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23 August 2007 - Running on Faith (or Empty. We'll see.)

Say what you will about the Grease Soundtrack, but Olivia Newton-John really sings her heart out in "Hopelessly Devoted to You." Moving on...



It's a beautiful day in Auckland. Sunny in the morning, rainy at night. Sky of blue and sea of green. It's such a great city that I'd love to see more of it. And what better way than to run 24 miles around downtown?

The Auckland Marathon is coming up on the 28th of October. This gives me 66 days to train. The first guy who ran a marathon passed out and died. That being said, I should probably start practicing.
I'm considering using the Barney Stinson guide to running a marathon. Step One: You start running. There is no step two.

I come from a family of chronic knee pain. Mom had knee surgery. Dad recently had knee surgery. One more knee surgery and we get a free small drink with any combo meal. So if I wreck mine in the process, at least I know of a capable surgeon that takes our insurance. It's also a way for me to prove that the two summers of physical therapy paid off. And going along with my logic behind everything I'm doing while abroad, it makes a fun story to tell back at home.

Yet I must admit that right now, at 12:09am, just thinking about running makes my knees hurt a bit. I haven't felt this week in the knees since I first saw Rose Byrne in 'Wicker Park.' Another downside is that Men's Health always says that distance running breaks down muscle tissue. And if there's one thing that I'm all about it's looking as studly as possible. Or maybe I'll lose weight and look like a swimmer? Still up in the air.

But then again, the entry fee is $99NZ (roughly $68 American). If I wanted to pay money to exert myself to near exhaustion and wreck my knees, I know a dominatrix on Fairfax with competitive prices. I could always go for the cheaper, half-marathon option. But that's just a cop out. Who ever got away with only doing half of a job? And if there's one thing that I don't support is pulling out before the Mission is Accomplished. Otherwise civil war will reign and a capitalist economy will never flourish. So for the sake of global democracy, I won't be running a weak-ass half marathon. They should probably just change the name. You can either run a "Full Marathon" or you can "Admit you were castrated at a young age."

So it's 24 miles (I refuse to convert to kilometers) or bust. I'll keep you posted.


And on the civil disobedience front, Dan from CafeAbroad.com (STILL, don't visit) has finally responded to my strongly worded reply to his offer of $0. He has suggested that I send in a 600-800 word submission with a "clear theme." Worst case scenario, I get published on their web site. Best case, I'll get hired. So I'm currently working on a piece about my weekend of caving and skiing. I may have to tone down the Simpsons references and sexual innuendo, but I'll be sure to post my article first on my blog and I'll let you know if "Dan" comes to his senses and decides to compensate me for my candor.

-MGD

That's what she said of the day:
(In the kitchen)
I think it's time you pulled that sausage out.

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