Waking up yesterday morning before the sun had begun its ascent, I quickly drank a large bottle of water and, standing by my living room window, began repeatedly singing the classic tune of "Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do". Five minutes into this charade, my dopeness pregnant wife CVSW came trudging into the room looking anything but pleased. Cowering in the corner, afraid of the imminent tirade that was about to be directed in my direction, I asked my wife what the cause of her angered expression could possibly be.
"Why the hell are you singing those words?" With her eyes no more than slits, CVSW was not one to mince words at such an early hour.
"My betrothed, don't you remember? I've been given the awesome opportunity to interview Bryan Clay (“World’s Greatest Athlete”, Decathlete/Gold Medalist in the 2008 Olympics) and Leslie Bonci (Sports Dietitian for the Pittsburgh Steelers ) who are in New York this week to talk about managing pain and exercise recovery and the benefits of tart cherries as an effective source to combat the pain and swelling that comes from running a marathon. On TV, I see the actors singing before going on stage so as to clear their throats. If it works for them, I figured it would work for me!"
"Yeah, but they're clearing their throats to actually sing!! At most, you should just repeat 'a, e, i, o, u'."
Despite being awoken far too early, my love was still smart beyond her years and, thanking her for cleaing up my confusion, I gave her a smooch and headed over to the offices of C & C Studios to conduct my first interview with someone other than a family member. Nervous though I was, I was confident that I could get through this interview without making myself out to be a fool.
Arriving at the studios a little before 8am, I was greeted by representatives of the Cherry Marketing Institute who began to introduce themselves and to let me know that Bryan and Leslie would be ready in a few minutes. Taking another errant cue from the trials and tribulations of celebrities on television, I quickly interrupted the representatives and began listing my demands.
"Allow me to stop you right there," spoketh I, "before this interview begins, I'd like to go to my dressing room and prepare my notes. In addition, I would like a treadmill to be brought up (since running helps relax my nerves and allows me to collect my thoughts) along with a bowl of Raisinets. And if I see one Raisinet which is, in fact, two Raisinets stuck to each other, this interview will be over before it even begins! I cannot tolerate defective candies and I will not stand for poor service! Also, if you can convince the nearest McDonalds to change their policies just this once and make me a Big Mac despite it not being 11am yet, I'd appreciate it."
With mouths agape, the reps informed me that I could help myself to the doughnuts and coffee laid out on the only table in the room and then informed me that my fly on my jeans was open. Other than the bathroom out in the hallway, there were no dressing rooms in which I could wait until my interview slot was to begin.
A few minutes later, I was led into a recording (for television) room where I met Bryan Clay and Leslie Bonci. Realizing they weren't going to compliment my hilarious blog and sing my comedic praises, I sat in a directors chair whilst they stood and, with my feet about 20 inches off the ground and feeling like a little child, I began my interview (while I won't recount the entirety of my interview, should you, dear readers, want to listen to it in its entirety, I have attached it herein).
At the heart of the Cherry Marketing Institute's campaign is the notion that, "Cherries contain anthocyanins 1 and 2 that researchers believe can have a significant impact on relieving muscle and joint soreness more quickly. And, cherries’ powerful bundle of antioxidants and carbohydrates offer added nutrition active people need". Whether it be through cherry juice, cherry bars (akin to Power Bars ) or even dried cherries (which can be put in cereal or eaten alone), the intake of cherries (preferably tart cherries since they have been found to have higher concentrations of phenolics and anthocyanins than sweet cherries) can act to curtail pain in the same manner as Advil but through a much tastier method. In fact, Clay told me that he has completely replaced ibuprofen with tart cherries after his extensive workouts and Bonci mentioned that some of the Pittsburgh Steelers plays have as well (given my the interview's time constraints, I was unable to make sure that tart cherries were not the cause of Troy Polamalu's less-than-appealing hair or Ben Roethilsberger's chubby face).
Before I knew it, the interview was over and I left Clay, Bonci and the world of cherries to make the trek back to my employ. It was a very informative interview and one which might actually influence the way I handle my pain management after future marathons. But, no matter whether I follow Clay's advice or not, it was a good experience and one that pointed me in a new direction..... 60 Minutes, here I come!
"Why the hell are you singing those words?" With her eyes no more than slits, CVSW was not one to mince words at such an early hour.
"My betrothed, don't you remember? I've been given the awesome opportunity to interview Bryan Clay (“World’s Greatest Athlete”, Decathlete/Gold Medalist in the 2008 Olympics) and Leslie Bonci (Sports Dietitian for the Pittsburgh Steelers ) who are in New York this week to talk about managing pain and exercise recovery and the benefits of tart cherries as an effective source to combat the pain and swelling that comes from running a marathon. On TV, I see the actors singing before going on stage so as to clear their throats. If it works for them, I figured it would work for me!"
"Yeah, but they're clearing their throats to actually sing!! At most, you should just repeat 'a, e, i, o, u'."
Despite being awoken far too early, my love was still smart beyond her years and, thanking her for cleaing up my confusion, I gave her a smooch and headed over to the offices of C & C Studios to conduct my first interview with someone other than a family member. Nervous though I was, I was confident that I could get through this interview without making myself out to be a fool.
Arriving at the studios a little before 8am, I was greeted by representatives of the Cherry Marketing Institute who began to introduce themselves and to let me know that Bryan and Leslie would be ready in a few minutes. Taking another errant cue from the trials and tribulations of celebrities on television, I quickly interrupted the representatives and began listing my demands.
"Allow me to stop you right there," spoketh I, "before this interview begins, I'd like to go to my dressing room and prepare my notes. In addition, I would like a treadmill to be brought up (since running helps relax my nerves and allows me to collect my thoughts) along with a bowl of Raisinets. And if I see one Raisinet which is, in fact, two Raisinets stuck to each other, this interview will be over before it even begins! I cannot tolerate defective candies and I will not stand for poor service! Also, if you can convince the nearest McDonalds to change their policies just this once and make me a Big Mac despite it not being 11am yet, I'd appreciate it."
With mouths agape, the reps informed me that I could help myself to the doughnuts and coffee laid out on the only table in the room and then informed me that my fly on my jeans was open. Other than the bathroom out in the hallway, there were no dressing rooms in which I could wait until my interview slot was to begin.
A few minutes later, I was led into a recording (for television) room where I met Bryan Clay and Leslie Bonci. Realizing they weren't going to compliment my hilarious blog and sing my comedic praises, I sat in a directors chair whilst they stood and, with my feet about 20 inches off the ground and feeling like a little child, I began my interview (while I won't recount the entirety of my interview, should you, dear readers, want to listen to it in its entirety, I have attached it herein).
At the heart of the Cherry Marketing Institute's campaign is the notion that, "Cherries contain anthocyanins 1 and 2 that researchers believe can have a significant impact on relieving muscle and joint
Before I knew it, the interview was over and I left Clay, Bonci and the world of cherries to make the trek back to my employ. It was a very informative interview and one which might actually influence the way I handle my pain management after future marathons. But, no matter whether I follow Clay's advice or not, it was a good experience and one that pointed me in a new direction..... 60 Minutes, here I come!