Monday September, 29 2008 - Day 15

Monday September, 29 2008 - Day 15
http://ultrabongo.blogspot.com/
We wake up before 7AM. LA is dense with marine layer only I don’t think it is marine layer. I think of wearing a towel over my nose and mouth to protest the air quality but give it up quickly knowing I will be shot down in the streets while donning this garb. Chet goes down to get his morning cup of free coffee and returns upset mumbling to himself “for $300 dollars I should at least get a cup of coffee”. He uses the machine in the room but continues to mumble. If you want to get Chet off to a bad start in the morning 1) screw with his coffee or 2) don’t allow him time to cycle his intestines.

Bo and I decide to go for a run and start at Santa Monica pier heading south. We run past Venice beach and a cadre of homeless every mile. We run at a slow pace for 25 minutes chatting about the trip, the homeless people, the sand and the upcoming furnace creek 508. We agree Joe has trained very hard over the past two weeks and just hope he can remain cool enough to rest a bit over the next couple days before the race. We head into the sand and over to the Pacific. We both dunk a ritualistic hand into the water. It is warm. I spread the polluted salt water onto my face and Bo, much smarter than I wipes his off on his shorts. We walk along the beach and then crank up the pace for the run back to the hotel.

My legs feel a bit awkward running and I wonder how much all this cycling is going to help me when I start my 100 mile run later in the week. I tell myself not to worry and continue to worry. I run deeper into my thighs and feel the soreness from the desert ride the day before. Body warning to brain stem, “take it easy or the other parts have agreed to go on strike later in the week”.

We all eat breakfast together and talk about the current world markets without resolve. I talk with my cousin Greg later in the day and he says “Nice coincidence that you have reached your end the same day the financial markets reached theirs”. We laugh but both know this is not my end nor is it the end of the financial markets.

Our plans for the next couple of days continue to change throughout the morning. By noon it is time to drive to Santa Clarita for the local radio interview. Joe, Chet and Bo will head directly North towards San Francisco after the interview. I have a flight out of LA on Tuesday afternoon and decide not to join them for the interview. This will allow them to get a jump start on their trip North and I will stay with my sister-in-law in LA Monday night.

We drag our packs to the truck and begin to load their belongings. Bo keeps putting my gear in the truck and I keep taking it out. I am not ready to separate but it happens quickly and I am standing in the Holiday Inn parking lot and missing my tribe. Joe calls me later to let me know the interview went well. We hang up and I text him “LA sucks even worse without you all”. They start North and I stare out at the Pacific.

Suddenly I miss everything terribly. The many miles we traveled every day was exciting but the difficulties and displacement of being in a different location each night don’t hit me till right now on the pier. This is it and now they move towards the Furnace Creek 508 and I towards my Grindstone 100. I sit, ass on wood covered Pacific pylons wishing I was going to be staying to crew for Joe during the race. This doesn’t feel right to be leaving after all we have been through together.

My run starts at 6pm EST Friday night. The Furnace Creek 508 starts at 7AM PST Saturday morning. I remind Joe that when I am suffering on Saturday about 10AM EST my only conciliation will be that his is just beginning. Isn’t friendship great.

Here is a link to the kids and cause we are riding for - http://www.lisas810.com/cause_AOR.html

With gratitude,
Chris