THANK YOU for your support!

The calls and emails are pouring in and I feel like Bartles & James (those old guys from the wine cooler ads in the late 80s): "We thank you for your support!"

THANK YOU, thank you to our wonderful family and friends for all your warm wishes and cheers - we can't believe that race weekend is actually upon us. After 39 weeks of training (nearly 9 months for me - over a year for Rich) we're flying south to run our butts off at the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, October 28th. Rich (a.k.a. "the star") expects to complete the 42K (26.2 miles) in under 5 hours. MMP (a.k.a. "haikugirl", a.k.a. "the tortoise") plans to cross the finish line in about 6 and a half hours. That's right, almost a workday of running with lunch and bathroom breaks slotted in. Sounds ridiculous to some of you (especially those who've done a marathon in under 4 hours - Keith & Riz you are SUPAHSTARS!) but that's my pace and I'm sticking to it. Then hopefully I will make the bridge and get my medal and a hug from a marine (see photo below!!). Mostly because I said I would and won't take no for an answer from anyone at this point. (You should have seen me run after the bus yesterday - he finally opened his door and let me on: VICTORY!)

BIG HUGS to all the JeansMarines who are heading down to DC to run or walk this race. Apparently there will be over 50 of us. I want to send SPECIAL ENCOURAGEMENT to my running partner Hardish and our running inspiration Mary H who are nursing injuries and fighting on, determined to race: YOU GO GIRLS! Remember the marine motto: Semper Fidelis (always faithful) and the unnoficial one: no one gets left behind. (Did you know there are no female marines - only marines? ;-)

Want to feel part of the marathon action? Sign up for remote runner tracking and receive live split times and finish results via pager, text message or email. Or, you can check our bib numbers after the race on the RESULTS page of the Marine Corps Marathon website marinemarathon.com. My bib number is: 30410, Richard's is 30409.

You can also send an e-greeting card from the Marine Corps Marathon to encourage a runner or congratulate a finisher. Use my gmail address at haikugirl.com) - see post below for samples.

LOVE TO ALL - TALK SOON - haikugirl

P.S. I posted some marathon haiku on the MCM discussion board. Check it out!

haiku on the road
takes us to the finish line
one step at a time

MCM Greetings

You can send runners Congratulations/Encouragement E-Cards from
the 2007 MARINE CORPS MARATHON !!!

Here are two AWESOME graphics (and awesome haiku):

haikugirl: it's time
weeks of training culminate
in a strong finish



visualize the prize:
you will get your MEDAL and
HUG from a MARINE!

YouTube: Project Direct

You Tube has a filmmaking project and I have a new mission in life:
Direct a unique 2-7 minute film which includes these 3 elements:

1. A character facing a situation above his/her maturity level.

2. The line of dialogue:
"I demand an explanation for these shenanigans. What do you have to say?"

3. The passing of a photograph.

Watch the video with Jason Reitman for more info.

Submissions are due November 9th. (Just in time for my trip to Winnipeg!)

"If you win, you're going to a major international film festival where you'll attend surprise industry events, meet with executives from Fox Searchlight Pictures, and show your film at a private event. You'll also see your winning short broadcast on the home page of YouTube in countries all over the world, and you'll win a $5000 debit card." (YAY debit!)

Visit Project: Direct on YouTube for details.

2500 years of herioc running....

So good old Pheidippides ran the distance from Marathon, Greece to Athens back in 490 BC then collapsed and died from exhaustion after announcing the Greeks' victory over the Persians (conflicting stories about exactly what he said: "Niki" (victory) or "Rejoice we conquer"). The modern marathon is even longer than he had to go (he did 40K, the modern distance is 42K or 26.2 miles)

Here are more links with marathon stories and marathon history

FYI: The route for this weekend's Chicago Marathon was closed at the halfway point due to the heat - I hope the weather is kind to us on October 28 in DC. One of our JeansMarines completed the full marathon in 5:12 despite the heat - way to go Frances (bib 21471)! At 56 you beat my former classmate Dan from Calgary, who did 5:40 at age 43 (bib 22077). Check the website to search for their race results.

How to annoy runners...

Yes runners can be annoyed. Now that I am a runner (or as Frances likes to say "a long distance athlete") I thought I'd share this comic. Especially since my friend Ted Fisher commented on a previous post "if bears wearing track shoes were chasing me" he could maybe make it 3 miles. Ted they're stealing ideas from your head (or my blog).

Before Hardish and I feel too smug, we have our last big training run this Saturday. 35 kilometres - over 21 miles. It's the farthest we've ever run. It should take us about 5 and a half hours. Hard to imagine doing any activity for that long. Pray it's a good weather day...

WE DID IT IN TORONTO!

It was a great feeling to finish the half marathon (21K) on Sunday. Richard did it in 2:16:22 (chip time) and Hardish and I held hands and crossed the finish line together at 3:08:59. Check it all out at SportStats.ca or scroll through the half marathon results and find our names (at 3810 for Rich and 5139th place for me out of 5364). I was actually 435 out of 461 for my age group which means 25 more people my age finished behind me. So there.

The winner John Kelai of Kenya ran the fastest marathon ever on Canadian soil: 2:09:30 WOW! The full marathon in less time than we did the half. We watched the elite runners pass by us on their way home (we were still heading out) and it was nice to share the course with them even for a few seconds...

Richard and I are wearing our finishers medals at work today. Thanks to Pavlina for her photos!!!

Now focus shifts to our full marathon (42K) in DC less than a month away. Just found out they changed the course for 2007 so the first half is very hilly. We will do some hill training here, and then WE WILL DO IT IN WASHINGTON!!