Inspired by the New York City Marathon? It's your turn now...

It's hard to explain why a marathon is a great spectator sport. On paper, it sounds pretty boring to wait on a curb for a group of elite runners to zip by in a matter of seconds. But it's not boring at all -- in fact, it's so inspiring you'll want to break out the running shoes yourself. What's exciting is not just the 60 or so elite runners that stream by -- it's the 43,000 other people behind them at this year's ING New York City Marathon.

If you've ever watched a marathon on TV, you get some sense of the pace of the elite runners, but it really hits home if you're there in person. These folks are running a mile in between 4 and 5 minutes. What can you do in 4 1/2 minutes? Tie up the trash and take it to the curb? Brush and floss? Empty junk mail from your inbox? Well, these people run a MILE in that time -- then they do it 25.2 more times.

And while it's amazing to see the look of steely concentration on the professional runners' faces, it's even more amazing to watch the wheelchair participants grinding out the miles. Then watching the everyday runners come next. And while the elite runners are by in a flash, it takes another five hours for the other 43,000 people to run past. And while it's pretty unlikely that you'll ever be running with with Meb Keflezighi and Derartu Tulu, the male and female winners this year, it's probably not too late to imagine yourself as part of the field of 43,000.

And that's what's cool about running. You don't need a lot of stuff -- start with a pair of top-rated running shoes. You can start small and go from there. And if you don't ever actually run a marathon? That's okay -- you'll know enough that your heart swells to see those average men and women pushing themselves to fulfill a dream.