The Diplodocus

Reunited with the wife, left my old job, currently in training, organizing our lives together, preparing to move to Mumbai for our new jobs, still getting used to collective pronouns, managed to take a week off from the gym and preserve my sanity, the Concept2 rower is an evil machine, rockfish and Ethiopian food remain delicious, constantly expecting to wake up and have to say goodbye but happily have not had that happen, the Radisson Lord Baltimore is a lovely hotel, did you know that in Mauritania the Arabic “bint” becomes “mint?”, Rosslyn will always be a wasteland, it feels strange to be together again but I’m loving it, how are you?

Dear Antonia,

In Fall 2003, at a fancy hotel restaurant in Toronto, I had a rich, earthy, delicious bowl of butternut squash soup garnished with a thin slice of black truffle and a housemade potato chip.  The soup was a $12 (granted, that’s $12 Canadian, circa 2003) first course and hit the spot during a chilly Ontario November.  The restaurant was far from remarkable overall, but was rated fairly well.  What I’m trying to say is this: you don’t think squash soup is upscale enough?  Really? 

Dear Spike,

Man up.  And please, ditch the hats.

10 miles. 1 hour, 22 minutes, 34 seconds.  An 8′17″ pace — way faster than I was ever expecting, and good enough for 2155th place out of 5870 men.

There were a few dicey moments early on.  I had no idea there was so much strategy involved in fighting through the early scrum, almost like a chess match, calculating how far back and to the side you have to move in order to keep moving forward.  I also had a slight twinge of “do I have to go to the bathroom?” in the first two miles, but in keeping with how I’ve been training I kept it at bay and took no water stops the entire race.  By miles 4/5 I had hit the meditative point and held it until miles 7 and 8 — which were more physically taxing than anything else.  Maintaining the faster-than-usual pace hit me like a brick right around the Kennedy Center; I contemplated throwing up more than once but battled through.  Miles 9 and 10 were when the adrenaline kicked back in, though I wish I had dug deeper for a stronger final kick and made the top 2000.  Though there were plenty of folks running with iPods, I followed the race rules and found the crowd to be “distraction” enough.

The experience was amazing and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. 

This post is dedicated to Coach Martin, my 9th Grade PE teacher, who gave me a “C” in leisure running.

The Cherry Blossom is in three days, and my biggest fear right now is the lack of music. 10 miles, sans iPod – what am I going to do when the adrenaline ebbs?  Maybe I’ll ask a neighbor to sing for me, or find one who can passably mimic gangster rap.

So, fellow Cherry Blossom runners, here’s five songs that are current workout favorites.  Know them?  Love them?  Find bib number 10319 around mile 7.  You’re also welcome to suggest your own songs — we can have a race singalong!

Peter Gabriel — “Shock the Monkey“; Dolly Parton — “Jolene“; Santa Esmeralda — “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood“; MOP — “Ante Up“; TV on the Radio — “I Was a Lover“

(alternately, I can just picture this video the whole run.)