The day before an event or a race is always one where my brain is elsewhere. People talk to me, and their words make noise, but I don't really hear them. I'm mentally elsewhere, and laying out clothes, charging up my ipod, making a playlist, setting 3 or 4 alarms, and printing out maps to the start.
Tomorrow is the CF half-marathon in Gross-isle, and I'm running it as an 18 mile training run by getting there early, so it's not the same sort of anticipation as racing an event. My brain is therefore only half elsewhere. The rest is goobered down by the mucus of a new cold.
The anxiety of the day before a race can make us crave the physical release of a short run, which is fine if you only do a few miles and quite slow. But so often in our anxiety and nervousness we end up running way farther and faster than planned and rob ourselves of needed running strength for the next day.
In my upcoming novel, "On the Lips of All Children," that's exactly what happens, except the stakes are much higher. Tattoo artist and first time marathoner Macon goes for a 4 mile warm up run the day before the Rock 'N Roll San Diego marathon. It's to be his first marathon. It's to be special. He is going to propose to his girlfriend and mother of his child at the finish. It's his way to prove his strength and dedication towards starting their new family.
All of this changes after Macon is stalked by a group of homeless men along a highway trail during his run. In an attempt to find him, his wife and child follow, but are taken hostage by a bizarre family living in a Tijuana to San Diego drug tunnel. The endurance Macon will have to show to save his family's life far exceeds anything required by a footrace.
All of this makes my day today seem quite easy.
Tomorrow is the CF half-marathon in Gross-isle, and I'm running it as an 18 mile training run by getting there early, so it's not the same sort of anticipation as racing an event. My brain is therefore only half elsewhere. The rest is goobered down by the mucus of a new cold.
The anxiety of the day before a race can make us crave the physical release of a short run, which is fine if you only do a few miles and quite slow. But so often in our anxiety and nervousness we end up running way farther and faster than planned and rob ourselves of needed running strength for the next day.
In my upcoming novel, "On the Lips of All Children," that's exactly what happens, except the stakes are much higher. Tattoo artist and first time marathoner Macon goes for a 4 mile warm up run the day before the Rock 'N Roll San Diego marathon. It's to be his first marathon. It's to be special. He is going to propose to his girlfriend and mother of his child at the finish. It's his way to prove his strength and dedication towards starting their new family.
All of this changes after Macon is stalked by a group of homeless men along a highway trail during his run. In an attempt to find him, his wife and child follow, but are taken hostage by a bizarre family living in a Tijuana to San Diego drug tunnel. The endurance Macon will have to show to save his family's life far exceeds anything required by a footrace.
All of this makes my day today seem quite easy.
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4 comments:
Book sounds very interesting! Cover looks a little scary though. Is it scary? I read Pet Cemetery and couldn't be alone for a week, or in the dark. I'm woosie like that.
Good luck on your race!
Dark fiction and suspense is probably a better description.
Wow that makes my runs where I get spooked by signs that I think are men in the semi-light seem so pedestrian. Thank goodness.
I know!!! My short supposed-to-be-slow shake out run turns out to be anything but that! Good luck for the race!
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