Help! 16 days to go, and I'm off.

....'Off' in a bad way, that is. Left knee still has that weird feeling that it is being grabbed after doing a long run, and I am 7 pounds overweight. Not only do I need to starve myself, but I'd better do it now because I have to carbo load starting on the 29th.

Last night, I went to the Stew Lenny's to get a nice bottle of wine. I haven't had 1 ounce of alcohol since I've moved to my new digs in late August and figured it was time to imbibe. Also, I was making some steamed mussels, and you know how delicious it is in a nice base of white wine and garlic...Mmmmmm.


Anyway, as I was parking my car, a woman walked by and noticing my bumper stickers, started to laugh. I got out of the car, and she said, "Those stickers should have been put on the front of the car and not the back". So I asked her why she figured that, and she mentioned, "Because it says "Run Dude!". The sticker actually said "Runner Dude" instead. She thought it was a warning for people to get out of my way. Very funny, actually. Might have to think of getting something like that for the front bumper!

Sunday, is the "Blue Line" run. It is sponsored by the Quantum Feet Road Runners Club. There is also a Forest Park club meeting, but I am in the throes of my final preparations for the New York City Marathon, the holy grail of road races, and I cannot give up this opp to run the last 10 miles of the NYC Marathon course, which is what the "blue line" run is, for it.

My only concern however, is my knee, my right leg which cramped up from my toes up to my calf, my ability to do a Marathon after having reduced my weekly run totals for quite awhile now...etc etc etc.....In other words, I am not feeling that "kick ass" attitude that I should be feeling.....Not yet anyway. Eventually, and like I do every year, all these "illnesses" will eventually get me pissed off, and I usually do well when I am either happy or angry. So, perhaps I need to get 'angry' at the NYC Marathon, much like as if it were an entity of some kind. Hell, maybe it is an entity. This fucking race has shut me down 6 times from breaking 4 hours. It reels me in, and just when I think I am going to do the incredible, its course breaks my physical and then my psyche. What would seem like a record performance becomes just a 'performance'. Damn.....I should be pissed off!

I need to kick ass! You are all witnessing Alex (talking about myself as if in the third person now - psychotic, I know) getting the inspiration needed to KICK ASS right before your very eyes....

Last year it was 4 hours 20 minutes. My 2nd best ever. In 1985, it was 4 hours 9 minutes, my best ever. I WANT TO BREAK 4 HOURS. No, better yet.....

I WILL BREAK 4 HOURS. I WILL BREAK 4 HOURS. I WILL BREAK 4 HOURS.

I'll be damned if ANYTHING. Injury, etal, stands in my way!!!! Damn It!!