the end of the marathon running story

I didn't really meet this guy, but I wish I did.

Welcome back true believers. This morning I wrote a blog story on myspace about how I was woken up by a mouse and I already got 14 people to view it and it got me thinking about the future of this blog. Clearly I'm at a crossroads because of the lack of readership, and of course some of my readers are not on myspace to bear witness to my clever way with words.

What to do? What to do? I've been kicking around the idea of turning this blog into sort of a commentary on pop culture blog which if you've ever talked to me is really my speciality and moving my great stories to myspace.

I need all my fans out there to leave a comment about what they think about that in the next week, seriously. I mean that.

Also, I'd toyed with the idea of not actually finishing the epic tale of my first large non union production because I didn't find it terribly interesting and now of course that I'm about to finish it, it will probably seem anticlimatic, but let's face it - it's hard to deal with the marketing power of lazy people to click on blogs that come into their myspace blog list or to click on their friend's face. I get 3 times as many myspace emails now as regular emails. Admit it, you do too don't you.

It's pretty clear to me that myspace and other social networking sites are clearly the future of communication and will only grow more popular as more and more people join while fewer and fewer people actually leave. About a year ago there was a stigma about being in your 30's and being on myspace. That stigma no longer exists, and people are growing more comfortable with their age and having people on their friend's list that aren't neccessarily in their traditional age category. It seems that sharing common interests in books, movies, and music and being able to share blogs about what you can't stand is more important in relationship buiilding than being born within a few years of someone.

This should have been obvious to people so I'm surprised it's taken this long to catch on to this level.

Anyway, now it feels like that was a little preview of what I possibly had planned for this blog so now I'll finish the "running" story and people can say which part they liked better.

Let's see...

Where was I?>.....

Oh yeah.

It was very cold that morning and I wasn't sure how I felt wearing a yellow tank top and red shorts that I bought from K-Mart. Fortunately, walking and running everywhere in New York has kept me fit so I wasn't worried that my arms would look too puny to any prospective ladies that might want to chat me up due to my cute face and easygoing straightforward manner.

Fortunately the pick of the litter of the women out that fine morning seemed to be a little rough. There was the 85 pound toothpick of a black woman with nappy hair, and blues brother's sunglasses who kept talking to people and making them uncomfortable, looked as if she would die if someone ran into her, and was clearly there for the free meals and the crack money.

There was also some california beach babes that would be not complete if they didn't have large breasts, styled hair, gucci bags, rock star boyfriends traveling with them, and that little dog that does Taco Bell ads and really likes gorditas. If they were talking loudly about something other than Nick Lachay and sex jokes and drinking all day then maybe I would have cared more.

On a side note, I finally got to hear Nick Lachay sing last night and it turns that he's really an average singer with really banal uninteresting lyrics and probably most of his popularity came from his chiseled jaw and granite like abs and his uncanny ability to shake his bon-bon.

So we spread out in the middle of a blocked off section of road at 7 in the morning, and ran between 23rd street and 24th street several times in the relative cold air while people complained about the weather.

I had by now split up with my sports trivia loving black friend who was lazy and preferred to play a spectator all day. I naturally preferred to run myself ragged with no water all day for the exact same pay while my feet hurt. Guess who made the right choice?

Through complaining to other people about our rough treatment at the hands of our captors and grumbling about the lack of water and clear direction I was able to make "friends" throughout the day who I could acknowledge with a knowing nod every time I would hear them grunt or groan or wipe sweat off their headband.

I didn't really talk to the crack addicts, the porn stars, or any of the people who didn't get the memo that this was a commercial set and actually showed up looking like a ripped to shreds marathon runner on steroids. I don't know if I would actually want legs like tree trunks, but this guy sure did.

I thought it was funny when the real runner type guys kept flexing and stretching before each run like we were doing some real long distance endurance type stuff that would actually require some real preparation. I bet they were giving out GNC tips on set that day in between not breaking a sweat at all.

The only other two events to break up the monotony of being cold, and then hot and having differing directions shouted at me by at least 5 different people all day were 2 key events that really stood out in my mind as being emblematic of that day somehow.

1) At one point the running had moved onto the sidewalk, right in front of this souvenir stand run by this big time Trannsylvanian looking guy with giant mutton chops and one eyebrow. While we were running up and down the sidewalk for an hour straight, he would just stand out there, seemingly oblivious to the fact that farely soon there would be approximately 60 people dashing past him for an unknown goal. He had his arms folded and wore a scowl and looked like he hoped we would leave since he must have thought we were stealing his business, since about 100 tour buses with cameras flashing passed us that day, I guess his argument must have some merit.

The sidewalk running was going on without incident (minus the grumbling) until this really hairy bohemian looking guy who appeared as if he was straight out of a movie about gangs in new jersey in the 70's ran right into the store owner and almost started a fight with him. The cops separated them later without incident. They must have been used to dealing with shoving matches resulting from spectators getting hit by large crowds of people running on the sidewalk before and displayed their strong leadership skills in letting him go.

2) At about 3:30, the heat was starting to get to everyone and considering the fact that we had been there since 4 in the morning, that plus fatigue was starting to be an issue, so it should have come as no surprise to anyone when one of the marathon runners dropped like a rock and had to helped up. Water and soft drinks were quickly brought out. I guess they just forgot that the body goes through liquids in 90 degree weather fairly quickly. It was an honest mistake so I guess I can forgive them.

After lasting from 4 in the morning till 6:30 at night, one of my new friends summed the day up with this catchy phrase "Never again in life." I think that about sums it up. I'm looking every day for my hundred and fifty dollars in the mail.