Few things over the last few days:
- Friday checked out Bill Clinton's Giving
- Today I saw the Darfur Now documentary
- I found the kiva.org website that allows regular people to make microloans
Now with all this inspiring information it's time to do something. I made one loan on kiva to Faaafe Taioalo, a Samoan woman on her second loan, this time raising money for a plantation. Check it out.
With so many causes out there, it's hard to decide who to give to, but I'm glad I am in the position where I can.
Let's do some more.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Saturday, November 03, 2007
How Oprah did not ruin the marathon
In response to a not so original yet still enraging article in Salon:
Give me a break
Which is it? It's good for non-elite runners to run a marathon in an exercise of self-improvement, or it's bringing the *whole* American competitiveness in the sport of marathon down? Really, give me a break. The slower people are not holding the elites back. I live in New York and run in lot's of races. The elites are always able to start up in front. Do you really think some slower runner is keeping those people from pushing themselves? Are slower runners keeping elite runners from training longer and harder? I really don't think so.
I really like this:
"When the attitude simply becomes to finish, that attitude becomes pervasive," says an old marathoner.
Who said that, really? Interesting it's not attributed.
Maybe the personalities that are getting attention in this sport are not the ones you would like (Oprah, John Bingham), but that does not really have anything to do with whether our country can produce olympic medal-worthy marathoners. What about Lance Armstrong having a camera follow him through his NYC Marathon last year? Is he holding back elite, long-distance runners, too?
Here's my argument:
- more people are pushing themselves (remember, running is solitary sport!), trying to get healthier; I think we agree that is positive
- many of these people are out moving their bodies for twice as long as an elite athlete. In fact, I'd be curious to see some of the faster runners push themselves for 4.5, 5, or even 6 hours straight (just because they take walk breaks doesn't mean while they are running, they are not pushing themselves hard)
- these are the people that are not winning money (not that cash prizes for winners are at all bad), but many times raising *thousands of dollars* for charity in order to run the marathon. As you mentioned, Team in Training, as well as dozens of others, could not exist and support the organizations they do without the thousands of runners that need help to get to the start and finish line.
- (I did not include in my letter, but should have) Elite runners are winning larger purses because the popularity and support of the marathon distance
Good job provoking a reaction, but I'm not sure I call this journalism.
Give me a break
Which is it? It's good for non-elite runners to run a marathon in an exercise of self-improvement, or it's bringing the *whole* American competitiveness in the sport of marathon down? Really, give me a break. The slower people are not holding the elites back. I live in New York and run in lot's of races. The elites are always able to start up in front. Do you really think some slower runner is keeping those people from pushing themselves? Are slower runners keeping elite runners from training longer and harder? I really don't think so.
I really like this:
"When the attitude simply becomes to finish, that attitude becomes pervasive," says an old marathoner.
Who said that, really? Interesting it's not attributed.
Maybe the personalities that are getting attention in this sport are not the ones you would like (Oprah, John Bingham), but that does not really have anything to do with whether our country can produce olympic medal-worthy marathoners. What about Lance Armstrong having a camera follow him through his NYC Marathon last year? Is he holding back elite, long-distance runners, too?
Here's my argument:
- more people are pushing themselves (remember, running is solitary sport!), trying to get healthier; I think we agree that is positive
- many of these people are out moving their bodies for twice as long as an elite athlete. In fact, I'd be curious to see some of the faster runners push themselves for 4.5, 5, or even 6 hours straight (just because they take walk breaks doesn't mean while they are running, they are not pushing themselves hard)
- these are the people that are not winning money (not that cash prizes for winners are at all bad), but many times raising *thousands of dollars* for charity in order to run the marathon. As you mentioned, Team in Training, as well as dozens of others, could not exist and support the organizations they do without the thousands of runners that need help to get to the start and finish line.
- (I did not include in my letter, but should have) Elite runners are winning larger purses because the popularity and support of the marathon distance
Good job provoking a reaction, but I'm not sure I call this journalism.
Friday, November 02, 2007
People I used to know
I used to know a guy named "Happy Jeremy". He was in my kindergarten class. It was the late 70's in Austin at elementary school where lot's of kids' parents were university students at UT. I guess that explains the name. I wonder where he is now, and if he goes by his full first name still?
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