A few months ago, I deferred my entry for tomorrow’s NYC marathon.  I am still conflicted about it.  On the one hand, it makes me sad that I didn’t follow through on a goal.  On the other, I ran a 5K today and I’ve already taken two recovery naps.  So running 8 of those back to back seems like a terrible way to spend a Sunday.  In other words, I’m still working off a lifetime of laziness.  Here’s a permanent record of the reasons excuses for why I’ll be on the sidelines tomorrow instead of a bastion of hope for future generations of runners:

1. Extreme laziness
2. 26 miles seems really far
3. It was too hot during the peak training months
4. I drank wine and/or beer too many nights before training runs
5. My ankle hurt one day when I should have been training
6. Fear of nipple chafing
7. The snooze button
8. Large blister on the bottom of my foot on August 19, 2011
9. Apple Pucker and commemorative key rings set me back at least two weeks
10. I am an amazing spectator
11. With a little persuasion/nagging Anne will run it with me next year
12. The scene on last year’s Biggest Loser when one of the contestants had an emergency number 2 stop at a port-o-john during the marathon
13. Still trying to find an appropriate pose for the race photographers*
14. Hurricane Irene
15. Four day delay in getting new sneakers after my old pair got wet and I refused to run in them again. 
16. I can’t set the world record on a course that doesn’t begin and end in the same location.
17. Inner thigh chafing
18. Who wants to go to Staten Island?
19. Didn’t want to overdo it with the carbo loading
20. The 1%
21. I now have another year to think of clever running related blog topics
22. I wanted to refocus my attention on blogging
23. It seemed stupid to train during the summer just in case the rapture happened
24. I was worried that I would hit the wall and die at mile 24 and not finish.  Just like I did in this stupid post. 

Good luck to everyone running!  See you next year…

* For example: