Do You Believe in Magic?

Last weekend’s muggy August weather made for a more difficult long run, but we’ve otherwise been pretty lucky this summer. Our training schedule included a Magic Mile, which is basically a time trial mile. I ran the Magic Mile at 6:14, and Jenn previously ran hers at 7:14.

After the run, I accepted an invitation to Wizard World, the Chicago satellite of Comi-Con. I saw some Harry Potters in the crowd, but despite the name, the convention is less about magic, and more about sci-fi and comic books. Seeing various celebrities (broadly construed) and costumed fans, I had an interesting and amusing time in a world where reality is suspended. I have included a couple of pictures here and posted an entire album on Facebook.

Anyway, we might not believe in magic, but we have reason to believe in a lot more. We see that running is a way of life for many, maybe even us. However, without the AFC mission and the generosity and emotional support we have received, there is no way that we would feel so empowered and improve as greatly our physical and mental strength on the run. After being one of the top fundraisers last year, we would not want to spend our summer any other way.

With less than two months until the Chicago Marathon, we hope that we can get more help for the AFC and make it truly an amazing race. Please forgive me for the photographic pun using Kynt and Vyxsin, former Amazing Race contestants and Comi-Con celebrity attendees, and consider contributing anyway.  We're approaching $1,500 and hope to reach at least $2,000 by the end of the week.

http://afc.aidschicago.org/netcommunity/TheyMightBeRunnersII-ElectricBoogaloo

Graceland

We're not really big fans of Elvis, but we ran the Elvis Is Alive 5K based on numerous recommendations from friends. We fully recommend it to runners, walkers, and spectators.

We strayed from our usual slow 5-miler on Thursdays, but running the 5K at a good clip made for a nice change. We signed up and were blessed with great weather, particularly for August. As I enjoyed a complimentary post-race beer with the peanut butter banana sandwiches, we also attended the post-race concert by an Elvis impersonator. Or was he the real deal? The passion with which he sang the Star-Spangled Banner before the start almost convinced me.

Armed with a Canon PowerShot, rather than our usual Clif brand Shot Blocs, we captured the all-Elvis pack at the start line and shot some on the course as we passed them. We have included a few photos here and posted the album on Facebook. Running more races and pushing ourselves to improve have kept our marathon mission fresh this year. And so, we have taken the King's advice: "A little less conversation, a little more action, please." http://afc.aidschicago.org/netcommunity/TheyMightBeRunnersII-ElectricBoogaloo


We're trying as hard as we can and quote Paul Simon, a musician I much prefer over Elvis:

And I may be obliged to defend
Every love every ending,
Or maybe there's no obligations now.
Maybe I've a reason to believe
We all will be received
In Graceland.

17 Again in Rio

Last week, we visited Rio de Janeiro on vacation. Because of my appreciation of Matthew Perry, I foolishly stayed awake during the overnight flight and watched 17 Again, the Zac Efron vehicle in which he co-stars. I enjoyed the film enough and liked a few scenes a lot. However, the reduction in sleep following a long week made our first day of vacation tiring and was a questionable choice.

Rather than skip our long training run and blame it on Rio, we checked into our hotel and ran 17 miles, a distance we had not since the marathon in October. Fortunately, Rio has a running/bike path along the edge of Copacabana Beach, Ipanema Beach, and a natural lake a little inland. In addition, most sections of the major road adjacent to the path are closed to cars on Sunday, in effect, widening the path. Pristine crescent beaches and mountains flanked us as we ran past historical fortresses and giant, elaborate sandcastles by local artists.

That scenery helped defeat our fatigue and flight-stiffened legs. We finished that that long run and a few shorter runs with my family throughout the week. Thinking about the movie and looking back at ourselves at the age of 17, I am surprised to see us fitter than we were then despite being almost twice as old. How the Ef-ron did that happen? Earlier this month, we ran new personal records for the mile -- 6:22 for me and a just a tad slower for Jenn. OK Computer, we're getting closer: fitter, happier, more productive . . . .

We've raised $900 so far, and with only nine generous donors. We're well on our way to help the AFC just as it has helped us with our training.

Return of the Blog, Sequels et Cetera

Jenn and I ran the North Shore Half Marathon this morning in beautiful Highland Park, Illinois. Along mile nine (9) of the course there was a group of family and friends cheering for the runners. Some played the spinning drum. In case the instrument does not conjure an image in your mind, you might recall its prominence in the hit sequel, The Karate Kid, Part II. The movement of the drum's arms inspired the film's climactic karate move, which Daniel-San uses to avert death in the final fight against Chozen -- apparently not the Chosen One.

As I expounded on the film's simultaneous terribleness and retro-awesomeness, we examined how movies no longer have "Love Themes," at least not separate from their regular theme songs. If it were made today, Peter Cetera's "The Glory of Love" would merely be a track listing on the soundtrack -- not the "Love Theme" that it is. That marketing problem is so obviously the reason that the record industry has failed in the new millennium. As we approached the water station, Jenn and I sang the chorus aloud in honor of the era past:

I am a man who will fight for your honor.
I'll be the hero you're dreaming of.
We'll live forever,
Knowing together
That we did it all for the glory of love.

And so, Jenn and I trained outdoors through the long winter, improving our pace significantly for the glory of love and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Following the lead of questionable sequels, Jenn and I also want to announce our AIDS Marathon Team name for this second year. Last year, we had our doubts about our ability to conquer a distance longer than five (5) miles for the first time in our lives. Our team name, "They Might Be Runners", reflected that.

This year, together Jenn and I are "They Might Be Runners II: Electric Boogaloo". We will run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 11, 2009. While fatigue comes and goes, bad sequels last forever -- or at least seem to upon viewing.

And Now for Something Completely Different

Now what? That's the question I have been asking myself a lot lately since the marathon.
During the last few months since our last post, I almost wrote about varied topics: an amateur magician practicing card tricks, shuffling and slights of hand on the "el"; the photography class I have been taking; the week-to-week changes on the lakefront. Nothing seemed to be "important" after the rewarding experience of the marathon and the fundraising. Well, there may be no topping the charity marathon, so to borrow a line from Monty Python -- and now for something completely different.

Not completely though. We are still running outside every weekend as far as thirteen (13) miles. The coldest temperature on the Sunday runs has been 5 degrees, before the windchill and the minor windburn that I suffered that day. We have committed to running the AIDS Marathon Program, probably staying local with the 2009 Chicago Marathon. We will run some out-of-town races, including a half-marathon in Ft. Worth, Texas in two (2) weeks with my family. We may try others, and possibly another full marathon out-of-town. Knowing that we can finish a marathon, we won't focus on the success and challenges of training nearly as much.

But I digress. Going forward, this blog will be as varied as our life experiences with events remarkable and thoughts random. After a extremely busy couple of months at work for Jenn and me, we should blog with regularity again. These entries and entries on "Listimosa," our second blog regarding all things lists (ours and others, including national publications, and thoughts about those lists) http://listimosa.blogspot.com/, will occur with the prior frequency. Because some lists were easy to prepare, we have kept up with Listimosa a bit more. Nonetheless, I feel a little guilt for leaving this blog unattended. Fortunately, I have made significant progress on my goals for 2009 (as discussed on Listimosa) while getting a lot done at work.

My guilt and my commitment stem are best summed up by a film that had a major effect on me: Throw Momma from the Train. Certainly not Best Picture, it did forever leave me with the mantra: "A writer writes. Always." With that in mind, I hope you find your interest surge as this blog emerges from the fog.