A journey of 26.2 miles begins on the couch.

timelapserunner at rest

This crude misphrasing of Lao Tzu's ancient wisdom can readily be applied to many of us who, after years of neglecting our need for exercise, have finally stumbled out the door and onto the streets in our neighborhood in pursuit of fleeting youth or - more likely - in fear of a scolding we expect from our family doctor at our next visit.

Running for exercise and improved health is not everyone's cup of tea, however. Still, there's apparently a growing interest in the sport - and particularly in the half- and full marathon distances. Indeed, there were more than a half million marathon finishers in the United States last year.

Phidippides collapsing as he arrives in Athens
to declare the Greek victory over the Persians
in the Battle of Marathon (Luc-Olivier Merson, 1869).

But let's get more personal here. Why is THIS couch-to-runner wannabe even considering such a metamorphosis? And why is the dreaded "M" word being bandied about here? After all, the lone runner in the event commemorated by the word "Marathon" dropped dead at the finish line.

That can't be a great recruiting endorsement, you'd think. It sure wouldn't inspire the timelapserunner to leave his safe and comfortable position on the family's couch.

Still, the allure of that historic event calls out.