Wednesday, August 30, 2006                               

Self Transcendence Marathon

Thursday

10:30am           Late start leaving Durham.

3:00pm             DC traffic

4:00pm             DC traffic

5:00pm             DC traffic

6:00pm             DC traffic

7:00pm             DC traffic

8:00pm             finally starting to move

9 - 11:00pm      Jersey Turnpike... blech

11:30pm           Checked into hotel

Friday              

5:00am             Wake up

5 - 6:15am

Drink SE, HEED and H2O, take vitamins, eat powerbar, streeeeeeeetccchhhhhhhhhh (and hit the can of course).

6:15 - 6:45am

Drive from gas station to gas station getting different sets of directions from random strangers.

6:45 - 6:50am  
Start to worry

6:55am                        
found the race

7:00am

found out race start was delayed

7 - 7:25am

Stand around with 300 Sri Cimnoy followers (interesting folk) waiting for the race to start.

7:26am

Without anyone so much as raising a finger the entire crowd goes silent.................................................

7:28am

The crowd is still silent............................................................................

7:29am

Weird. No one is saying a word. I can actually hear a cricket chirping...............................................

7:30am

Sri Cimnoy (a very old, very bald meditation guru) makes his way to the microphone and says, in a way only Sri Chimnoy could say it:

"Mphmk humbfrickis habawab mumph a ma foof..."

7:31am

Another man quietly says:

"go"

And the pack of three hundred loyal Children of Chimnoy proceed to squeeze themselves onto a paved trail about 8' wide.

8:00am

The pack has spread out and I am now part way into my second of nine loops around Rockland Lake.

My cell phone rings.

A Chimnoyian looks at me like I just took a bite out of a baby cow.

I answer it.

The enlightened runner now looks at me as though I have passed up the calf in favor of a cute little kitten with big brown eyes... on a stick.

I proceed to gab with the hosts of a morning radio show about cancer research and drinking beer for 5 minutes.

8:05am

I pick up the pace a bit to outrun the stares.

8:05 - 9:00am

Run / talk on radio / smile and nod apologetically to Chimichangas

9:00am

The rain is starting to come down very hard. Shirt comes off (a luxury us guys have). The rain feels great and I'm feeling strong.

9 - 10:30am

Running in steady rain with occasional lightning and intense downpours. Perfect.

10:45ish am

At about mile 22 I run by a clock that says 3:48. I'm officially pissed. No way do I have over 4 miles to go and I'm at 3:48. Impossible. There's no way I'll beat my Lake Placid time, let alone break 4:00!

10:45 - 11:00am

Running / cursing / running

11:00am

Run by the clock at the finish line... the correct clock.

3:31.

That's more like it.

11:00 - 11:30am

Complete my last lap, fighting the urge to take walk breaks the entire time.

Drop one of my water bottles but decide it's not worth 10 seconds to turn back and pick it up.

11:30am

Finish in 3:59.50

fuck yeah

12:30pm

In the car heading for Maine.

12:40pm

Sitting in traffic. My legs hurt.

2:00pm

Still sitting in traffic. My legs still hurt.

3:00pm

Still in traffic. Legs still hurt... bad.

4:00pm

Stop at Wal-Mart to buy a cell phone charger. Park 100yds from the store. Walk all the way to the back of the store before realizing my wallet is in the car.

4:30pm

Hobbling out of Wally World with a new phone charger and an ipod (happy birthday to me).

4:45 - 7:45pm

nap time at the park and ride

12:30am

Arrive home in Lisbon. Eat everything I can find.

1:00am - 1:30am

myspace. God I'm addicted to this shit.

1:30am

sleep