Racing the Gladys Knight Way!
The second marathon in my 3 for 30 quest is in the books. I know I haven't even finished the race report for Pine Line. Who knows if that'll ever happen. I guess I need to post more. Either way, Green Bay went well. My time was almost exactly the same as Pine Line and yet I felt like I ran better. I didn't have to take a major (i.e. unplanned) walk break until mile 21. The weather could have been better. It was cold and windy the entire race.
The sissies running the half marathon and those stallions running the full were on the same course for the first 12 miles. At that point those half-marathon nancies ran home to momma while those of us with true desire and determination soldiered on. From miles 12-17 things were great. I even took off my headphones and enjoyed the sights and sounds of this area that I am growing increasingly fond of. It wasn't until mile 17 that I really felt the need for mental distraction.
At mile 17 the race moves onto the Fox River Trail for five miles. I have run this stretch of trail so many times that I know every crack and tree and house and river view. So I put my headphones back in and told myPod to shuffle it's little heart out. After a few musical duds I was treated to "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight and The Pips. This is one of my all time favorite songs. It carried me through almost five miles of late marathon running this past Sunday.
First, a little history. Every time I hear this song I sing along with the background parts (the Pip parts) while Gladys does her thing. I even have a little dance routine...actually it's two routines as I have one for the car and one for when I more room to move around. Anyhoo...after going through the song once, I was in such a good mood that I listened to it again...and again. That's when the visions started.
My head filled with images of me wearing a tan-and-taupe tuxedo with Don Cornelius staring incredulously at what was transpiring on the venerable Soul Train performance stage. I was the first and last, the one and only white Pip...ever. Racial barriers were collapsing all over the world as humanity stood up and bore witness to me, the mostly-Irish-but-some-Danish-and-some-German-and-some-Russian-but-either-way-
really-really-really-White guy held his own with one of the all time greatest soul/R&B acts, and realizing that, hey, we aren't really all that different, are we?. It was glorious. I listened to the song at least 10 more times, each iteration bringing with it more and more elaborate day-dreams of performing as the one and only white Pip. Oddly enough, the opening act in these scenarios was almost always REO Speedwagon.
Then a bird crapped in front of me and I realized I still had 5 miles to go.
Comments
YOU ARE HILARIOUS!!!! See you in Chicago!
Posted by: lindy | June 5, 2007 08:47 PM