Starting out

Hi.
I'm Rob, I'm 52, and before the year is out, I'm going to run my first marathon.
I don't know where, and I don't know when exactly. It's just that if I don't do it now, I may never do it.
It's only going to get harder as my body clock ticks its way relentlessly through my 50s. So it's time to bite the bullet, and carpe the diem, and all that, and just - as Nike so wisely say - do it.
I should point out that I'm not a complete newcomer to long-distance running - I've done two half-marathons, and regularly run 5000 or 10,000 metres in training and events. I might not be the fastest or the fittest, but I can hold my own with most of the semi-serious park-runners out there.
But a marathon is in another league - a test of endurance that, when you're pounding the pavements for mile after mile, seems practically unreachable, a shimmering city of Oz at the close of a seemingly endless yellow brick road.
Still, that's my goal. I can't think too much about it as I'll just start to panic. Instead I just have to take it step by footsore step.
I'm writing this just a few days after the 2017 London marathon. Today I plucked up my courage and completed the entry for the 2018 race. 

The ballot for this is just crazy - they get hundreds of entries for each spot, so my chances of getting a place are limited. But somebody's got to get one, and it might just be me.
If I can't run London, I'll try my luck elsewhere. I will enter a marathon this year, I'm certain about that. Whether I can finish one is a different matter altogether. It'll take a lot of hard work, it's going to hurt, but hopefully there'll be a bit of happiness and humour along the way as well.
I'll be providing updates and insights about my progress right here on this blog. It'd be great if you could join me for the journey.