An Open Letter of Apology

Dear Galactically Bada** Body,

I owe you an apology. In a big way.

I’m sorry for all the time I spent cussing you for not being what I wanted. I apologize for verbally abusing you. You never deserved it.

I apologize for not wearing sunscreen as a teenager.

And for not wearing sunscreen last week....

For Failure to Rescue

For Failure to Hydrate.

For Failure to properly Fuel.

I am really wicked sorry about my habit of “ignoring symptoms”. It’s unfair to you and I appreciate that if I listened when you whispered, I wouldn’t have to cover my ears when you shout.

I am sorry for all the times I didn’t see you for the beautiful thing that you are.

For setting you aside to do something else.

For “tomorrow I’ll....” and the tomorrows that never came.

Most of all, I am sorry for accusing you of failing me, when I am the one who has failed you. You are my responsibility, my companion, and my vessel.

Now that I better understand that, I will strive to be a good steward of the wealth of gifts that you have bestowed upon me.

Regards,

GBA GF

Angry Drivers Need Not Apply

Dear Honda Civic Owner with the Anger Management Issues,

On Saturday when you chose not to move into an empty lane on a 4 lane road so you could run me off the road, you exposed yourself as an a**h***.

I'm particularly sorry that your life is so small that you felt you had to pull a U-Turn and drive parallel to me while screaming obscenities as I was running. I was 2 inches off the white line.

Your expressed desire to see me dead was rather interesting to me.

I wonder if maybe it didn't occur to you that 1) If you hit me and don't kill me, I will own your fecking Honda Civic. 2) If you hit me and kill me, I have a father who will ensure that my children own your fecking Honda Civic. 3) You will probably lose your license and your job if you kill a pedestrian when she is so clearly NOT occupying the travel lane. 4) If you have so much anger in your life that you need to almost wreck your car so you can yell at a 136 lbs 5'2 female runner, I implore you to go get a therapist. I will pray dearly that the therapist recommends running as a stress release.

About an hour after our exchange, the sidewalks melted enough that I was able to run on them instead of on the 2 inches of road you so desperately needed for your compact car.

Regards,

The Future Owner of YOUR Honda Civic

A letter the Meredith

Dear Meredith,

Be brave.  Take risks.  Nothing can substitute experience. ~ Paulo Coelho ~.

Paulo's sweet, true?  Love him.  He always knows just the right thing to say to a marathoner before a big race.

You are one of the great inspirations in my life.  I think of you often, and always in a positive light.  I'm so fond of you that I ~gasp~ might actually hug you the next time we see each other.
It could happen.
I'm learning to hug.

I sometimes wonder if you know how you impact the world around you.  I never get the impression that you have an idea.  For certain, you've changed my life.

You motivate with your sweet words of strength.

You inspire with your gentle confidence.

You amaze with your mad skillz.

You weep when weeping is called for and you SMILE freely.

These are all traits that should be celebrated.  Admittedly, some with Kleenex and some not...

So next time you’re running a marathon...in L.A....

Remember the whole bit about cow bells and red shirts.  If you think you’ve found the wall, remind the wall that THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS THE WALL.

Try not to suck, respect the distance, and just be in the moment…  but more than that…

Smile freely, dear friend, and remember that the fog seems thickest right before it lifts.

Savor the run,

Gba gf.

An Open Letter to Depression

Dear Depression,

I'm running again, so get lost already.

Oh don't think I didn't recognize you.  I have seen you before.  I felt you before I could see you.  I felt you before you even got out of bed this morning.  


I don't care that you think sleeping is optional during the night time hours.  That's when runners sleep.  I don't desire to examine any aspect of my life between 1am - 4am.  You are a sick b*tch if you're into that.

When my alarm goes off at 4:30, don't even consider hitting the snooze button.  I'm a runner, and a student, and a mom.  This is my one shot to get my sweat on and I am getting up to run or swim, even if you tell me not to.

Napping isn't congruent with my lifestyle either, so the inescapable weariness you're ladling onto me midday is not going to cut it.  I will keep shaking it off, I will refuse to crawl into my toasty warm bed until a respectably late hour after the sun has set.

The aching lump that chokes me, the one that can't be washed down by water, tea, or hot coffee is just going to be ignored.  So is the unquenchable thirst, the sour taste, and the tightness in the back of my jaw.

Fighting you is making me tired, but I will win.  You've celebrated your little "victory" too soon.  Sorry but your a** is going down.

Go suck it.  I don't have time for you.

I'm a runner.

regards,
GBA_gf

A Letter to Q

I.Q, sounds like an SOS!

Holy wack, un-lyrical, lyrics Andre!  You're f*ckin' right...

To the rapmobile, let's go...    .

{I.Q., I.Q.}, b*tches and gentlemen, it's showtime,

hurry hurry, step right up,

introducing the star of our show, his name is, {I.Q.},

you wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world right now,

so without further ado,

I bring to you,

{I.Q. }

You 'bout to witness (running) in it's most

purest, more rawest form, flow almost flawless, most hardest,

most honest known artist,

chip off the old block, but ol' Q is, {back},

looks like Batman brought his own Robin,

oh G, Sadam's got his own Laden,

with his own private plane, his own pilot,

set to blow college dorm rooms doors off the hinges,

oranges, (blacks), (teals), plums,

syringes, {vnn vnn}, yeah here he comes,

he’s inches, away from you, dear fear none,

running is in a state of 911, so...

Let's get down to business,

I don't got no time to play around, what is this,

must be a circus in town, let's shut the sh*t down

on these clowns, can I get a witness?

{hell yeah}

Dear Q-sack,

I thought Detroit Marathon = Eminem.

I.Q. = Bada**

Bada** + Eminem = Angry Rap Lyrics

Hope I didn’t miss the mark, and if I did… WTFC? 

By Sunday afternoon this will all be over.

Now… on to business.

At every moment of our lives, we all have one foot in a fairy tale and the other in the abyss. --Paulo Coelho   (obviously there is only one thing you can get from this:  Paulo is a genius.)

Did I ever tell you about that time that my hot coach went to Detroit and destroyed the Free Press Marathon?  You know what makes the story more amazing?  He had surgery in February of that same year.  This guy can run… you should look him up….  He’s a freaktastic coach.  On the coaching scale, he's way better than me...

Seriously though, of all the athletes I have ever coached to Detroit, you’re my favorite, and in the year it’s been since I first considered giving you CPR, I’ve really enjoyed 'coaching' you.  

(~ah, well, huh~ that sounds a lot more interesting in print than it was in reality)

I know you have some sayings you give to your athletes before a marathon.  Well, I have some too.

The Hay is in the Barn… and that sh*t is rough on the skin and itches like a mo'fo, so don’t forget to glide.

Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint, let the race come to you, and remember it’s only ~like~ 42,000 meters.

Try NOT to suck…   I made that up myself…

You didn’t train for 24 weeks not to bring it on race day…. ^ See above ^.

Galactically Bada** is a state of mind. 

When you see the mile 22 mile marker, just remember, “You’ve got GREAT STAMINA… call me!”

AND when someone says, “JUST KEEP GOING!”, the appropriate response is “THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID.”

AND finally, the most important aspect of GBA marathoning... when things feel a little rough, it's always OK to tell the volunteers & spectators that you “NEED MORE COWBELL.”

Be in the moment.  This is your day, your season, relax and enjoy it.  

You are great.  The proof is all around you.  

If you can't see that, I will help you figure out where to look....

“It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” ― Paulo Coelho

~savor the run~

g.