First, I want to thank everyone who keeps checking in on this thread.
I appreciate it.
I know, it's a giant MEME, but I kid myself into thinking that it might inspire somebody to do a marathon or something like a marathon; finish a book, or start a business, or, I don't know, just block out whatever they think is in their way.
Hope you don't mind that today's photo is a baseball metaphor, that sort of thing just happens.
~~~~
Sunday's run was done in groups, supposedly at a constant pace, with a stopping point at the top of the six, eleven, fifteen and twenty (I didn't go that far) mile loops.
I hate stopping. I don't know why they do it except everybody gets strung out because the leaders are going too fast ..... nevermind.
So we stop at the eleven mile point, I am 1) champing at the bit to get going and 2) getting chilled standing there. People are talking back and forth in the group as others trot up to the line, (we talk all the way through the run, it's supposed to be done at just less than an energetic pace), and one woman says
"This is as far as I've ever run."
She is now getting ready to do four more miles.
There are a lot of high fives and somebody asks her "How do you feel?"
"Really good." she says.
And about that time, off we went.
I was in no hurry. If you look at my paces for the last miles, they are in the 12:oo plus. I was trotting, meandering ....oh, look at the lovely sewer grate pattern...golly, what a wonderful view of the back of that guy's head..... .
At about mile fourteen, I passed the woman....she was going but just going.
I ran a bit farther and then remembered what I had decided would be my mantra for Sunday:
Inspire one other runner today.
That's harder than it sounds when you yourself are one of the least inspiring runners around.
I slowed down a bit, the woman came up on my left.
"You are really doing it today" I said,
"You've got fifteen in the bag."
"Thank you" she said,
"Now I just want to finish."
"Well, you are running really steady, moving along, now go for it."
"Okay." she said.
"Okay, I will."
And with that she left me in the dust.
I'm serious.
I could not catch up with her in the last mile and a quarter.
~Yeah. It's like magic. I've had other runners do something like that for me in the last stages of races. It's a good thing to do.
I don't even remember running the last mile and a quarter so it's good for the inspire-r too.
I think I'm going to put something on the back of my marathon day shirt:
Poll:
(A) Inspire one other runner today.
(B) Inspire some other runner today.
(C) Today, inspire one other runner.
(D) Today, inspire one other runner to finish!
(E) Leave your damned shirt blank and just run the damned thing.
Joe(Which?)Nation
