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Previous issues: 2004 Soapboxes
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Aimee's Soapbox!
March 2005: Be Groovy, Be Inspired!
Spring has sprung, Groovy Readers! It's time to shake off those winter blues and get back out there. After
a few months of darkness and snow, though, you might feel less than inspired. Or even (perish the thought)
less than groovy. . . .
Thankfully, I am here to help you. Well, me and the good folks at Mizuno.
One of my favorite groovy shoe companies, Mizuno has just come out with a new shoe called, yup, you
guessed it, the Inspire. So that got us all fired up here at the store to have an "Inspiration" Theme for March.
My goal is to be like a sports movie for you. You know how you go to the theater to watch "Pre" or "Coach
Carter" or "Miracle," and then you leave all fired up and ready to run a marathon? Like how John Travolta
went out for the track team to impress Olivia Newton-John in "Grease." (OK, maybe not that one. Jen made me
write that. . . .)
Anyway, here is my four-part plan to get you fired up:
1. THE "GET INSPIRED PREDICTION RUN." Since a 10K can be a little intimidating, especially if you haven't
trained much all winter, we will be hosting a prediction run here at the store on Saturday, March 12th. A
prediction run is much more laid back than an all-out race because you have to leave your watch behind. First, you
get to pick the course you want to run (3.5 miles, 4.5 miles, or 7 miles). Then you guess your finish time. The
winners are the best guessers! And remember those Mizuno folks? They will be leaving us a stack of Inspire shoes
for you to wear test in the race. So get here early for best selection, run in some fun new shoes, and let us know
what you think!
2. THE "WHO INSPIRES YOU?" CONTEST. OK, boys and girls, get out your sharpened #2 pencils and put on your thinking
caps. We want you to tell us about the person in your life who inspires you. Who is your Coach Carter? Or Olivia
Newton-John, for that matter. Who is the one who helps pick you up? Who always knows just what to say? Tell us about
him or her in 50 words or less, and be creative. You can write a poem or an essay or even a haiku. We will post some of
best entries here at the store, and then the winning entry wins a pair of Inspire shoes for both the writer and the inspirer!
3. THE "GET INSPIRED FOR YOUR NEXT TRIATHLON" LECTURE. Back by popular demand, Coach Bill Hauser will be here on Monday,
March 14th at 6:30 pm to talk tri. Whether it's your first, your thirty-first, or your first attempt at a new
distance, Coach Bill can help you get ready for your next race. And Coach Bill is pretty inspiring himself. He was named to
the 2001, 2002, and 2003 Triathlon All-American teams, has an Ironman PR of 9:38 and a marathon PR of 2:42, and is Head
Triathlon Coach for the Southern New Jersey Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training. And he's
just a really groovy dude, too.
4. INSPIRATIONAL WORDS OF WISDOM. Usually in this column, you get to hear me rant-n-rave. But this time, I went seeking
some professional help. No, not like that. I mean I sought out inspirational words from some really neat people. (Someday
I want to meet "unknown" and "anonymous" because they both had lots of good stuff to say.) Anyway, here are a few of the
quotes I found:
"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail." Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Nothing is predestined. The obstacles of your past can become the gateways that lead to new beginnings."
Ralph Blum
"Happiness does not depend on outward things, but on the way we see them." Leo Tolstoy
All good words to live by. Kinda makes you feel that everybody falls down now-n-then, AND everybody can get back up
and go on. And that your own perspective is what really determines your reality. Now that's groovy. . . .
Oh, yeah. One more thing. I had the opportunity to run the Ugly Mudder 7-mile Trail Race in Reading recently.
Afterwards, I was talking with some friends about their race adventures, and my friend Bill told me about his experience.
He told me that the fellow running ahead of him in the race had only just returned to running after a 2-year layoff. He had
been hit by a car and had to have a steel plate in his head. And now, here he was, running a very challenging trail race
and doing quite well. Now THAT'S inspiring.
Coming up...
Watch and see if I can write an entire column without the use of the words "groovy" or "neat.".
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