I run because I hated running. Hear me out. Throughout high school and college, I was a rower. Sitting behind an oar, I was at home. In was still glowing strong. At this point, I had to prove to myself that this wasn't a fluke. That I could really do it. The 5k went better than I expected and I knew I was onto something. Looking ahead to a long winter, I saw the Middlebury Maple Run Half-Marathon in May 2018 as a good (albeit ambitious) target. Nevertheless, six months later, I completed those 13.1 miles. I was proving to my former self that I could do it, I just needed the will-power. The competitive spark, however, didn't die. In fact, as I crossed the Maple Run finish line, I was instantly dissatisfied with the word "half". If there was anything that I disliked more than running in the years prior, it was doing things half-way. I knew that I had to try for the full length. I had to push the old, downer-me away and prove that I was better. After spending a few months to convince myself, I signed up for the Vermont City Marathon. I had watched it often as a kid (my grandfather's house is on the course!) so it was really the only marathon I had any sentimental ambition to do. If you had told me back in January 2017 that I would be running a full marathon on May 26, 2019. I would have laughed heartily and called you crazy but here we are, one week away and I'm ready. I didn't train for over 500 miles this spring just to let it go to waste. And don't worry, once the marathon is done, I have my eyes toward the remainder of the RunVermont Grand Prix. It all comes back to one, painfully-ironic thing: Because I hated running so much, I guess I kind of like it.

Best,

Andrew Rainville