Run DMZ

I've already discussed my favorite races from this year . Here are the books, movies, plays, songs, and an essay/blog post that stood out for me. And unlike Oprah, no one paid me to endorse them. Which is why none of you will be going home with a copy, let alone a new car. Favorite Book: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks A really impactful work of non-fiction that deftly weaves together many important issues in what at first blush appears to be a medical science story. But it's much, much more. Favorite Movie: Inside Job I love documentaries and this one really left an impression on me. It visually and powerfully shows what led to the global financial crisis of 2007 and why we still are suffering so. Warning: You'll leave even more depressed than when the movie began once you realize we don't have the type of representative government outlined in our high school history books. Honorable Mention: 127 Hours I love Danny Boyle movies, including this one. It also changed...

We had just settled in for the evening when we heard a knock and our neighbor handed over a small package that had been mistakenly delivered to the wrong address. It was my Secret Santa gift from Stefano, aka The Black Knight , in Italy! Hai fatto la mia giornato con il vostro regalo bello e gesto. He must have read my mind -- omnipotent army leader that he is -- because just the day before I'd been eyeing that very moleskin day planner at a local bookstore. I love it and the notepad in Italian with very cute dogs. Maggie, our furry houseguest, approves of the gifts too. Thank you, Stefano. And may you be the only one to get the joke in the headline. I am still woefully embarrassed by it. Your Lady Anne P.S. A big thank you to Jill in Colorado for creating and coordinating the running blogger gift exchanges. It had to take a lot of work. Now to wait and see if my gift ever arrived on Tuesday as intended.

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This week's Monday Brain Exchange, courtesy of One Little Tri Girl's blog is to create a poem that sums up your 2010 race year . Those who've followed this blog know in October 2009 I tore my achilles tendon, one of the most serious injuries a longtime runner can suffer. Through a beaurocratic blunder, I had to forgo surgery. With a lot of patience and physical therapy, I managed to heal the injury and accept newfound limitations now placed upon me, a former marathoner who loved nothing better than running 10+ miles every Sunday just to clear the cobwebs. So my return to running and racing inspired this poem. Marking the Occasion Toeing the start line Not once Not twice But three times With a firmer body A sounder mind A fully healed injury And good friends of mine Is better than Any personal records Any finisher’s medals Any technical T-shirts To mark the occasion You proved critics wrong. After all these decades Here is where you belong.

I came so close to batting 1.000 for hosting rain-soaked runs this year. And technically I did because we had drizzle before the start, but otherwise we really lucked out and hit that reprieve between storms this morning for the 4th Annual Christmas Card Lane Run. This would not seem all that spectacular of a streak if we lived in Portland or Seattle, but this is San Diego and it only rained on the Saturdays I had a hosted run scheduled. Each year is a little different and this time, due to what would otherwise have been a record crowd – San Diegans can be fair-weather runners – I needed a place with a lot of free parking and setup space. So we ran to Rancho Penasquitos’ famed neighborhood from a parking lot next to a city-owned skate park that doesn’t open until 10 a.m. The location from that standpoint was perfect. The course, however, was .2 miles short because I walked the group to the base of a big hill for the official start. This was for everyone’s safety. This one was probably ...