Friday Feast

This has become almost an embarrassingly poorly named blog in its lack of daily-ness. I'll try to feel less pressure to impart so much information (like this beast of a feast) so that the blog entries can be shorter and more frequent (snacks!) and provide a more steady flow of entertainment.

I arrived to work forty-five minutes late today with a very bloody sock, having survived a Red Line electrical fire (or at least lots of smoke) and feeling incredibly grateful. Lots of awesome things have happened recently and lots of things that had the potential to go very wrong were avoided, mostly with the help of others.

First, I'm grateful for having completed Reach the Beach (RTB) last weekend as a member of the Brunch Bunch - appropriate since brunch is my favorite meal... probably because it justifies eating two meal's worth of food in one sitting. Anyway, RTB is this crazy whirlwind of a relay race, where your team runs continuously until they reach the finish line on the beach, in our case from Cannon Mountain to Hampton Beach. It turns running into a team sport. You sleep outside or in a wildly decorated van (e.g. a team named "We Got the Runs" had Pepto Bismol and bedpans attached to theirs) with other people you could know well but could also potentially meet as you are loading your stuff in the van together to embark on this absurd voyage. It is probably one of the craziest running events because it involves far more communication, logistical planning, and maintenance of good personal relationships than other seemingly crazy running adventures, such as marathons. So naturally, we jumped in, sneaker-donned feet first.

As a kid, I had no idea adults did things like this. I thought there was some threshold you crossed in the process of growing up when you didn't feel the need to be silly or creative or mildly insane anymore. I've no idea where this came from because my parents, aunts, uncles and their friends set a very fun-loving example, but regardless... this was an awesome realization. I'm grateful that adults aren't always grown-ups!

My 19 miles were really enjoyable. I was third in our "batting order" (meaning we maintained the same order for all three legs we each ran) of runners and following two fast teammates, so there was definitely pressure to move it. My new Brooks kicks and a little sibling wager that my average mile time would be less than 75 seconds slower than my (gazelle of a) brother's average time also kept me moving. There's also nothing like gorgeous fall scenery and good music to add to the therapy of sneakers pounding the pavement. The entire Brunch Bunch was there to greet me at the end of the first 5.6 mile leg, which was totally awesome, and send Meredith, Queen of Running Playlists, off on her journey.

My second leg was in the darkness, so I got to use my other new running purchase - a wicked sweet reflective vest. Suddenly, about two miles in, I smelled skunk. This was horrifying. All I could imagine was getting sprayed by it, smelling vile and being voted out of the van... forced to get to the beach on my own. Thankfully, my headlamp (not only fuctional, but also quite fashionable in this part of the world) prevented me from stepping in the skunk road kill as well as some other large, unidentified roadkill later on. I'm grateful for that little headlamp and my team mates, who were always a welcome sight, providing water at the halfway mark and words of encouragement at any opportunity.

I'm grateful for having made it through my third 8.6-mile leg at the end which included several large uphills.

One article about the RTB in Massachusetts had testimonials of people who'd done RTB, but my favorite included a comparison of sushi and RTB. Basically he says that when you describe sushi to people who've never tried it, they scrunch up their faces and say "Ew, raw fish." He said he got similar reactions when describing RTB to people who have never run it - you pay money to run on little to no sleep, spend long hours in a van with potential strangers with no showers or real bathrooms available, and for that matter rarely any actual privacy in which to change clothes. "The first words out of their mouth are typically, 'What's wrong with you?' If you're not a runner, I wouldn't expect you to understand. In fact, if you said you did, I would ask you the same question. But imagine doing what you love for an entire day, 24 hours with no distractions and you could bring along a big group of friends. That raw fish is starting to sound pretty good now, isn't it?"

I know you're still wondering about the bloody sock, but there are more things that I'm grateful for before we get there.

In a flurry to catch the train on Wednesday morning, I accidentally abandoned my new Brooks sneaks! I have always wondered how people could possibly lose their shoes when I saw them on the street, as if the person had suddenly been abducted... and now I am that person. My only excuse is that I was wearing flip flops so it wasn't like I was running around, clueless and shoeless. However, said sneakers were rescued and are safe and sound, waiting for their next jaunt. I'm grateful for their rescue and rescuer.

Also on Wednesday, while purchasing snacks to help me endure the four hours of Public Health Law awaiting after work, I almost lost my work computer. Apparently you shouldn't leave it on the counter next to the conveyor belt if you want to keep your job ...or your dignity. I'm grateful for the woman behind me who reminded me to take it with me.

I'm grateful for the pumpkin beer awaiting me after class.

So. The bloody sock. That's more fun said in a British accent - My bloody sock! I was trying to juggle too many things walking out of the house this morning and didn't have an arm to reach out and stop the storm door in that slow motion moment where I knew it was going to hit my ankle (you know what I'm talking about). Unfortunately, it took out a rather substantial bit. Although unsightly, I'm grateful that I'm wearing old socks and it didn't hurt too much especially when the Red Line started smelling like electrical burning and smoking shortly thereafter. I couldn't find out if there was actually a fire, since apparently issues on the Red Line are so commonplace that boston.com doesn't cover all of them. Regardless, I got to take a lovely, albeit unexpected, stroll through the Financial District this morning without getting rained on. The gratefulness continues!

And finally... I'm grateful that it's Friday. Have a lovely weekend!