I signed up to run the Secret City Half-Marathon next Sunday — crazy or smart idea? Time will tell.

One thing in my training for the marathon is that I need a goal and a race to be in training for to motivate myself. My new goal in running now is to run a half-marathon in under 2 hours. A few reasons for deciding to run this marathon are:

1. While I am aware that I won’t finish this half-marathon in under 2 hours, it is a great place to start and be my baseline.

2. I am already used to running long distances, so no extra training is needed.

3. The course is flat and starts and ends in one place, so logistics will be easy.

4. I do not want to gain weight over the holidays, so a few races will help.

So in the words of my fiance, “why not?”