7606

Okay, everybody, multiple choice. The number 7606 represents what to Damon?

a) The number of calories he consumed yesterday.

b) The number of people who've looked at our house without buying it.

c) The quantity of songs Damon's choreographed this year.

d) How many years old Damon feels after a road trip

e) The dollar amount of our basement flood repair (close!)

Clock is ticking,......beeeeeeeep!,......oh, sorry. Your time is up! Actually, out of 35,000 runner/walkers, 7,606th place was Damon's finish at yesterday's Indianapolis 500 Mini-Marathon! As I love to say every year, I got beaten by a town, but I defeated a city!!

This was either my 20th or 21st time on this adventure, and I never stop loving it. I've become ritualistic over the years, making sure I eat pancakes with loads of maple syrup, plus a big bowl of pasta the night before to load up on carbs. I scan the 500 Expo after picking up my race packet for as many free samples as possible (this year's unexpected treasure was free grape-flavored 5-hour Energy!) I pin my number to my shirt the night before and try to find something that will make me stick out in the television shots, like weird-colored shorts or a bright green baseball cap turned sideways.

I always park at Methodist Hospital, a full 1.7 miles from the start line. That way, I'm encouraged to do a good warm-up run to get stretched out. Always get there at 6:45, always drink Gatorade and eat bananas, always stop by the port-o-lets, always smack the beach balls, always say a couple prayers, always, always, always.

Perfect weather greeted us this year, after the biting cold wind of a year ago. 55 degrees and cloudy, or as runner's would say, PERFECTION! The national anthem was especially poignant this year, having seen the face blown off of Osama Bin Laden less than a week ago. I think everybody except the rude 20-year old girl next to me felt a surge of American pride and a lump in their throat,....she just wanted to blather on about how much she needed to pee.

My pacing was good this year, perhaps as good as its ever been. NOT my speed, mind you, but my consistency. After a congested first mile, I held in between 8:52-9:15 for the entire race, finishing with an unexpectedly solid 1:59:14. I'd been recovering from a nasty respiratory infection, so I truly had expected nothing better than a 2:05.

A couple random memories:

-Love those old ladies that clog to Beyonce and Eminem songs!

-Seeing some Hamilton Southeastern folks I know.

-Watching a lady taken away on a golf cart BEFORE the race started.

-The drunk guys trying to be funny and yell at the runners,.....completely in undecipherable gibberish! ("heyth, ya wan me getchasixthpakopabstbluribbon?") Uh,....sure!

-The 70-year-old lady SCREAMING like an army drill sergeant at mile 10, and the guy beside me who said "if we all kill her together we won't get in trouble!"

Over all a great day. My achilles cooperated, my stamina was good and God and mother nature smiled on Indianapolis for another running. Hope I'm right back next year!

Osama Is Dead!

This will be a short entry, but I want to briefly mark the occasion so I never forget it. Osama Bin Laden is dead, killed by USA forces who marched into Pakistan without permission (good for us!) and took down the world's number one wanted terrorist.

On September 1st, 2001, I was driving to Lapel High School for a choreography rehearsal when Dan Rather of CBS News came on my car radio to shock the world with the news of planes crashing into the Pentagon and Twin Towers. I listened live, as first one, then the other tower fell. Stopping to watch the happenings on a truck stop television off I-69 I stood with a bunch of folks I didn't know. The one things I think we all knew, though, was that our lives had just changed forever. The next month may well have been the worst of my life, filled with endless tears, feelings of loss, dreams of violence and fear, and overwhelming feelings of despair and sadness for those victimized in the 9/11 attacks.

Bin Laden was a monster of the worst kind. Religion wasn't about love, forgiveness, reaching out, caring for widows and orphans, spreading goodwill, seeking the earnest will of a savior who died to save us from our sins. No, for him is was about murder, destruction, vengeance, domination, chaos, and fear. It was a religious fanaticism marked by suicide bombs, violent plots, death of innocents, and hatred,....plain, pure, vitriolic hatred.

Because of him, I spent 6 hours in a blood bank on 9/11 waiting with hundreds of others to donate. Because of him, a decade long war and the loss of thousands of American and allied lives has been the result. Because of him, the phrase "thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears" no longer stands true. Because of him, mothers can't hold their husbands, children can't have their parents tuck them in, and somebody will forever be missing at the dinner table. Osama Bin Laden, I can't begin to tell you how glad I am that you're dead!

This won't end the war on terrorism by a long shot. In fact it will probably even ramp it up in the short term with more suicide bombs and pointless tragedies. But this deals a symbolic and terrifying blow to Al Queda and the Taliban. Their "Queen" is dead. Their champion of the rally cry has been lost to a hail of USA bullets, each tipped with a red, white and blue reminder of "we said we'd get you". Although I can't stand President Obama, I take this occasion to be fair and tip my hat to him. President Obama, I hope you lose next November because you're ruining our country's economy, but today I offer you a hearty congratulations and heartfelt thank you.

To the USA military and the courageous heroes who killed him and those around him without ANY collateral damage, I say praise God for each and every one of you. You've done the unthinkable, and tracked down an animal that had evaded us for years by crawling through caves and misrepresenting the true heart of his own religion. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And now Osama, there's somebody I'd like you to meet:

"Osama, this is Satan."

"Satan, this is Osama."

Enjoy those virgins.