Day Twenty-Six: Snoopy

I had such a simple plan for training today but Snoopy almost tripped me up. It's Thanksgiving and I had a party at my place last night; so, this morning, I slept a little late, got up to unload and reload the dishwasher, made a fresh pot of coffee, and then turned my attention to the day's mission. I wanted to get a nice long run in - maybe an hour. I've got the big 5K Turkey Trot looming on Saturday and I've still never run longer than the 1.7 miles on the Lower Loop, and I've certainly never run it without stopping. I've been cross-training joyfully... but running? I'm getting good at avoiding that.

So today was my big day. I put the outfit on and headed to the Park with the intention of running 3.4 miles, or twice the Lower Loop. That would over-shoot my mileage for the race, and give me confidence that running 5K would be "no problem." As I approached Broadway, Mickey Mouse floated down along the Thanksgiving Day Parade route up in front of me. Children, teenagers and adults lined the sidewalks, gawking. I wormed my way to the front of the crowd to see where the cross-through was but couldn't find one. Then I had the idea to go under ground, through the subway; but I didn't have my MetroCard so I couldn't actually make that transverse.

I walked up a few blocks to what seemed like it might be an opening, but I was stopped by two policemen who told me no way was I getting through to the Park today. I tried reasoning with them but they were glazed over, probably exhausted from having said the same thing over and over all morning to the people in tight pants and shorts... the weirdos... the runners... people like me. I looked down at myself for a moment and wished I were in street clothes and escorting a toddler. I could maybe have made some excuse... She needs to use the restroom over there in the Park, officer... It's an emergency! Can't you please just make this one little exception? We'll be right back - I promise! Then once I'd made it to the Park I'd pull my street clothes off, ditch the kid, and take off like a professional! Or maybe it would just be a blow-up kid. Do they make blow-up children? Could be useful for occasions like this, as well as for carpool lanes. Must look into that.

I stopped and watched the crowd for a minute. The parade really is quite thrilling! There were far more adults than children, and I noticed a lot of parents with very small, sleeping children; clearly, the grown-ups where using the kids as an excuse to hit the parade! Snoopy was crossing then and I thought of my 3rd grade birthday party when my little friend Sarah gave me my treasured Snoopy doll - in an Austrian lederhosen outfit. Since then I have always had a passion for Austria so Snoopy has really had a big impact on my life!

Just next to me there was a mother who was attempting to pose her young child quickly for a photo before Snoopy passed. Maybe we shared a passion for the dog... Her little girl was squirming, as little girls do, not understanding why her mother kept backing away to try to capture the moment. I quickly stepped in and offered to take the picture and the mother looked so relieved! I was careful to frame the kind of shot I'd want - clear faces and plenty of Snoopy. The woman thanked me profusely and then I somewhat reluctantly headed back to my building to take a turn on the dreaded treadmill. At least my mileage would be controlled and trackable. Snoopy wasn't going to foil my plans!

But when I got to the gym in my building, it was closed. There was another girl there discovering the same thing and we shared a moment of panic. "I'm training for a Marathon," I told her! She said she was training too! Should we go outside? We waited 10 minutes for the next elevator - it's Grand Central Station in my building from now through January with everyone's parents and in-laws it seems in to shop and enjoy the building's good position - talking running talk all the while.

In the lobby, the girl and I went our separate ways. She was going to try for a more northern entrance to the Park and I ran down to the River. My run was tight and much shorter than I'd hoped, and I walked a lot of the way back. I had about 15 minutes of continuous running before I stopped for a big stretch. I could feel the muscles in my feet and legs tensing and straining. My sneakers weren't laced tight enough - or maybe they are stretching out. Either way, they seemed dangerously floppy.

I don't feel really great right now. In fact, I feel a little scared and disappointed. There won't be another opportunity today to run - and tomorrow I'm going to have to be super organized to get a proper run in.

I may not be able to complete the Turkey Trot on Saturday. I'm coming to terms with that. I will try - and if I fail, then it's just a failure at the beginning of a long haul - and I have to remind myself it doesn't mean anything about my long term prospects for success. I was just hoping to avoid it so early. If you know me at all, then you know I really like to fail closer to the end of things, when all my cards are on the table and I have everything to lose! Much better dramatic effect!

Quote of the day: "My rats come in packs, like Sammy and Dean Martin... and I've got so many keys they think I'm valet parking..."