Not only is [a half marathon] a good test for the marathon, it is also good for those who feel they were just getting going in a 10K and are physically and mentally primed to go further. A half marathon is a good test of your endurance, without the physical punishment of going the full 26.2 miles. More so even than the 10K, it will teach you about patience, pacing, and how to negotiate a wider range of physical and emotional cycles.

For every finish-line tape a runner breaks -- complete with the cheers of the crowd and the clicking of hundreds of cameras -- there are the hours of hard and often lonely work that rarely gets talked about.

What Fred Lebow went through was an inspiration for me. You have to set goals for yourself.

Every day I spend time on the treadmill. I am walking faster, stronger and harder than I was two months ago.

There is something about the ritual of the race - putting on the number, lining up, being timed - that brings out the best in us.

Spend at least some of your training time, and other parts of your day, concentrating on what you are doing in training and visualizing your success.

Too many people I meet believe that you can sit in a chair and be given motivation. With exercise and fitness, you get it by doing. The mental qualities you need are all linked like a chain. If you give exercise a try and see results, even if it's as simple as feeling good that you get out the door, you'll become motivated to repeat the exercise. Seeing results is inspiring.