Preparations

Dan: For about the 4th time in a week, someone had said to me "Driving across country sounds like so much fun." This time, it was Alan who said it. I told him it sounded like a real grind to me, and I was not looking forward to the trip. So Alan offered to drive with me and fly back home at the end of the trip. OK! Alan and I trained together a few years ago for my first marathon - that was a grind also. But for me the most rewarding part of that marathon experience was getting to know Alan better socially as we talked and ran for hours each week leading up to the race. At that time, we were just a couple of very ordinary guys in their early 50s sharing stories that, while probably pretty boring to everyone else, frankly kept us entertained as we pounded out the miles. Now we're in our mid-50s and it looks like we'll have another opportunity to swap boring stories while checking something else off our bucket lists. Now it sounds like fun.