a note for you (you know who you are)

Dear drivers,
Please, please try to be supportive to runners on the road. Don't flip them off (old man in pickup, I think you know who I'm talking about). Try a thumbs up, a beep beep or even a high five if you are so moved. We are working hard out there. If you see us carrying a backpack, we are working REALLY hard. Don't work against us.



Dear Litterbugs,
Please dispose of you trash somewhere other than my running lane. I can recommend several great varieties of plastic shopping bags that can become a perfect trash receptacle right inside your car (!). I implore you to keep your Oreo cookie wrappers, your cigarette butts, your soda bottles, your dirty diapers and your CONDOMS (ewwwww) in this receptacle for the good of the earth of course, but especially out of courtesy for you fellow runner.

And just a few thank yous...

Dear Hal Higdon (creator of my marathon schedule),

Thanks for blazing the way, Mr. Higdon. I don't know how it is that I have followed all your advice for 18 weeks and have completed my last training run but I have and my body feels ready, as promised, to tackle the 26.2 mile prize. I marvel at your level of experience and wonder if there is anything I know enough about to give sound advice like you do.

Dear girls,
Thank you for accepting my excessive running schedule as normal, for recognizing my on foot departures by my attire, for offering me drinks of water when I return sweaty and beat up and for cheering for other runner's on the road ("Go runner!") now when I fail to. Thank you for running so hard in your sneakers and showing me that all my work is worth the effort if only to show you that you can do whatever it is you want to.

Dear body,
Wow. All I can say is wow. And thank you.

Dear Medtronic,
Thank you for making such awesome technology to help me manage a small side handicap called Type I diabetes while I run for hours at a time. I really don't think I could pull it off without you.

Dear my kick-butt running group,
I don't even want to imagine doing this without you.

Dear Ange,
Your excitement for me is unparalleled. I can't tell you what it means to me to have you as my cheerleader and coming along for the fun. Maybe 2011 for you??

Dear Emilie,
Thanks for giving me some footsteps to follow, the idea to follow them and the belief that I could.

Dear Sandi,
Thank you for putting up with the incessant running/marathon talk since January. Thank you for rubbing my legs, stroking my ego and writing with shoe polish on the back of the car to encourage and inspire. Thank you for helping me making it all fit, bragging about me to others, being my medical sounding board and coaching me through my mental pitfalls.

I have come to realize that no one does great things all by themselves. Thank, thank, thank you for my support team.