Week 17 Wrapup

The running went well this week. I ran fast, and I ran far. On Saturday, right after I ran, I had to go to my brother Steven's high school. I was playing keyboards for their production of Little Shop of Horrors. Steven played Seymour.

At one point before the show, I tell Steven I just ran 5 miles. Steven says, "So? I hate running. It's so terrible." I said that it's good exercise. He turned around so as to show me every angle and said "Do I look like I need to run?" I asked how far did he think he could run anyway, and he said, "Pretty far." I said I don't know, and that it's taken a lot of hard work for me to get to the point where I can run this far. He said, "Yeah, but, I'm young and in great shape, and you're old and fat." I said that regardless of the truth of that fact, long distance running depends on a lot more than youth and shape, and requires things like lung capacity. He said "So? I play the tuba."

While this display of Steven's hubris was entertaining, it needed to be kept in check lest it grow to destroy him. So in the classic spirit of men proving their relative worth through athletic competition, I challenged him to a footrace, specifically a 10k. Steven accepted the challenge and publicly announced his strategy for winning. He said all he needs to do is run along with me until we get close to the finish line, then run faster. I've developed a counter strategy, which is to run until he starts walking or falls over (probably around mile 2). At that point I will continue running.

I found a 10k in Tucson on March 29th. We decided that we will race and also wager something on the race (to be determined later). I, of course, will beat him and win whatever it is that we are wagering. Since the gauntlet was thrown down, I've enlisted Becki, my brother Carson, and my sister Elizabeth to enter the 10k as well, because at this point I'm curious to see just how many of us will be able to beat Steven. If I could be sure that Joey (my 3 year old) would stay on task for the whole race, I would enter him just to see if he could beat Steven.