After several successful half-marathons, I decided to run a full marathon. When I registered—actually paying money to run 26.2 miles—I felt motivated and excited. However, I got busy and my training suffered. My lack of preparation became evident when I took a short three-mile run a few days prior to the race. I decided to switch to the half-marathon. By then, however, it had been closed to new runners. My only option was to run in the 10K (6.2-mile) race. What had been motivation and excitement turned to laziness and indifference. The prospect of getting up early to run 6.2 miles didn’t appeal to me. I decided I’d run another time.
