As Promised

I promised you yesterday that I'd tell you about my presents, and, have pictures. So, here you have it, present number one...

My friend, Vicki, sent it to me, after I hijacked her copy and read the first chapter one night. It arrived in the mail the day after I made the commitment to do all this running. How cool is that???

I highly recommend this book, and I haven't even finished it yet. Every time I pick it up I laugh out loud. I even woke my husband up one morning laughing at it. The best part is that she can laugh at herself, and all the goofiness she feels about running. All the while, she talks about training schedules, and gives helpful pointers. She makes me believe that I can do it, and love it, and laugh through it. Gotta love a book that makes running enjoyable!

I'll give you a little taste:

Ode to Running

What's the point of running?

What reason could there be?

Running twenty-six miles

Makes no sense to me.

We have planes, trains, and automobiles,

Helicopters, scooters,and boats.

And if you really really need to

You could even ride a goat.

With all these options to move you

Why would you want to run?

Compared to running for hours

Riding a goat sounds like fun.

Running makes you sweaty

And tired and cranky and sore,

And running around in circles

Can be really quite a bore.

But the worst part of running,

What drives me out of my mind,

Are the Chipper Happy Runners

Who are Chipper and Happy all the time.

They get up at 7 AM

To run too many miles,

And whether it's Mile 1,5, or 10,

Their faces are covered in smiles.

I fear that I'm outnumbered,

And they're trying to wear me down,

They're trying to make me chipper,

But all I can do is frown.

But I'll be nice to the Chipper People

And I'll tolerate their smiles,

'Cause they have so much friggin' energy

Maybe I can ride on their backs for awhile.

From: Dawn Dais, The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide For Women, Get Off Your Butt and On With Your Training (Seal Press, 2006), p. 20