Consistently voted top motivational song by people with a pulse everywhere.

This song often makes me want to crane style kick people. Take that Johnny!

It makes me want to frolic. Then again a lot of things make me want to frolic.

Just imagine this in your mind and begin domination. On second thought this could lead to beating your fellow runners in ways not sanctioned by USATF.

I set this as my ring tone three weeks ago and I haven’t answered my phone since.

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The Expo is officially closed. Your training is done. All that’s left between you and marathon glory is a meal and a good night’s sleep – oh yeah, and those 26.2 miles over rolling hills. But that’s the easy part right?

In honor of making it this far, and in hopes of giving you that last bit of inspiration leading you towards the starting line tomorrow, I’m dedicating the next 17 hours of blogging towards pumping my people up.

To start here’s a video of the famous “Duel in The Sun” from the 1982 Boston Marathon where Dick Beardsley and Alberto Salazar race neck and neck to the finish.

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I got a Tweet in earlier today that asked:

@RunBoston09I have a friend who is running Boston. He needs a quick and effective remedy for a head cold & congestion. Any suggestions.

I’m obviously skilled in many fields, but in an effort to spread the opportunity to touch the masses I decided to pull from my quiver of experts to field this one. I contacted Jonathan Cane of City Coach who just shot back a reply:

About all there is to do now is hydrate like a maniac and sleep as much as possible in an effort to let her body fight the infection. Be careful with OTC remedies that might cause drowsiness, jitters, etc.

So there you have it. You’re essentially done for. But if you take a bunch of Vitamin C you might be able to pull a nice placebo effect that will get you through the day. Good luck, and thank you JC.

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For everyone running tomorrow remember to check out the Finisher Celebration at Niketown after the race. There will be complimentary massages and smoothies. And you’ll have the opportunity to customize your Finisher t-shirt with NIKEiD, and take home a free commemorative marathon poster.
Finisher celebration days and hours:
Monday, April 20th, 1pm-6pm
Tuesday, April 21th, 9am-2pm

Also check out the Finish Line Party on Monday April 20th, at 4pm with Kara Goucher. You’ll be able to hear Kara’s race rundown and enjoy her favorite recovery foods. And you’ll get to meet me! Yay! Take that Fit-Ink.

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One of the coolest parts of any marathon is the phenomenon of putting your name, or something equally as awesome, on your shirt so spectators have something to yell other than “Looking good” or “Whooo”. No one is quite sure when or where it was started but legend has it that the original marathoner Pheidippides had “Athens or Bust” scrawled across his tunic. I really can’t back that with historical data but the picture at the right is pretty compelling.

As time wore on this convention has almost become the rule rather than the exception. Ask anyone who’s run with a blank shirt, but been caught behind someone with something like “GO JIMMY” on their shirt. By the end of the race they’ve wanted to jump kick Jimmy in the back for 26.2 miles.

All week Niketown (Newbury and Exeter St.) has free customization with any shirt purchase. I’d recommend getting something on there so you can get the props you deserve. And because I’m probably much more creative than you I have a few idea starters with strong nods to internet memes and pop culture references to get your inner hamster wheel turning. Most of these are back of the shirt ideas to amuse fellow racers because that’s always fun too. Feel free to add more.

OMG WTF UR SLW
TTYL
OH HAI, C U LTR
I CAN HAZ PASS U?
I CAN HAZ FINESH?
(lolcats varieties are virtually unlimited and utterly hilarious)
PASSED? OBVI.
MANAMANA (Do Do Dododo)
FOLLOW ME TO CANDY MOUNTAIN
ARE WE THERE YET?
WHAT WAS I THINKING? (great at mile 20-24)
I 8 A 4RE
HAMMERS
HOOF HEARTED
RUNBOSTON09.COM (OMG I’m getting that. Done and done.)

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Hey Fit-Inkers! Peep the Kara cheer cards which are free at Niketown. I’ve wallpapered my hotel room in them. I bet you want one huh? Maybe I’ll save one for you. Sike. Oh yeah, I went there.

From KaraCard

From KaraCard

From KaraCard

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There will be a quiz later.

1897:The first modern marathon

1900: The first international presence

1901: Scandal, legalized betting and first-ever marathon photos

1907: Course changes & Heartbreak Hill

1916: First Bostonian wins

1918: Marathon cancelled; relay race instead

1920: Boston Classic Chosen as Olympic Marathon Trials

1921: Zuna sets course record of 2:18:57

1924: DeMar sets new world’s record

1935: Johnny Kelley wins first victory

1953: A year of world-record-breaking times

1957: John J. Kelley finally wins Boston Marathon

1972: Women officially acknowledged in BAA race

1975: Rodgers, Winter obliterate record books

1979: Rodgers breaks own course record for third win; Benoit takes women’s division

1980: Rosie Ruiz pulls the ultimate prank

1983: Joan Benoit carves out a new world

1986: De Castella and Kristiansen win first cash prize

1990: Gelindo Bordin is the first Olympic gold medalist to win Boston

1993: Cosmas Ndeti wins his first

1996: A stunning push near finish makes Pippig three-time champ

1997: A new order: Kenya’s Lameck Aguta, Ethiopia’s Fatuma Roba win 101st running

1998: Tanui regains Boston crown, Roba makes it two in a row

1999: Fatuma Roba repeats; Kenya’s Joseph Chebet finally wins

2000: Elijah Lagat wins closest race to date; Catherine Ndereba breaks through

2001: Lee Bong Ju of Korea breaks Kenyan stranglehold; Ndereba wins again

2002: Rop leads comeback by Kenyan men; Okayo KOs course record

2003: Cheruiyot leads sweep by Kenyan men; Russian women take 1-2

2004: Kenyans take the titles: Timothy Cherigat wins the men’s race, and Catherine Ndereba wins the women’s.

2005: Catherine Ndereba makes history with a fourth Boston title; Hailu Negussie wins men’s race.

2006: Experience guided Robert Cheruiyot to a record run (by just one second) and second win in the Boston Marathon.

2007: The 111th Boston Marathon went off without a hitch in its stride amid the worst conditions since 1970.

2008: Four-time champ Robert Cheruiyot made it look easy on Marathon Monday.

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…And it was a really cool event. We got there early enough to get a good seat in the bleachers between the start and finish with a view of the giant LCD. The format for the high school races was that there were two runners for each of the towns that the marathon passes through. For the elite races the format was get the fastest runners possible and let them have at it. Pictures of the race below. If you check the Twitter feed I basically play by played it.

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So I’ve enjoyed the whole doomsday bit. It’s been funny, it’s been interesting, it’s been a good read, but after what i just experienced I don’t know if this running joke can last in the face of the fear I’ll have to repress everytime I see a – well, a whatever that thing is.  The picture below depicts the scene I just walked in on.

Let me set the scene. I walk into the room. I see that. I walk out of the room.

I’m blogging this from the hotel lobby because I’m scared to go back.

Now I know the device isn’t smart enough to engineer this all on it’s own. I’m not stupid. I mean it doesn’t even have the opposable thumbs. And if it did how would it reach the knob? Duh? But there’s obviously someone in cahoots with the thing and I want to know who. I need to know the truth. I can handle the truth!

So anyone with knowledge of who is helping this thing ruin my life please contact me immediately. You know where I am, in the lobby, and if I get back to the room and it’s back I’ll befriend it with my charm and turn it against you.

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