The folks at KeepMECurrent.com and Current Publishing asked me to write a column for this week’s paper (which comes out the Thursday before race) wrapping up my experiences training for the race and writing an online diary about it.

I would like to have written a column predicting my time for the race and setting out strategy for reaching the goal. But I am not really confident in my ability to do that right now. My original goal was to finish in under an hour. But given my balky ankle and overall mediocre training times, my goal now is simply to finish the race.

So instead, I am going to write about the five things I’ve learned while training for the past six-plus weeks:

I am in much better shape now having trained for six weeks: My first run in Florida, back in mid-June, was a 2.5-mile run with an 11-minute-per-mile pace. The other day I ran five miles with an 11-minute per mile pace and on another day, three miles at a 10-minute-per-mile pace. And my two-mile runs are down under 20 minutes. My blood pressure and weight are down. I’m almost at the point where I can no longer call myself a fat guy running.

I am not in anywhere near good enough shape to call myself a runner: I should have started way earlier. Even better, I should be running like this year-round. In six-plus weeks, I have gone from poor shape to OK shape. But if I want decent times, it’s going to be something I need to work toward.

“In shape” is a relative term: Last winter, when I weighed over 280 and my blood pressure was 150/100, I would have been pretty happy to be where I am now, 15 pounds lighter and a 120/78 blood pressure. But now I want to be lighter and in better shape and I am not at all satisfied with where I am.

Running programs work: The Hal Higdon beginner 10K program that I used for the past six weeks was a big help. The staggered distances and cross-training kept it from feeling like drudgery. The only time I got tired was when I started going beyond the prescribed distances myself. Bringing the GPS and charting my progress also helped me see my progress and kept things interesting.

Blogging brings serious accountability: My audience wasn’t all that big, but knowing they were there really prompted me to get out and run, especially on some days when I didn’t really feel like it. Also, it’s been fun to interact with other runners offering advice and comment.

Running might not ultimately be my sport: Even as I lose weight, I am still a big guy. I’d be happy to get down under 250 pounds. But I am never going to be 175. That’s still a lot of weight to be pounding on my bad ankle.

But nothing feels like a good run: I’ve tried biking and swimming and I don’t get the same sense of accomplishment as I do running. The closest thing I’ve found is hiking in the White Mountains, but that takes a lot more time and planning. Running gives a sense of hard work, accomplishment and a certain primal thrill that’s like nothing else.

See you at the race!