The almost unknown, yet so great of a rocknroll outfit that any adjective below does no great favor to the almost legendary outfit, Kansas City's Cretin 66. Their blazing high energy kick you between the legs rocknroll personifies their basic philosophy in life, All The Way Or Not At All.
In short, it is my goal to transfer high energy sonic jams into high energy blazing journeys of blazing footwork. My first 5K race tested this very intense proclamation to the point that my leg work would set the pavement afire if it was not for the previously intense thundershowers. My eventual sore feet managed to keep up with many twenty and thirty somethings while my 47 year old body managed to prevail.
Despite the very threatening looking weather [see the above radar photo], I managed to run a 8:24 pace for 3.1 miles, with the total time reading 00:26:06. I was completely gasping for air after my sprint across the finish line.
And the first thing that popped into my frazzled mind? All the way or not at all!
I am constantly living the life of a circus performer. I wake up in the morning and hoping by a prayer to motivate myself enough to rise before the sun beats me to my running jaunts, doing the tasks of everyday life before it totally overtakes me.
Even though Thursday has hightailed itself to the current position on my sometimes chaotic calender, this has been a week that shall never slip from my brainstem. Even though the buzz of the electronic device ordering competitive swimmers to strat the race in the evening, the day was already on for Shannon as everybody being surrounded by swimming pools was wondering if mother nature's electrical wrath was going to be exhibited via thunderbolts. Earlier in the day, it had rained poolfulls [bad pun intended] to the point of practice being cancelled. Naturally, most parents were wondering whether a full evening of swimming events was going to be allowed to occur. Of course, I had doubts flowing through my mind!
Come 4:45, things appear a bit on the rough side looking upwards into the sky. Rain producing clouds tormented everyone looking northwest. It appears that cancellation is written all over this event as a huge black cloud intimidates everybody poolside. After the traditional organized choas of transferring the list of races from the computer printout to the childs arm using a permament marker, the festivities began.
We all waited, and waited until the heats accumulated to lucky thirteen. Shannon climbed onto the starting blocks with her hair slightly tucked into her bathing cap, feeling the cold wind blow against her bathing suit. Before we knew anything, the starting buzzer at this very efficiently run meeet had sounded off. Into the water went Shannon, as her free-style was gliding her through the mixture of h2o and chlorine. I looked in amazement as she was running towards the front of the pack. In the end, Shannon barely edged herself to second place.
Fast forward to heat number 37. Shannon jumps off the strating block in glee into the very cold water. Shannon immediately grabs the chrome colored starting bar and propels herself into the backstroke upon the electronic prompt. Once again, she resembles a machine on its back moving and moving without stopping until she reaches her destination; the finish line. She has had another great race as she was excited, but in the zone to the point of not knowing the result. When I had informed her of finishing number one, she was very excited to the point of a huge smile. After this meet, we all drove back home, cold, yet happy that Shannon was not only very successful, but that the meet was not trampled upon by the weather.
Cough cough, sneeze, sneeze.... achoooooo! Waking up the next morning ended up being an event in itself with Shannon not only sneezing like crazy, but her ears bothering her to the point of its overly red colors being a painful irritant. After my Tuesday morning run of 4 miles or so, my fingers had to dial my children's doctor and I have since been enduring an uneventful event of putting up with random coughs, sneezes, and medicine dosages while mentally preparing myself for my upcoming 5K run.... my first race ever as I have only participated in the usually very child friendly fun runs.
One more random thought, enjoy the video below. Or as my son Ian says, How random!
Last night's musical jaunt into the depths of 1980's Youtube inspired music brought me out to a disaster on the other end of the tunnel. In short, my eyes were transfixed upon the computer to the point of oversleeping with the end result being no run. I am just questioning myself; was it worth it? The reality is that it does not matter anymore.
In a timemachine, I magically press a button to take me back to the good old days, circa 1986. I imagine myself in college on a bitterly cold night in the town of Bennington, VT. I am urgently drawing on a bottle of Moosehead beer, listening to the sweet sounds of Minnesota's punk rock band, Husker Du. Some say these guys are unlistenable.... my opinion regresses.
Fast forward many many years later. My ears are chronologically documenting the sounds; in rock critic terms, I've got to say that this band resembles a very much amplified version of the Beatles. To go a bit further, these alleged Swedish lads [am I wrong to presume since they are from Minnesota?] are not only one of the greatest unknown outfits ever, but according to my snotty opinion, one of the best ever. Period!
