Archive for September 28th, 2008

I realized my sailor mouth was getting pretty bad on this blog lately, so I’ll try to hold back on the cursing for a little while.

Today was my last LR, I had planned on 17 but changed it to 18 with a couple bells and whistles thrown in.  The bells and whistles were a couple trips up/down most of Smile Hill and somewhere in the second half I added a couple MP miles. Avg pace 9:07.

The run, I should mention, was done in the rain from the start to finish, so my longest rainy run ever.  I wasted quite a bit of time beforehand, hoping the rain would stop, but then finally put on my Wright socks (good for blister protection), a visor and gobs of BodyGlide and got out there.  Funny how the rain kept 95% of the usual running traffic at home, there were so many fewer runners that everyone said Hi and some even spoke in friendly full sentences – it was sweet.

Anyway, I’m glad the last long one’s over and that taper is finally, officially here.  I scared Nick yesterday, told him that after this run my taper would really begin.  He asked what taper was and I replied, “Like PMS for two solid weeks”.  He informed me he’ll be staying with friends for the next 14 days.

Aside from the running stuff, I had a weird moment the other day, watching Dateline.  There was a story about a kid who’s gotten beat up by bullies for most of his school life so his mom is suing the bullies and their parents.  The kid and his mom even went on the Today show and some other national program.

So it was quite freaky when the story began and the camera pans on my old high school, Fayetteville High in Arkansas.  Later, a shot of Woodland Jr. High, the same one I switched to because I was bullied myself so much at the other Jr. High (being fat and having a big nose was a real pain in the ass in Fayetteville, AR).

The weirdest thing was they interviewed one of the bullies and I’m not kidding, nothing has changed in the near 30 years since I went there.  The jerks are just as stupid with the same vacuous expressions, even the hairstyles are the same.  It was enough to give me the heebie jeebies and remind me why I left for NYC at 17 years old, a mere two weeks after graduation – I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Thank god for growing up, is all I can say.