Upon awaking tomorrow morning, there will be three weeks until the Napa Valley Marathon. I ran my third and probably last 20 mile run this morning in preparation for the race. I’ll have 74 miles for this week, will match that next week (throwing in a 16 miler) and then taper it down. Getting psyched.
Today’s run began sluggish, picked up nicely in the middle and finished as a bio mechanical nightmare. Most of the time whenever a long run goes poorly, I have the ability to focus on my form and relax my way through. Wasn’t happening today. I maintained the pace but just couldn’t keep my focus on the big three that usually come through for me: relaxed face, shoulders and hands. Oh well, better than dying like a dog, right? After all no one wants that. Even when El Guapo asked the Three Amigos, “Don’t you want to die like dogs?” They mentioned that they would rather avoid that if possible. If it doesn’t work for Lucky, Dusty and Ned, then count me out too.
I was actually pretty impressed with the run as it came under significant duress. The last two days have seen several potentially great job opportunities either go to someone else or off the table. It is definitely a tough world out there, but I thank God every day that I have my wife, my sons and my RUNNING to keep me some variation of sane.
The run’s big bummer was answering my phone around eleven miles, dodging a dog and having the phone slip from my hands. Many phones ago. I used to be quite a phone dropper, but have, for some reason, found that my iphones seem to have been the cure for that issue. My first iphone only fell twice in 18 months and this one had only seen the unrelenting pull of gravity one other time. In none of the previous escapades was their ever damage. Well today that sucker hit flat on the screen and BAM! Ouch. (please spare me all of the “you should have had a safety case or small vault” to keep it in comments – not in the mood). The biggest bummer was having to stop, bend over and pick it up (maybe THAT’S what broke my rhythm). The upside is that it still works!!!
The phone, I guess, is like me. Resilient.
“You can knock me down, step on my face, slander my name all over the place. You can do anything that you want to do, but uh, uh honey lay off of my 20 mile run” (apologies to Elvis, who is working in a laundromat somewhere near Ft. Smith, Arkansas)!