Thank You Notes

It's now one week out from the Boston Marathon.  That's usually when I check my inbox, return some emails, and of course, send out my marathon-versioned thank you notes.  If you guys do not mind, I am running a bit behind schedule and was wondering if I could write them out now.  Here goes:

#1 Thank you to my sponsors: my family and friends.  You guys rock!  I would not have been able to get to this point in my training without your support.  I know I have been a lot to put up with, having only talked about running since December (and probably even before that), but all of you have been with me from the start and words cannot express how much I appreciate and need that.

#2 Thank you to my running shoes: the Brooks Launch.  You are the perfect date, always ready when I am and willing to stay out late.  You really treat me well.

#3 Thank you to my Training Logs.  I update three separate logs and use all of them to look back at my past training and paces.  If I were to lose two of them, well then, I would still be just fine.

#4 Thank you to Luna Bars.  You are a feminine brand of protein bars that I have been consuming after many of my training runs.  I get them for free, so it's whatever.  I did just get a new batch of Cliff-Bars, but I will not forget what you did for me.

#5 Thank you to getting injured!  Hey there, yeah IT Band, I'm talking to you.  You thought it would be a great decision to give out right at the end of February?  No, you're right, that was probably for the best now that I am healthy when it counts.  You were quite the nuisance but I can rest happy this week having fully recovered.

#6 Thank you to Smith Hill.  You instill fear even into the infamous Heartbreak Hill.  I waged battle against you countless times during this training cycle.  You threw punch after punch at me, hoping I would give up and not conquer you.  I hope we have reached a new level of respect for one another and can move forward as friends.


#7 Thank you to the wind.  You just had to have wild, raging parties for the past few months.  It was very rare to run on a day under 10 mph of wind and I was much more likely to see 20+ mph.  When you come strong at me, in my face, you slow me down and make it difficult to run.  Without you, however, I would not be ready to handle whatever the elements throw at me come Monday.

#8 Thank you to all the Dunkin Donuts' and Starbucks along my running routes.  I am never looking to make a purchase from you.  I enter into you with the sole intention of getting water and leaving as quickly as I can so that I can continue my run.

#9 Thank you to investment.  Since December, I have run 1018.75 miles in 117:55:57 (hours, minutes, seconds).  This marathon thing is not that easy and it takes commitment to go out everyday and try to get better at it.  Running has fully consumed my life and this is why I have trouble not mentioning it.  It's part of who I am and who I want to be.

#10 Thank you to all the haters.  At this point, doubters can suck it.  I just do not understand why people feel the need to put runners down as a whole.  Try to be nice, okay?

So those were my thank you notes.  I tried to mention some very important things to me over the past few months.  My training for this week involves a couple of off days and very low mileage.  There is a lot that I cannot control about the marathon, but I know there is nothing I can change now to help me.  I will surround myself with good people this week and hope for the best.

“I had as many doubts as anyone else. Standing on the starting line, we're all cowards.”

- Alberto Salazar

ONE WEEK UNTIL BOSTON!

Run Happy,
David

If you didn't get the reference to the whole thank-you note layout above, it's what Jimmy Fallon does every Friday night on his late night show.  Enjoy: