Freescale Marathon

["Ira Schneider" <ira_schneider@iname.com>]

Hi All,

For those of you who don't know, I have been training for the last six months to run in the
Freescale Marathon.  Today, I actually completed the 26.2 mile marathon.  Attached is
a picture of me at the finish line.

If you haven't seen me in a while, you might not recognize me.  I lost 150
pounds over a period of 5 years and have kept the weight off for the last 3 years.
I started running about 3 years ago.  This was the most ambitious run I have attempted.

It wasn't easy to complete the marathon.  The weather was cold, but fortunately dry.  (They were
predicting a chance of light rain or freezing rain, but it didn't rain during the run.)  The temperature
varied from about 30 degrees to near 40.  I was fighting tired and sore muscles for the last few miles
and the thought of calling a taxi to skip out was very tempting.  However, I perservered and walked
the last few miles.  I finished the 26.2 miles in just under 6 hours (actually, 1/2 second under!)

This wasn't a lifetime dream - it is just something I decided to do last year.  However, it is an
accomplishment I am proud of.  It is especially amazing to me that I could do this run considering
my background of being overweight and not physically fit since childhood.

I was so excited about completing the marathon that I wanted to share my accomplishment
with the immediate world (or at least my friends, family, and acquaintances).

Thanks for listening.




Ira