B. Diddy Runs the City

For those of who are New York runners--and maybe city runners period--this is an awesome story:

Most mornings, Buzunesh Deba does as thousands of other running-mad New Yorkers do: she jumps out of bed, laces her sneakers and heads to the park. And once she starts running, the questions from astonished strangers begin. 

 "They say, how come you are so fast?" said Deba, a tiny, bright-eyed 24-year-old who moved here from Ethiopia six years ago. Deba is no casual weekend jogger. After finishing first this year in the L.A. Marathon and the San Diego Marathon, she is a contender to win the New York City Marathon on Nov. 6. 

While many of her fellow elite marathoners decamp to sunnier, higher climes in Arizona, New Mexico, California and Europe, Deba has stayed in New York to train, sharing sidewalks with the amateurs who make up most of the city's jogging population.

A couple of thoughts:

1.) It's always great to see really serious runners out in the park. It's one of the beautiful things about running--like seeing Lebron in your pick-up game, without the threat of him dunking on you.

2.) In long quest toward losing my other self--that 298 pound self--a crucial point was moving from "I need to exercise today because I have to burn calories" to "I need to excercise today because I don't feel quite right." I don't know if this will make any sense, but running, for me, is like showering. Despite needing a shower after I finish, it actual feels cleansing.

Anyway, I'm officially #TeamDeba. Go get em tiger.