I completed my first marathon six years ago. June 23, 2002 in Kona, Hawaii. I refer to this event as my first because I'm considering when to start training for my second as I'm craving the intensely satisfying mind boost such an experience provides.

As most marathoners will say, running 26.2 miles is a life-changing experience that has more to do with the mind than the body. Certainly, I trained rigorously over six months in order to accomplish the feat. But believing I could do it was key. Despite being an active person in general who loved to walk, hike, swim, etc., I had never run even a mile before training for the marathon. Others along the course on that hot and humid Hawaiian summer morning were clearly similar. Some were quite overweight, even obese. Some had disabilities. Some walked the entire way. Some were in wheelchairs. Some had lived beyond 70 years. But everyone was welcomed by the running community, a group I found to be kind, supportive and nonjudgemental.

So, if you're saying to yourself right now "I could never run a marathon," that's probably true. But if you think you can, that's true as well. And I encourage you to embark on the adventure. Pure elation lies ahead.