As the triathlon season gets into full swing, I often reflect on the early days and my foray into the sport. Going from a background in long distance running to triathlon was an easy transition for me. Training for up to six hours a day fit my ability to complete distance runs that lasted up to six days.

The Boston Marathon has been called the granddaddy of marathons for many reasons. The obvious one is its age. In 2009, it celebrated its 113^th running. It is the longest continuously run marathon in the world. Following the rebirth of the Olympics in the modern era, the 1896 event brought the marathon to the world and it was the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) that jumped on the bandwagon in 1897 to mimic a race that commemorated the legendary Greek military messenger and his epic run from the battlefield on the plains of Marathon.

As an ultra marathon runner, approaching my 100^th marathon race, and 150^th ultra, the Boston Marathon and Greece have become intertwined. I would not know of Pheidippedes and the role he played, unknowingly, in creating a foot race bearing the name of the city near where the battle to protect Athens from the invading Persians took place.

As I approach the completion of 150 ultra marathons this year and possibly the completion of 100 marathons, I reflect on the past and what it took to get this far. And, more importantly, what it will take to get farther. I have been blessed with the right amount of good genes and an attitude to carry me through most situations. Obviously, there is not much one can do about the inherited traits that are given to us by our parents. Having the right attitude in all situations is something we can discover and control.

Nearly three decades ago, this then chubby, two-pack-a-day smoker, decided to make some changes. Unbeknownst at the time, I had begun what was about to be a lifetime of goal setting. There is no doubt that quitting smoking was a major influence on how I viewed things from then on. For those that have quit smoking, or have attempted to, you will understand how difficult that is to accomplish and, if indeed you did stop the bad habit, then you can count it as a major goal you were able to reach.

More difficult than quitting, possibly for several months, or even longer, was remaining smoke-free. Reaching a goal is difficult, but sometimes keeping it is even more difficult. My other addiction was to food. Getting a handle on the love handles was every bit as difficult as breaking the nicotine addiction. Yet, quitting eating, “cold turkey” like I did with cigarettes was not a possibility. A thought entered my mind, when I was struggling to set a goal of shedding nearly a quarter of my weight; ‘How the heck am I going to do that?’