I am a runner. That's not something I could have claimed as a younger man, when I dreaded those 1 mile runs in gym class. At the time, I thought the members of the cross country team were nuts. Why are you running so far, so often? It seemed like too much work to me, as I focused on sports I believed were more fun.

Then, I got old. Okay, I guess I'm still not very old, but after I graduated from college, I noticed that my body wasn't burning calories quite as quickly as it used to. When my wife started running, I decided maybe I should give it a try. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. Now, I couldn't live without my daily runs.

But this post isn't about my running. While I'm dedicated to it, I also run relatively short distances. In other words, I've never come close to running a marathon, which is -- pause for dramatic effect-- 26.2 miles. That's right... it's a long, long way.

Last weekend, I did a story near the finish line of the Kansas City marathon. It was an absolutely beautiful morning for the race and I watched runner after runner finish the course. And I was inspired.

Even if you're not a runner, I encourage you to go to a marathon sometime. Watch as friends and family members wait for their runner to jog by so they can yell encouragement. You can't help but smile when you see young kids with homemade T-shirts that say "Go Dad Go!"

Someday, I'll probably run a marathon. Maybe. When I left the KC Marathon Saturday, I swore to myself I would. I'm already hedging. But that doesn't change the great feeling I got watching everyday people like you and me accomplish something truly great. It's a great life lesson. One step at a time, with discipline and dedication, we can all do great things.