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I made sure to get my last long run in on Saturday morning before my salon appointment. I ran ten miles and was ready to sit for as long as it would take for my hair makeover.

The entire salon appointment took 2 hours and 30 minutes. And it was well worth it.

The blonde is gone - and I'm back to having as close a color as we could find to my natural hair color  - and I like it.

(I took this photo of myself just after I left the salon)

I've never been able to replicate the smooth, straight hair that I get after going to a salon - but it's nice to know that my natural curls can be tamed!

A journalists primary job is to deliver the news to their audience.

However the job of a journalist (print, online, broadcasting, even radio!) is to be in front of the camera more often than it was say even one or two years ago.

Being able to deliver the news is critical, but I felt that I was falling short on the presentation.

Getting my locks in order was one strong step in the right direction to getting me closer to what a journalist in the 21st century newsroom is all about.

Read: Makeover - Hair emergency (Part I)

Miles ran - 10 (yesterday)

Have you heard that the worst thing you can do before a marathon is change your routine?

Of course you have.

Well, I'm breaking that rule. Big time.

During the past few weeks I have been standing in front of the camera - videotaping running events and journo-related events - and posting them here on my blog and on my YouTube channel. You know those stories you read about how a person is walking down a street, minding their own business and they see someone in a store front reflection they don't recognize only moments later to realize they are looking at themselves...that is what happened to me on Thursday after watching my latest 'A day with Seth Godin' video.

How is it that no one has told me that the heavy crown of brown hair on top of my head and the straggly blonde highlights on the bottom looks unprofessional and unkempt (to say the least)?

I couldn't believe I had been walking around for so long looking the way I did.

Need proof for yourself? Check out this image-grab from my latest YouTube video. YIKES!

(Bed head alert! I had been up since 3:30am, but that is no excuse for standing in front of a camera looking like this...)

This afternoon I have a 3-hour long appointment at a local hair salon where the mission is to get my hair chemically processed back to its original color.

Am I nervous? Of course.

Do I see another option or recourse? Short of cutting off the blonde sections of my hair and leaving me with a bob - not a flattering style for me - not really.

Could I wait until after the marathon? Yes.

Does my appearance affect me professionally on a day to day basis? Absolutely.

Should I wait until after the marathon? No.

Wish me luck!

As many of you know I am the chair for the Society of Professional Journalists' Digital Media Committee.

My committee runs a fantastic blog called Net Worked where we frequently post original, informative content aimed at instructing journalists on how to embrace and take advantage of the many digital media tools and techniques that are available. There is also a digital media events calendar on the blog - because there is always a lecture, seminar, workshop or meetup happening somewhere close to where you live where journalists can network, get hands-on experience at using multimedia tools or simply enjoy the camaraderie of other journalists.

Recently Seth Godin posted on his blog Seth's Blog an invitation to leaders of organizations that work for good causes to attend a free public seminar led by Seth in New York City specifically tailored for non profits.

In his own words: If I can help you think through issues related to the new marketing, fundraising, earning permission and building ideas that spread, it will be an afternoon well spent for both of us.

I filled out an application that very day and received my invitation via email this morning (actually, it arrived late last night, just as his post promised they would).

I couldn't be more thrilled!

I am a firm believer that in order to innovate you need to travel beyond your comfort zones. While attending graduate school at the University of Wisconsin Madison I would often attend lectures given by professors and professionals that had nothing to do with learning journalism i.e., public health, environmental issues, physics, history.

Attending events geared for journalists is critical, but I found exposing myself to the expertise of other fields got my creative juices flowing and I was able to see old problems in a new light.

There is nothing like going to a lecture and feeling like someone hit the 'refresh' button on my mind. It's with that renewed energy and focus that great change happens...

• McMillanRunning tweets disappointment in the lack of press coverage for the sport of running. McMillanRunning tweets, "Is our sport dying?"

At the time of posting this blog entry:

Running Times on Twitter had no response http://twitter.com/Runningtimes (they last tweeted on Sep 18th)

LetsRun.com on Twitter had no response http://twitter.com/letsrundotcom (they last tweeted on Sep 11th)

Runner's World on Twitter had no response http://twitter.com/Runnersworld (they last tweeted three hours ago)

In other news...

• WARNING: Twitter Worm Spreading via Direct Messages - You can see the evidence of this in the screen-capture above as well. If you receive a message with 'rofl this you on here?' followed by a URL link - DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK. Learn more here.

• Kudos to the 2009 ING Philadelphia Distance Run for posting a Live Webcast Replay online AND a live blogging replay of the race.

Miles ran - 8 (yesterday)