Near record weight. That’d be something to brag about if you’re fishing. I’m not fishing right now. The farthest I’ve run since the marathon in October has been to the bathroom. I’m tipping the scales at around 180 pounds right now, and I wish it was solid.

I remember the days in high school when I wished and worked so hard to get above 150 pounds in high school. Those were also the days I ran three miles in less than six minutes a mile. Those were the days when we’re all invincible.

On January 3, 2014, I will have completed on my “before” photo. Tomorrow will begin my path to unparalleled fitness, and pushing toward my goal of qualifying for the 2016 Boston Marathon. To accomplish this goal, I’ll need to run 26.2 miles in less than 3 hours 25 minutes. That equates to 7 minutes 49 seconds a mile. For 26.2 miles. Running ONE mile at that pace today is not physically possible.

The immediate goal is to get to a point where running any distance can be done without pain. Last year, preparing for the Chicago Marathon, I worked on strength first, then distance. August posed its problems when I didn’t know how to address the issues I was having with my lower legs. I figured all that out in time to finish Chicago, but my body wasn’t as conditioned as it should’ve been or could’ve been had I known what I know now.

So, it’s off to a bold goal that some would say is unachievable given my Chicago experience. That’s one of the reasons I’m doing it. I’ll be working with a coach, which will help. The biggest competitor in this race will once again be me, and my knowledge. Or lack of knowledge and experience. That’s where the coach comes into play. Tomorrow at 9:30am is when my next chapter as an athlete continues. We'll see what the plan is at that point.

Today is December 30th. The Boston Marathon is in April. I read today is the beginning of a training program for runners competing in the Boston Marathon. Even if I wanted to start this program to run in the 2014 Boston Marathon, I wouldn’t be able to compete because you need to qualify. For someone my age – forty-six – to qualify for the Boston Marathon, I’d need to run 26.2 miles faster than 3 hours 25 minutes. That’s fast, and that’s no guarantee. They take the fastest qualifiers first, so the faster you go the more likely you are to be chosen.

So, the thinking goes, perhaps I can run in 2015 – which means qualifying in 2014. But there's a problem with that plan. I ran my first marathon this past October and didn't run fast enough to qualify for an eighty-year old, not to mention someone my own age. Expecting to run a qualifying time in my second marathon is optimistic. And unrealistic. Compounding the “there isn’t enough time to get my fat ass fast enough” issue is an assumption that the qualifying time must be logged before registration opens in September. The last "approved" marathon to qualify for Boston before registration opens is in late June in Duluth, Minnesota. With all due respect to Duluthians, I ain’t using vacation time to run a marathon in Duluth.

That means the soonest realistic date for me to run the Boston Marathon is 2016. I played this mind game yesterday while mapping out the plan on a cool Sunday afternoon in Florida. Then it hit me. BAM! That’s the year before I’ll turn fif-fif-fif. That’s the year before I’ll turn fift-fift-fift . . . That’s the year before I’ll be that age with the 5 in the tens place.

We all get old. We all die. I just don’t like thinking either one will happen to ME. While I haven’t started thinking seriously about the latter, I’m starting to come to terms with the former. Hell, I’m not even ready to put the word “former” in front of the word “athlete” quite yet.

While I vow to make today the last day working on my “before” photo, I now realize I better hurry and get this program started before I shrivel up. Boston 2016 or Bust! Who else is in?