TITLE: Marathon Signage
AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford
DATE: October 02, 2005 10:19 PM
DESC: What little I remember from the race includes a couple of inspiring signs.
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BODY:
Marathoners often adorn themselves with signs.  Some
are pinned on shirts and shorts, others are written
on clothes, and still other are written directly on
their bodies.  Some just give the runners' names, so
that members of the crowd can call out personalized
encouragement.  Others list team names or other
affiliations, as a way of acknowledging why they run.
Still others broadcast messages of inspiration, for
their own benefit and the benefit of others around
them.

I wasn't entirely coherent for much of my
<A HREF="http://www.twincitiesmarathon.org/">
   Twin Cities Marathon</A>,
but a couple of inspirational message caught
my eye.

<STRONG>Best inspirational violation of "Once and
Only One":</STRONG>

<BLOCKQUOTE><EM>
I may not have a good time,  <BR/>
but I will have a good time.
</EM></BLOCKQUOTE>

Emphasize 'time' in the first sentence, and 'have'
in the second.

I know that this quote is trite, but I appreciate
the Power of Positive Thinking exhibited by this
middle-aged woman.  I hope she two good times and,
if not, at least the latter.

<STRONG>Best inspirational use of punctuation:</STRONG>

<BLOCKQUOTE><EM>
Heart attack<STRONG>.</STRONG>

<P> or

<P>Heart attack<STRONG>,</STRONG>
</EM></BLOCKQUOTE>

Marvelous.  The survivor in that shirt ran strong early,
like me, and faded late, like me.  I hope he finished,
and felt strong doing so.  In any case, training for a
marathon demonstrates that he wants the tale of his life
to feature a comma, not a period.  Bravo.

I did not have a good time for me, and all in all
I can't say that I had a good time.  But in the
future I hope to tell this story with a comma.
I owe that to people who persevere in the face
of what could be much more significant periods.
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