Thanks to early morning runs when you don't want to get of bed. Thanks to the cold and dark and lonely runs, the runs when you are too tired or have too many other things on your mind. Thanks to the 20 milers. Thanks to the 5 mile and 10k races. Thanks to the rare runs when you feel like you are 25 again and can run at top speed forever. But most importantly, thanks to those runs with friends where you talk so much you don't realize the miles are slipping by.

Thanks to the NYC Marathon 2008:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/onemannsopinion/sets/72157610456304106/

A prayer of thanks

 A Prayer of Thanks

Barack atah Illinois, Eloheinu melech ha'olam,
hoo-ray p'ri ha-electoral landslide.
Amen.

White House Visitor One sunny day in 2009 an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue , where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and said, 'I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.' The Marine looked at the man and said, 'Sir, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here.' The old man said, 'Okay' and walked away. The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, 'I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.' The Marine again told the man, 'Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here.' The man thanked him and, again, just walked away. The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same U.S. Marine, saying 'I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.' The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, 'Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush. I've told you already that Mr. Bush is no longer the president and no longer resides here. Don't you understand?' The old man looked at the Marine and said, 'Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it.' The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, 'See you tomorrow sir.'

The American dream has been fulfilled!