Warm Fuzzies #6: Rainy Day Heroine

There is nothing like a writing-related compliment to brighten up my day. Pair that with a compliment on my athleticism, and you'll really have me grinning. (And if you throw in something about my cooking, you might have my goodwill for life....)

I write the "Daily Running" emails to a group of runners at work, which usually consist of reporting the weather, saying some vaguely motivational thing to inspire people to go out and run, and basically starting the "conversation" for everyone to pair off on their afternoon jaunts. Today, for whatever reason, I was feeling particularly creative. The email went something like this:

Subject: Flaming Friday run

And by flaming, I mean toasty warm (--J___!). 65°F and sunny—we can pretend summer is nearly here!

*Ad*

Sick of all those New Yorkers swarming around you? Desperate to feel ALONE? Your solution is here! Buy RUNNING IN THE RAIN! You can have your very own personalized rainy-day run scheduled for any evening hour, at the low price of $19.99—tax included! Bonus: cold temperatures will be thrown in for free, ensuring that even fewer runners will be out to impede your solidarity. The later the hour, the more alone you can feel! We guarantee you will not pass more than five runners at any one time, and you can go for stretches without seeing anyone (including yourself, if you wear black), which is unheard of in this jam-packed city. Wear earphones, and you can even block out some of that irritating city noise.* Call soon, because the cold dark days are running out fast!

1-800-RUN-RAIN

*Music, earphones, and other equipment provided at additional cost. See store for details. If you can find it…

The reaction that made my day was a response email that went like this:

You are my heroine, both for sending the daily call and for running that long, alone and in the rain. You should save a copy of this e-mail and add it to your resume; you definitely have marketing copywriting skills.