A thousand congratulations to my friend and marathon mentor Pete, who finished his 10th marathon with a triumphant run in Boston on Monday.

Way to go, Pete! I’m so proud to know such a dedicated and talented runner and to have such a great friend. I turn to Pete all the time for advice on running and nutrition, and I am so impressed with his success.

Pete tells me that his marathon career is coming to an end. Ten, he said, is enough. (Of course, last year he ran Boston and announced that 8 was enough, but then he went on to run NYC and Boston for a second time, so we’ll see.)

Pete spent 4 years working to qualify for Boston, the pinnacle of marathons with its strict time requirements. And now that he’s run it (twice), he has decided to quit marathoning.

My second marathon is June 1, and I’m running the La Jolla Half Marathon on Sunday. I feel like I’m just on the way up the ladder, much like I am with my new business as a freelance copywriter. And I suppose I could look at running and writing the same way: even though I started both fairly recently, I’m probably not too far away from my maximum pace, and I know I’m pretty much at my maximum capacity for writing projects.

So, I don’t really need to keep climbing either ladder. I’m a good runner with a solid pace, and I’m a good writer with a solid client base. I’m never going to win a gold medal or a Pulitzer, but I do ok. If I were someone who sought a status quo, I could announce that I have arrived and put the ambition to bed.

But that’s not who I am. I embrace the ambition. I want to qualify for Boston. I want to reach beyond normal copywriting businesses to expand my company: speaking engagements, consulting, books…. And I can’t for the life of me imagine at this point where my 10th marathon lies. What will be the pinnacle? What is my benchmark in my business for the top of the line and the place where I can stop trying so hard?

It’s in my nature, I believe, to never stop climbing ladders. When I cross the finish line on my 10th marathon, I want to get online to book my 11th. When I write my first book, I want to package in the second. And just like my running addiction, my drive for success in this career is not motivated by money. I am simply excited by adventure and energized by challenges.

Frequently I’m envious of people like Pete who can achieve a dream and stop to enjoy it. Pete doesn’t have an unending appetite. He desired something; he achieved it. He can, with a sense of peace and pride, move on to desire and achieve something else. I love that my sister is happy with her family and her career and her life. She doesn’t spend nights awake in bed wondering how to satisfy her hunger for achievement. She has achieved most  of what she always wanted: a beautiful family who lives close by, a career helping people as a teacher, a loving husband who buys her tulips.

I admire Pete and my sister, and I wish I could turn my hunger off or at least down. But for now, I’ve got marathons to run, books to write, businesses to grow and desires to satisfy.

Oops. It’s 9:43 a.m. Better get started.