The Lawsons did Dallas!

Raise your hand if you love PBS.

September 21, 2007

Me too!

I love PBS for three reasons:

1. It's one of the few channels we get with our rabbit ears that isn't Spanish or religious (not that there's anything wrong with that).

2. PBS can keep my child occupied and sitting in his teddybear chair for a stretch of 7-9 hours.

3. And PBS contacted me to ask if I could plug one of their new shows on my blog.

Number three made me feel very important. "Really?" I thought. "PBS wants me?! Finally, I've found some purpose in this relentless world."

Maybe every blogger on the planet received the very same email, I don't know. But if you're all reading this, laughing at me because PBS emailed you too, just play along. Let me believe I've had a life-changing moment. Allow me to feel like I've hit the big time. And please, don't squelch my fantasies of being the next special guest on Elmo's World. Seriously guys, I'm fragile.

I suspect that the email was a form letter. Mostly because it started with the phrase "Hello from NOVA, and thank you for the great service you provide to runners at The Lawsons Do Dallas."

I kind of giggled at that line. The great service that I provide to runners? Well, if PBS considers stories of my shorts falling down to expose a bare bum, peeing behind monumental statues, and returning phone calls during races a great service, then call me Mother Theresa.

Here's the deal:

This fall PBS will premiere a new series called "Marathon Challenge." The show will provide an inside peek at what it takes to run the world renowned Boston Marathon. So basically, the lazy couch sitters of America will tune in to NOVA, watch thirteen novices train for Boston, and snicker at how damn hard those runners are working as they lick the Doritos dust off their chubby fingers.

Sounds good to me!

The show, which will air on October 30th at 8pm, follows thirteen brand new runners from varying backgrounds, as they work toward their common goal--finishing Boston. Viewers will watch as the runners' physical health is monitored by doctors and nutritionists from Tufts University, and learn about the transformations that come as a result of marathoning.

Will their cholesterol drop by 92 points? Will their boobers grow to a happy size D? Will they actually get younger, hipper and have better taste in music? They'll be coached by the hard-as-nails three-time Boston champion Uta Pippig, so really, anything could happen.

I guess we'll have to watch and see. Just to review:

Marathon Challenge will premiere on most PBS stations on October 30th at 8pm. To familiarize yourself with the athletes and get more details, click here. To watch a preview on YouTube, click here. And it you'd like to see a tap dancing elephant, click here.

Seriously, the show looks great, so I hope everyone tunes in. Being a Boston hopeful myself, I know I will.* In addition to gleaning helpful training tips from Coach Pippig, I'm hoping to learn which shops in ChinaTown sell the imitation finisher's medals. You know, just in case I don't qualify.

*Most runner's have to qualify to run the Boston Marathon. The qualifying time for my age group is 3:40, or an 8:25 minute mile pace.