Hello, my name is Jason. I am not a runner. I am running a marathon in 12/2013.

Here are my stats–

Height: 5′ 11″

Weight: 193

Physique: Dumpy, at best.

Style: Whatever causes shin splints and calf cramps.

Diet: High carb, high fat, high sugar rush

Longest Distance: 6.21 miles

Here is my gear–

Shoes: ’08 Asics. Don’t ask me what style, as I will tell you ‘blue’

Clothes: Soccer shorts, and whichever t-shirt I will never wear again

Underclothes: Compression shorts from my high school soccer days. Gross, but effective

And here is my situation-

While I have never been a runner, I was once an athlete. Soccer was my main claim to fame, but my career was cut drastically short thanks to not being very good. Up until last summer, I had never as much as thought of running as an enjoyable activity. My mother, of all people, convinced me to partake in a family 5K, which led to three revelations- 1) Training is a big deal, which is why everybody says training is a big deal. 2) My running strangely resembles my life – cheap, lazy, and belligerent. 3) Despite everything, this could turn out to be a good thing.

I have never spent money on running equipment. To justify my actions, and to feign experience, I labeled myself as a purist. After my second and most recent race, a 10k, it was revealed to me by both my friends and my body that being a purist is dumb, and some amount of investment would be required to increase distance without serious personal effects.

This series will cover that investment, the transformation of my gear, and how it affects my training methods, running style, performance, and my personal transformation from a couch tumor to a marathon runner.

Prepare yourselves for some sweet stats, and a level of comfort and personal knowledge of a guy on the internet like you have never experienced before.

I am a sports/game/music/literature enthusiast with the nasty habit of being a nerd.