13.1 Reasons to Cheer

1. Today I participated in the inaugural ING Georgia Marathon and Half Marathon in Atlanta, Georgia.

2. All 15,000 spots were filled several weeks prior to the event, and representatives from all 50 states plus 25 countries ran, walked, or wheeled the 26.2 mile marathon or 13.1 mile half marathon.

3. There were several racers whose stories inspired everyone, including Scott Rigsby, the first double amputee in history to complete a full marathon.

4. I watched in awe and wonder as the marathon leaders whizzed by me as graceful as gazelles but at a blistering pace of 5:19 per mile. At the time, they were approaching mile 19 as I was approaching mile 5.

5. The half marathon course wound through the awesome intown Atlanta neighborhoods of Sweet Auburn, Inman Park, Little Five Points, Virginia Highlands, and Midtown.

6. Almost every step of the course provided a spectacular view or point of interest, such as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, Piedmont Park, the Carter Center, Underground Atlanta, and my personal favorite - a gorgeous sunrise over the downtown skyline.

7. Hundreds of people lined the streets to cheer for the racers, including members of the Ebenezer Baptist Church Choir, whose voices filled the early morning air.

8. For the past three months, I served on a committe that organized a team called 65 Roses, to help raise awareness of cystic fibrosis.

9. The committe's efforts proved to be worthwhile as over 100 team members joined together for this special cause.

10. My best friend, Jeff, was on our team and blazed through the half marathon course in just over two hours - almost 30 minutes ahead of his goal.

11. My husband, Eric, and Jeff's fiancee, Anna, were in our neighborhood to cheer us on at mile 9. Then they made their way to the finish line to meet up with Jeff and encourage me to finish strong. I don't know what I would have done without them!

12. In my first ever half marathon, I clocked a time of 3:54:40 -- 1:05:20 UNDER my goal!

AND REASON #13.1 TO CHEER -- I FINISHED!!! :o)

Sleeping with the Enemy

This story just broke today.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich acknowledged he was having an extramarital affair even as he led the charge against President Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky affair, he acknowledged in an interview with a conservative Christian group.

"The honest answer is yes," Gingrich, a potential 2008 Republican presidential candidate, said in an interview with Focus on the Family founder James Dobson to be aired Friday, according to a transcript provided to The Associated Press. "There are times that I have fallen short of my own standards. There's certainly times when I've fallen short of God's standards."

Gingrich argued in the interview, however, that he should not be viewed as a hypocrite for pursuing Clinton's infidelity.

The only explanation I can fathom is that Newt doesn't actually know the definition of hypocrite. So I'm including it here for his benefit.

hyp·o·crite [hip-uh-krit] –noun
1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.

Perhaps Focus on the Family should remind Newt to focus on his own damn family.

Question of the Day

Spend a minute perusing this news story before continuing.

Now for the question of the day: What, exactly, are we paying these guys to do?

First we send thousands of troops into this God-forsaken war, then we reward them with substandard medical care when (I mean, if) they return home. In referencing the bureaucrats behind the debaucle, the article mentions "lack of leadership." Um...doesn't the precedent for leadership start at the top, Mr. Bush? (Okay, I guess that's TWO questions of the day.)