It’s official…only 1 more month to go until I make my marathon debut @ ING Luxembourg on May 23.  Training has been going quite well and I am happy with the way everything is going.  I feel like I am stronger this year am handling the mileage easier, and recovering faster.  Last weekend I did my longest prep. run, which was about 20 miles in 2 hours and 8 minutes.  From here on out I will be putting in one more race, the ING Antwerp 10 miler, a few more workouts, and then it will be time to toe the line. 

I feel very blessed to have had the strength, commitement, mental ability, and physical ability to do what I am doing right now.  Running by myself for this extended period of time in Belgium has helped me improve in all these areas.  There are also a number of supporters back home and here that I would like to say thank you to once again.  When I am out on the roads of Luxembourg next month I will be thinking about all of the awesome encouragement from everyone.

A thousand times a day I tell you I love the way you sing
Even though it makes me cry, it’s my favorite time to be alive
And all I know is I feel lost without you
“I miss you” is not enough

I know the story’s old; it’s been told a million times before
But to tell it feels so good
It reminds me that not all I do is right
And all I know is I feel so lost without you

Now I remember the day I was a kid in 8th grade
Your friend tapped me on my shoulder and asked if I would be your boyfriend
Oh, yeah, we were intense then
We would walk and hold hands
You were taller than me then I got a friend to tell you that
I didn’t wanna be anymore
Oh, no, not anymore

So then for 3 more years we would never talk
And I’m not gonna lie though, I couldn’t stop thinking about you
Then your best friends came over and I got them to call you
To see if you wanted to watch the band play “Dude Ranch”
I knew that that would impress you
So then we got to talking and before we knew it we were always on the phone
Talking until 4 in the morning
Yeah, there was only one problem
Now, I never knew your man, never talked to him
And still to this day I feel bad for it, but I knew that I loved you
And I knew that I had to do something

So I waited till the day that you broke up with him
We had a barbeque at our friend Jim’s
Then we strolled to the backyard and that’s where we shared our first kiss
Then you watched the band play with all your friends
And we played our set of Millencolin and Choking Victim
I guess that didn’t impress you
‘Cause then an hour later between you and your friends
You told me that you didn’t want to be anymore
Oh, no, not anymore

But then a while later we got back together
And we told each other we would be forever
And since that day we had our share of problems
And now we know that it’s hard but better together
Oh, yeah, it’s better together

So now we have a house and a couple pets
We’re even getting married 9 years after it
And every time I see you
I still hear trumpets

Puma & Letsrun.com have teamed up and created a competition.  Simply put, they want to know, “What does fast mean to you?” 

Here is the entry I submitted:

Fearless: One must run without fear, never looking back, and never giving up.
Agile: One must be mentally quick, nimble, and light on ones’ feet.
Self-confident: One must believe in oneself and ones’ abilities.
Tranquil: One must have a free spirit, able to calm nerves and push the body beyond ones’ perceived limits.

This is fast.

The rest of the details about the competition / Puma Street Meet featuring Usain Bolt & other fast Jamaicans can be found here:  http://www.letsrun.com/2009/streetmeet.php

Jocelyn:  I want overalls.
Me:  Don’t ever say that again.  That was like ripping Sexy Back off the record player and replacing it with Cotton Eyed Joe.

Jocelyn:  Silly Facebook, tricks are for prostitutes!

This is an amazing story / quote from the senior leader of Kenya’s 2009 World XC team:

“I went to the national trials more confident and it was no surprise to me to win. You see, one has to be focused and confident. I never doubted my fitness and had self belief in my ability. I would not be here if I had no belief that I can win the title in Amman. It will be my first trip to the Arab world, but I am not afraid. I relish the challenge from the Ethiopians.”

– Kenya’s senior women’s team leader Florence Kiplagat, who lost her brother just days before the Kenyan trials: “I came to Nairobi just a day after burying him. It game me courage and challenge to wrest for the title and I did not let him down. I won and believe he will be happy if I triumph in Amman.”

http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/athletics/-/1100/547954/-/t1bgmnz/-/index.html

We call this white soul food.  – Anonymous US Army Colonel

There is inspiration in every stride as raindrops hit his forehead while he glides gracefully along the pavement like a gazelle following a dimly lit path in the moonlight.

I don’t totally remember what cardinals looks like, so the bird is Scarlet and Macaroni and Cheese. — Jocelyn

This should be the slogan that my current residence prints in bold, size 16, Helvetica font at the top of their ‘Welcome Letter’ in regards to the internet connection.  The internet has been non-existent in the rooms for nearly a month.  The solution for this has been to pack up my MacBook and other peripherals, head to the lobby, and attempt to have conversations with friends and family back home via headphones and Skype.  It is quite an experience sitting in a lobby and essentially giving the persona that you are chatting with yourself because that’s what it looks like from a distance unless you actually see what I am doing on my laptop.

Yesterday I spoke with a front desk receptionist (this is after having locked myself out of my room mid-laundry change and getting her to make me another key) and asked when the connection in the rooms would be fixed.  Her response, “It has been fixed for a few days now.”  I was both excited and frustrated at this new fact of information.  Excited that I would be able to kick back in my room and not have to lug equipment around and at the same time frustrated that nobody told me it was working again.  I told her thank you for the information and headed back over to my room to follow instructions to gain access to the internet.

Step 1 – Connect laptop to ethernet cable.
Step 2 – Open laptop port via Philips flatscreen tv graphical user interface.
Step 3 – Enjoy the wonderful wide web of entertainment known as the internet. 

After completing step 3 my MacBook lit up with joy as Adium, Skype, and Last.Fm announced in their respected tones that they had gained access to an active connection.  Thirty-seven seconds later my laptop came to a screeching halt and evolved from Eve into Wall-E, which is actually a direct reversal of what is supposed to happen.  The Internet flickered to life just as quickly as it shriveled up like leaves in a bonfire. 

This reminded me of the time in 2nd grade when I thought I was doing my Mom a favor by pruning her lilac bushes in Maine.  It turns out that you’re not actually supposed to cut off full branches and leave the lilac bushes looking like Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree.  Several attempts later I gave up and switched over to my faithful white iPhone 3G + Fring. 

The night ended with me dialing the wrong country code from Belgium and phoning up a random French man around 11:30 pm.  On the second try I did manage to get it done correctly and finished off my evening with a relaxing conversation with Jocelyn. 

Check back soon for frustrations with the internet in Belgium round 2!