Saturday, March 9, 2013

A gift from my baby brudda

When I woke up this morning 
rainbows filled the sky
Yes I woke up this morning
rainbows filled the sky
Telling me, everything's going to be alright

Rainbow by G.Love from the album, Lemonade

I had a nice little 3.5 miles slow dance this afternoon that lifted my spirits. Not that they needed lifting, but the top-off was nice, sort of like an extra slice of strawberry rhubarb pie on a July evening ...  don't need it, but mmm, it sure tastes good. I've been sidelined this week because of a minor calf injury, a residual injury actually, the same one that keeps haunting me several times a year. My amazing massage therapist worked some powerful magic over two intense sessions this week and it has paid off. I will run 10 miles tomorrow. My schedule calls for 14.5 miles but that would be crazy, right? I better stick to 10 slow ones.

(By the way, maybe we should keep my 10 mile run a secret from my amazing massage therapist. She would not be amused!  So if you know her, mom's the word, right? ;>)

My brother gifted me an album this morning from iTunes. It just appeared in my inbox like magic. He says I need a new play list and it arrived just in time for my run. It's nice receiving a gift out of the blue when it's least expected. It brings a pang of joy. The tunes are nice, great actually, but the thought behind the tunes brings a glow. The album? G. Love, Lemonade... it's hip, it's hop ... it is what I am not... and I love it. If you saw me run today I would have been grooving down the trails all funked out and lost to the world (do the kids still use funked out... did any kids, ever?). Nice that.

Did you hear that the race committee cancelled the United Nations sponsored Gaza Marathon scheduled for April 10 because the ruling Hamas movement refused to allow women to run alongside men?  Gaza has been under the control of Hamas since 2007. 807 people had registered for the run, 385 women and 422 men. Another 1,600 boys and girls were registered to participate in the event. The decision to cancel the race was taken after the ruling Islamist movement refused to backdown over the issue of men and women running together.  The Hamas issued this statement of regret:
We regret this decision to cancel the marathon but we don't want men and women running together.  We don't want any women running uncovered. 
A United Nations spokesperson  said:

It is frustrating for us, we are disappointed and we are sad but we cannot accept the conditions from [Hamas] – to accept this would be to go against the principles of the UN on equality and women's rights.


I'm thinking the Hamas movement should check out G. Love's Lemonade and chill a bit.  Kudos to the race committee for cancelling the event rather having a men only race.  

It's a good day to be alive, alive and free from intolerant Hamas ideology.

Mike

(source for Gaza Marathon story: Globe and Mail, March 6 and The Age World)

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