The Connection Runners

Morning Talk Show Inspiration

I've been on vacation this week, and it's been Fan-Tab-U-Lous! Sleeping in, shopping, catching up on reading - pure loveliness. It's nice to remember what it's like to relax. I haven't had to deal with any bathroom requests or homework excuses in six days. Amazing.

However, I was feeling a little under the weather today and decided to take an impromptu day off of my training schedule. (Sorry 6-miler, I just don't have it in me today.)

Besides spending the majority of the day hosing away the film and dirt that was infiltrating our bathrooms and wood floors, I gave several hours worth of attention to morning talk shows. We don't have cable here at the OTRA House, so when I'm not working, my days are filled with exhilarating people like Judge Judy, Regis & Kelly, Jerry Springer, and Rachael Ray.

And surprisingly, I found myself inspired by the morning's chatter. It wasn't just that I felt better about myself and my position in life while watching one of the 871 courtroom shows (I mean seriously... you're fighting over $233 in rent? On national TV? Wearing THAT outfit? Who are these people?)

First up, I caught up with Dean Karnazes's progress in his run across America on Regis & Kelly. I wrote about Dean's journey a while back when it first kicked off, but hadn't really kept tabs on the Man of the 3,000 Mile Run. So I was happy when good old Reg and the ever-bubbly (and sickeningly toned) Kelly caught up with him in Missouri and gave viewers an inside look at how he gets (or doesn't get sometimes) through his daily runs of 40 to 50 miles. Here's the clip:

I'm rooting for the guy - don't get me wrong - but it was refreshing to see that even a Super Runner like Dean Karnazes has bad days and bad runs. He gets angry, tired, and sore.

He makes the point, though, that this run is hugely mental. He has to take each day and each set of miles as they come instead of considering the magnitude of the entire 3,000-mile trek.

So, Dean might run thousands of miles, but it seems that deep down he goes through the same highs and lows as all runners, even Average Janes like this blogger. It felt cool to be able to identify with someone like super cool, ultra-marathoner Dean Karnazes, to understand his struggles and appreciate the triumphs with him.

Then I found some peppy inspiration in another talk show this morning: Ellen DeGeneres. Today's show had absolutely zero to do with running, but I just freaking love Ellen. She's just so... happy. And funny. And self-deprecating in a totally cool way. I want to be friends with Ellen. She could teach me how to do cool dance moves and tell witty jokes. And then we could go find Tina Fey and be smart and funny and self-deprecating all together while we write a screenplay or maybe some monologues.

Now that would make for a sweet vacation. I want to go to there.