When: Saturday, January 22, 2011 7:45 AM-10:30 AM. Central Standard Time
Where: Veteran's Park (21st & Boulder)

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Team Work Begins with “Me”

I know that we’re not ever supposed to look too far down the path, to literally wish our miles away, to mentally skip over the multitudes of cracks and crevices, and yes, even a road or path construction project or two.
But I must confess, Yes, I did gander a little peak, at the upcoming weather forecast for this weekend’s training run. You see, it’s just been so golly darned unseasonably hot these past few weekends that we have not been able to practically benefit from a good old style cut and quarter run - the type where we seperate the pretenders from the post-tenders. We run leaders, being basically raised by wolves disguised in running attire, relish the early morns where the Therm-O-Bulb (predecesser to today's digimometer) plummets, when the ice winds are howlin’, and the big boastin’ newbies are finally served a little helpin’ of what we adoringly refer to as “stumble pie”. So far, the hills and dales ain’t done it, the loop de loop routes haven’t worked, and the random routing misdirections have all failed. Basically, we yearn to feel needed. We need our brief mother superior moments where we can give the appearance of solemnly considering the tough questions while scrambling our hardest to make up an answer that can’t technically be proven as false, while all the time ensuring that we don’t provide anything of meaning that could be used to close the competitive gap between the young striders and the “more mature” and lightly seasoned mentoring path pounders. And when I say “we” in lieu of using the more formal moniker of “run leaders”, I of course mean “me”.
So while on one hand I appreciate the full team embracement of the Dom-N-8RZ spirit, and all that it implies, it might be just a little more personally satisfying for each of you (and when I say “you”, I of course really mean “me”) if it didn’t quite come so easily. hint-hint-hint So if all goes according to plan, and it does get really really cold, then you might consider dusting off those old acting skills and tossing a few “geez, it’s really cold”, and “how do you guys run in conditions like this?” softballs. And while we deftly swab our drizzlin’ snouts with the multi-hued gloves of a season once removed, you get to watch as our chests puff out just a little further (no tipping the cow please, and by “cow” I mean “me”), and we run leaders – Ok “I” – get to wallow for a short time (can’t stop long – gotta’ keep moving – unsolicited tip of the week) in undeserving moments of self importance.
NOTE: In the full spirit of self disclosure, believe it as if it might possibly be untrue, my co-run leaders did not put me up to the previous ramblings.
As a follow up to last weekend’s jaunt, I hereby officially declare that this whole democracy thing is done – over – kaput. While it was somewhat amusing to watch everyone rally around getting to select an alternate route for our 2nd loop, all it got me was a near fatal flailing up the infamous Denver Avenue hill. And I don’t mean in a good way. Each of you are unfairly warned that in the future what appears to be careful consideration of the wishes of the group’s majority opinion will in reality be an artful display of selective listening and indecisive misleadership at its finest.
Which mercifully brings us to this week’s run…a step back week of 10 miles on the advanced schedule, and a step up week of 12 miles for the intermediates. All of which rationally translates into a 12 mile solidarity run for all Dom-N-8RZ in tow. We have a craftfully designed 7’ish mile course that culminates with the solemn reverence to Tulsa’s version of This Old House, a few downhills thrown in to offset the inclines, another passing visit of runners from a time before us, a frigid shout out at the center of the universe, and another river bottom gazing expedition. If all goes well, we might even get to play a little train chicken (surely the train would stop if they thought we weren’t bluffing, don’t you think?) After that, it’s a simple little matter of a tack-on 5 mile trek on a route of our choosing (you know the drill, by “our” I really mean – go ahead, say it in unison this time). We start at our regular Vet Time (7:45 AM) at our regular Vet Place (Veteran’s Park). It just might be a tad bit chilly, so make sure you put on an extra layer of Leader-Hosen adornment. And remember, just as we often never discussed, your run leaders helped put the “awe” in simply awful.

Larry