We Interrupt This Running Blog -- Injuries are a Pain in the Neck!

Hey all, Sole Sister V here. Well, I had planned to have a very compelling blog post for you today all about speedwork and how fun and challenging it can be, and how I don't dread doing it at all -- no, not one bit, truly! 

And then, I woke up. With the stiffest neck ever. And thought, there's no way on God's green Earth I'm getting outside to do mile repeats today. So that made today one of those days that runners hate -- it's gorgeous outside, sunny, the perfect temperature, and all you can do is sit there and THINK about running. 

Pain in the neck -- literally. 

 So, what can you do? Well, why not ice your neck, grab a cup of coffee and make a list about the greatest movies about running? Fine suggestion. Now, this is an entirely nonscientific list of movies -- there is no data to back up any assertion that these are the most watched, or highest grossing movies. They're just cool, for a slate of different reasons.  Without further ado, here are my greatest movies about running or with running in them. My criteria are:

• It's a movie.
• It has running in it somewhere.
• I enjoyed it and/or it inspired me.

Agree or disagree, or make suggestions in the comments, please!  

1. "Forrest Gump" -- Yes, it's a long, sometimes treacly movie. But that running scene where everyone joins in, signifying the start of the running craze -- classic. The invention of the smiley face -- legendary. And, let's face it, a marathon course wouldn't be a marathon course if we didn't have about 50 "RUN (INSERT YOUR NAME HERE) RUN" signs dotting the course. So thanks for that, Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis. 

2. "Rocky" -- This is just for the soundtrack alone. I defy anyone to NOT want to start running faster or dig deeper when they hear either "Eye of the Tiger" or "Gonna Fly Now (The Rocky Theme Song)" -- even despite its weird dip into disco throughout that song. If I ever decide I want to run stadium steps sometime, that theme song is definitely going to be queued up in my earbuds. 

3. "Spirit of the Marathon" -- Great, great documentary on the journey several people take -- from first-timers to the incredible Ms. Deena Kastor -- to run (or not run) the Chicago marathon in 2005. No matter what your running level, you're sure to identify with at least something in this movie -- jitters, injuries, triumph, disappointment. The sequel, "Spirit of the Marathon 2," will be hitting the Toledo area starting Wednesday, June 12. This one focuses on seven runners' journey to the Rome marathon. Can't wait to see it on the big screen.  

4. "Saint Ralph" -- Witty and irreverent, this 2005 movie makes me laugh and also inspires me to go for the miracle, whether that miracle be that I can actually run one more mile than I think I can or learning to have faith in things outside of what I can see or control. If you are unfamiliar, this deals with Ralph, a 14-year-old Catholic schoolboy who lives by himself because his father died in WWII and his mother is in a coma in a hospital. The upshot is that Ralph believes if he can win the 1954 Boston Marathon, his mother will come out of a coma. Can he? Will she? Like I'm going to tell you ... 

5. "Chariots of Fire" -- You know what, no. I actually didn't like this movie. And as a matter of fact, I don't even like that iconic, completely-out-of-place, anachronistic synthesized song. It does NOT make me want to run. It makes me want to go to sleep. Watch this if you like it, but it's not like I'm recommending it. 

OK, that's all I've got! And, what did I do today, instead of speedwork because of this stupid, stupid stiff neck? Well, I went to see "Star Trek: Into Darkness." And it rocked. And: (not really spoiler alert) there is a fun running sequence in that movie too, with Simon Pegg -- who happened to star in "Run, Fatboy, Run." Which I haven't seen. And therefore, didn't review. Anyway, live long and prosper. And try to stay injury free. I will -- just so I don't have to write movie review posts anymore! 

Be kind to yourself. Be kind to each other. -- V.