Me vs. Lance Armstrong

Seven years ago, I finished the Houston marathon. It was certainly the most significant athletic and physical accomplishment of my life, and possibly my most significant accomplishment -- period.

Today, Lance Armstrong joined the club of marathon finishers. He called the race "the hardest physical thing I have ever done" -- even more grueling than his worst days on the Tour de France. You see, Lance -- you don't get to sit down on your bike seat in a marathon.

What really encourages me is that he was in a lot of pain. I don't mean that in a mean-spirited way, but the fact that arguably the greatest athlete of our time suffered more in his marathon debut than I did just really makes me feel good. (OK, so maybe that is a little sinister.)

And it's worth noting that Lance doesn't have quite the stamina that I showed in my marathon. He could only last for 2 hours and 59 minutes. I stuck it out for an amazing 5 hours and 32 minutes.

How's that for endurance, huh?