Sometimes things don’t always work out as planned. Two weeks ago I was supposed to have completed my New York Road Runner +1 volunteer requirement in order to get my guaranteed entry into next year’s marathon just in case I decide do it again. Well thanks to my train dying en route to NYC I never made it.

So now, take 2 of my volunteering efforts will be this weekend at the Join the Voices five mile race. The race is in support of the Join Voices Against Brain Cancer organization and not some strange holiday singing thing.

Here I am running in the marathon. I think that woman next to me wants to say hello. Will I be crazy enough to do this again?

Once this volunteer thing is over then I can go back to my ever changing will I or won’t I decision about doing the marathon next year.

I have a strange feeling that I’ll being going back and forth on this decision all the way up until the deadline to register. Then I’ll see all my running buddies on Facebook and Twitter posting that they registered and I’ll be dumb enough to want to join in and register.

I’m hoping it’s not like that but instead a decision based on solid research in regards to how well I ran in winter and early spring. Ideally, if I hit specific goals then I’ll most likely do this again, if I don’t hit those goals then no marathon.

But alas, only time will tell.

In the meantime, I’m debating the NYC Half Marathon. I did not complete the races to get guaranteed entry so that leaves my to try for the lottery or to enter as a charity runner. The fee has also gone up to a whopping $117 bucks. I think this is the first race where we’re seeing the NYPD’s new fee structure for road races outside of Central Park. But, if The Trevor Project is putting together a team I’ll be running for them again and hitting all of you up for donations.

But now I must go practice saying things like, “Stay on the course and keep to your left” and “Good job runners!”