In one week, my wife and I will embark on an incredible 4 week journey. Actually, the 4 week journey will mark the completion of a journey we have been on for well over a year now. The journey has taken us to cities like Charlotte and Phoenix for half marathons. This will also mark the end of a whole lot of training. While most would say we’re crazy, the reality is that we’ll actually run less miles the next 4 weeks than we do on a “normal” week because we will be recovering on the weeks between races.

Next weekend we kick off the insanity by heading to Nashville, Tennessee with Matt and Rachel Wojnarowski and my running buddy Jeff Korbini (and family) to run in the Country Music Half Marathon. Matt, Rachel, Heather and I are staying with my friend David Schroeder. While it sounds creepy, David and I have connected through the internet. David and several others from Thomas Nelson Publishing have been very good to me, my family and this blog. I am excited to meet them all in person and share in the 13 miles for 13 years with Matt and Rachel.

The next weekend my wife will be running in the Capital City Half Marathon here in Columbus, Ohio. I am taking that weekend off. While I would love nothing more than to make it 4 straight weekends (and I sincerely mean that), we thought it best to have one of us be there with our kids and celebrate Mom’s big finish!

The next weekend my wife and I are headed to Indianapolis, Indiana for the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon (13.1 miles). Another internet friend named Matt was kind enough to open his home to Heather and I for the weekend of the race. He and his wife will also join Heather and I as we cover the 13.1 miles of Indianapolis. Most exciting will be the 2 1/2 miles on the track of the Brickyard Race Track!

Our journey will end the next weekend in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio as I run in the Cleveland Half Marathon. Heather will be taking this one off and waiting at the finish line with the kids as I complete this race in one of my favorite cities (no kidding!!!). I am running this race to honor my Mom and anticipate some strong emotions and feelings as I cross that final finish line.

So there you have it. 3 Half Marathons in 4 weeks. We may be a bit crazy but I cannot wait. In June we are headed back to Outer Banks and that sand and sun will feel that much better knowing that this journey is complete. I would like to thank all of the friends and family that have supported us, opened their homes, given of their time and run the races with us. It has been a journey like no other and the friendships are more important than the medals we’ve received. In the words of Seal –

We’ll never survive unless we get a little crazy…..