31. Owls are territorial. For further explanation, click the link.
32. Not all paper boys are created equal. Some deliver papers a lot later than others. Some run them up to the door while others throw them from the road. Some sit in their cars smoking while their tween runs up to deliver the paper. But my favorite newspaper deliverers by far is the couple who drive the red, rusted out pickup truck. The lady drives and smokes a cigarette, while her husband sits in a lawnchair in the bed of the truck, smoking a cigarette and chucking papers from his mobile throne as they slowly roll down the street. In the words of Tenaceous D "That's f--king team work!"
33. Some good nights of partying wrap up at 4am. On an early morning run at Folly Beach I came upon a group of young 20-somethings that looked (and smelled) like they just got through a long night of partying. They appeared to be on their way down to the beach to watch the sun come up. One of the dudes peeled off from the group and started jogging with me - while wearing flippy-floppies and carrying a beer in one hand and a bottle of Jack in the other. I asked him for a pull from his bottle(jokingly of course, but I probably would have taken a hit if he offered it), but he was in too much of a daze to know what was going on. After about 1/2 a block he thanked me for the run and turned back to rejoin his group.
34. Some bad nights of partying also wrap up at 4am. While running near the campus of UE one morning, I came up on two teenage dudes and one of them appeared to be yelling. Instead of using good judgement and running down a side street to avoid the two, I found myself being drawn to them to see what was going on. As I got closer I realized that the poor lad wasn't yelling, he was moaning. As I kept moving toward them I saw he was hunched over and ralphing all over the sidewalk. His "friend" kept looking around and tried to keep the poor guy walking - I'm sure he didn't want to deal with trying to drag his passed out buddy back to the dorm.
35. Only in America do we waste a tons of water(and money) by watering the sidewalk and street in front of our houses. In my opinion, watering your grass is a waste of water and money in and of itself. But you wouldn't believe how many homeowners and businesses waste money and resources by having terribly calibrated sprinkler systems. They spray 1/2 the water onto the sidewalk or road. If only they were awake early enough to see what an awful job their landscaper did for them.
36. 4am is the best time to run errands to Wal-mart and the Walgreen's 24hr pharmacy. There is virtually no one in the stores, so you can get in and out without having to wait in line. I wear a bright orange reflective vest and a headlamp when I run in the dark, so it looks pretty silly to walk into a store like that. I bought a pregnancy test one time at the pharmacy and when I checked out I said to the cashier, "I'll bet most people buying stuff like this try to be a little more discrete." She laughed at me and said "Yeah, you can tell when someone doesn't want to be seen buying one, but this is definitely a first for me!"
37. The best place and time for a prayer is outside at 4am in the morning. It is dark outside, the stars fill the sky, no one else is around, no cars are zooming by and everything is quiet. It is just you, the Creator and his creation. Praying(and running) in that environment has gotten me to such a relaxed state that it was almost like a meditation. Its impossible to describe how your body can be under the stress of running, but yet feel so relaxed and peaceful. I can't think of any other time during my day when I've felt that close to God.
38. Sometimes God puts you in a certain place at a certain time for a certain reason. I'd never dreamed of adding a truck-push workout in the middle of a 14 mi run, but one Saturday morning I did it anyway. I was running down a pretty busy road and came upon an SUV with its flashers blinking. I stopped to ask the person if they needed a hand. It was a teenage girl, who was appeared to be on her way to her job at McDonald's. She said her truck died and her dad was on his way. (By the way, am I the only person who hates it when someone calls an SUV a "truck"?) I offered to help push her SUV off the busy road to a gas station down the street. By the time I got her car pushed there, my legs were completely trashed, but I was glad to help her out. Having two daughters of my own, I'll bet when her dad arrived on the scene, he was happy to know someone helped her move the car from the road to a safer place.
39. You can literally feel the world come alive by going on 4 hour run at 4am. At the start of your run everything is calm, dark and quiet. The stars slowly fade away as the sun peeks out from behind the horizon. You may see a couple of cars pass by - probably delivering newspapers. As you see the first bit of morning light, the sound of crickets chirping gives way as the birds begin to chime-in. As the sky continues to get brighter and more color develops around you, some other walkers and runners might cross your path. Pretty soon you'll notice more and more cars passing you along the road. Finally the sunshine comes out in full force and you feel the air warming around you. Just as everyone else is stepping out to start their day, you make your way back home to wrap up your 25mile adventure.
40. The world comes alive in the morning - except when it is dead. I was enjoying a run along a harvested bean field one Saturday morning. I was near the end of my run and it was already light outside. I saw a hunter and his dog about 120 yards away in the middle of the field. I didn't pay much attention but figured they were hunting some kind of birds. Out of nowhere the loudest gunshot I've ever heard rang through my ears. I saw a bird fall about 50 yards away from me - directly between me and the redneck hunter. It was apparent why that gunshot was so loud, because the
Well, there are only 10 things left to share. The biggest question people have asked me is, "Why would anyone want to run 50 miles?" I still don't have a clear answer as to why, but there were a lot of things I learned about life, preparation, running, myself and overcoming obstacles when you think you can't go on. Damn, I promised myself I wouldn't drop any stupid cliches comparing athletics to life. Anyway, I won't get too caught up in cliches during the final 10, but will try to share what I learned from the experience, what it took for me to finish the race, and some things this journey taught me.
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