This should be a great weekend! Joe and Arla, some the most consistent and dedicated of our little group running their marathons. Think I feel some PR's coming on . Mainly just hoping you guys revel in the experience of daring to do what such a small % of the population even attempts

Ditto!! Just know you guys are gonna rock this weekend. Virtual WOO HOO's for ya the entire time! Cindy - You guys have some of the best stuff going on your area! I'm jealous. This is my jealous look: Arla - Ditto what you said about people poo-pooing run/walk programs. I think all of us here know where they can stuff their opinions. Frances - I'm glad you found a program that fits you. Good luck with . . . but get those shins healed first, little lady. 1 hour of core/strength this a.m. whilst watching "For Love of the Game" - one of my all time favorite movies and a fantastic soundtrack. I don't know why, but I have just not been able to get myself up that extra half hour twice a week to do a spin on my bike. After my run next weekend, though, I really have to pull my head out of my, um, you know where, and get with the program or SOB will kill me. Okay, it'll probably kill me anyway, but you know what I'm saying. Have a great weekend, boys and girls!

. . . it don't get much better for a dog to have the kind of farm life she had. We had a damn good run though, a Damn good run indeed!

{{{{Farmer Jim}}}} Indeed!

Jim, my sincere condolences to you and Lynda. It's such a shame that they can't be with us longer but like you said,you gave her a Great Life.

Jim & Lynda, I'm so sorry. Her name is Keisha, right? Love the picture...you could tell she was ready to play. What a beautiful life you gave her, and I know she gave so much back to you. "Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." (Gen 9:16) May you see many rainbows, and find comfort in knowing she is in good hands.

{{{{{Jim & Lynda}}}} our condolences!! It's always hard to loose one like that! & a little something to share: Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, the adults told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt Shane could learn something from the experience. The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why." Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me - I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, "Everybody is born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody and being nice, right?" The four-year-old continued, "Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

That's a really sweet story Cindy. Arla- Good Luck to you! Set your pace and run your race! I'm starting way slow and will try to race the last 10k. It looks like your weather is nice, mine looks to be a wet one. About 57* with light rain, no wind. I have had some of my fastest runs in the rain, so it does not scare me. I put the last of the hay in the barn tonight (slow 4 miler) after picking up my race packet. If this race doesn't go well ,it won't be from lack of effort. Since Jan, and before tapering , I have run 13 consecutive weeks above 50mpw .Of those ,6 weeks were above 60 and 3 were above 70. All this with next week being two years since finishing the C25K. I am very thankful that I have been able to do so much.I am also very grateful for the encouragement from you guys! You'll be out on the course with me ! My bib # is 1455 and I even have my first name on it too! Don't know if it's trackable, but here's the site: http://njmarathon.org/ I'll settle for a 4:15, but I'm hoping to get closer to 4:00. We'll see. A lot of rest and carbo loading tomorrow! Thanks again Folks!

Well, here I was trying to see how Joe did . . . and the race is tomorrow. GOOD LUCK!! 8 trail miles this a.m. in a light to medium drizzle/rain. Completed in 1:41:34 for a 12:42 ap. Last trail run before my event next weekend. Hoping to complete the 30k in 4:50 or less (knock on wood, all fingers and toes crossed). We're suppose to go to dinner and Arts Alive! with some friends tonight, but the weather isn't conducive to walking around downtown. Probably will end up with dinner out and back to the house for margaritas and some cards. Sounds like more fun to me, anyway - - and cheaper and safer. Have a great weekend ~