Television Debut

I'll be making my television debut* on a local sports show on Sunday night. A long time ago, one of the coaches in my running group announced that they were looking for people to tell their stories as part of the "Pig Tales" series that the local news station runs every year in the weeks leading up to the Flying Pig. I decided to go ahead and submit my name, and promptly forgot about it. Until Wednesday night, when I got an email from the local sports reporter asking me if I had time for an interview the next day.

Holy cow. You mean I'm going to be on TV?

So we set up the interview for yesterday afternoon. I met him at a local park and we talked for about 20 minutes, chatting about when I first got the idea to run a marathon (my high school psychology teacher ran in the inaugural race back in 1999, and the idea has stuck with me ever since), how I felt about the training group (stellar!), whether I was actually a runner (I admitted that I tried to run track in 8th grade and was a miserable failure), and what I was feeling now that there are only 2ish weeks left until race day (anxious, excited, chomping at the bit to get out there and get it over with!). Then he let me talk about Team Rachel, and how I decided that it would be a good way to raise funds for her cause, and who she is and what she means and why we're doing it. (Of course, the Sociologist in me had to go and mention the fact that our society undervalues and underpays care workers. Who gets all academic in the middle of a SPORTS interview??) And I also forgot how old she was in my moment of glory and I think I said she was 22. How embarrassing. Sorry, Rachel!

After the chatting was over, they had me run laps around the pavilion so that they could get some footage of me "training" for the run. It was 70+ degrees and sunny, so of course there were a million people out at the park, watching me run in circles like an idiot. It felt super awkward. Plus, I was wearing shorts. So I'm not only going to be on television, but I'm going to be on television IN SHORTS. Running shorts. What was I thinking?

Luckily, the segment that I'll be featured in won't come on until 11:45 on Sunday night, while everyone is sleeping. Unfortunately, we've got this wonderful piece of technology called the DVR, which means that everyone and their mother will be able to record it and watch it the next day. I'll probably force myself to stay up to watch it. Just one more thing to be anxious about :)

If the clip ends up online, I'll be sure to share it with the blogosphere.



*Technically, my official television debut came at age 4, when we were somehow had the privilege of being the "visiting guests" on Miss Molly's Romper Room. All I remember is that I got to walk on the balance beam and my little sister got to sit IN MISS MOLLY'S LAP, and hold the Magic Mirror. This isn't our episode, but you get the idea.