I’ve been mulling over running a marathon for the last two years. I gained entry to the NYC Marathon for 2015 through a program called 9+1. (How it works: In a calendar year, you run 9 races hosted by the NYC Marathon sponsor organization the New York Road Runners and you volunteer at one too.) Since I sprained my ankle and didn’t run in 2015, I was able to defer guaranteed entry status to 2016, but I sprained my ankle AGAIN December 2015, so I didn’t feel confident committing to the race (which you’re required to do very early in the year).