Chris Wristen

It was bound to happen sometime.

It should have happened five years ago, but a series of injuries derailed my plans.

It should have happened during the past two months, but too many work conflicts got in the way.

So what the heck, why not this Saturday?

Done.

On Saturday morning I will run my first marathon. I signed up this afternoon for the Pilgrim Pacer Marathon at Shawnee Mission Park. I’m not sufficiently trained for it. I haven’t been following some sort of marathon prep plan. Five days ago I hadn’t even thought about signing up. Once the last high school football team in my coverage area lost Saturday night, however, my schedule opened up enough to finally fit in a race. Pilgrim Pacer is one of the last marathons of the year in the Kansas City area — or anywhere within driving distance, for that matter — and it’s organized by Bad Ben Holmes and the Kansas City Trail Nerds, so I know everything beyond my personal performance will be executed flawlessly.

I also have numerous friends from the trail running community who will be running or volunteering at the race, and I know they will help me along if necessary, or at least tell me I look great when I actually look and feel like crap.

Although undertrained, my mileage base should be fine. I’ve been running a few days a week throughout the fall, and I busted my butt all summer to run the Pikes Peak Ascent and then logged my unofficial first marathon while pacing Nick Lang at the Bear 100 in September.

I’m in good enough shape to get through this thing, but it’s going to hurt — A LOT.

That’s OK, though. I have bigger goals coming in 2012. I need to get this first marathon done so I’ll have a better idea of the direction my training needs to take in the new year.

Plus, I’m simply tired of waiting. I wanted to run my first marathon when I was 26 for the symbolic 26.2 miles in my 26th year. Injuries kept that from happening. Five years is enough time to wait. This marathon is going to happen on Saturday. It’s about friggin’ time.