she writes how I think which made the book so easy to read. Chapters came complete with cursing, reality checks and a good dose of Kiwi woman humour:

“I swear that Moro bar was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. They’re quite chewy things, but where there’s a will, there’s a way and I managed to breathe, masticate and run, a superb example of multi-tasking.”

“…So when I put on the shorts, there, stretched tight across my arse, were the words ‘Pure Indulgence’. It looked like a government health warning.”

“I feel like an oversized dog in crowds – I’m so short my view is restricted to crotches and armpits and I rely on people relaying information to know what’s going on.”

Kerre’s narration is coupled with comments from her coach, Gaz. So there’s some more technical, practical guidance in there, too.

I’ve been spurred into thinking that, yes, I can run a marathon. Of course, I’m not going to run it this year. I probably won’t run it next year either. But I have an item for the bucket list now. My ultimate fitness goal – to survive run a marathon.

This year, though, I’m going to stick with 5k & 10k races. Baby steps. Y’know.