We've Got Each Other (aint that peachy?)

Ok, so this is cheating, it's from an e-mail to some friends that are "thinking" about coming over to the dark side and running a hunert-miler (you can take the boy out of Auburn, but you can't take Auburn out of the boy!) I am putting this in the blog because of something my brother said. He is a bit jealous of our "family" here. How we communicate and train together. He's lives in a town that's so small that they recently had the whole thing carpeted! I mean Dade City could kick the crap out of it in a war! (Ok, Free I-Tunes song for the first to come up with that movie)

Ok, here's the Reader's Digest Version of the story from today's e-mail to my friends, setting out on the journey to the Dark Side of Ultra Running:

Hey, for this training thing, at least you all have each other. When you go up, you will all have each other.

Man, when I did my first one, I didn't know if I was washing or hanging out! I knew nothing and no one! 50 Mile Training run? Alone (er, thanks Becky for meeting me for part of that back in 2001, but I had to do the night in the woods alone). What to put in a drop bag? Alone!

Travel to Vermont, where I never been? Alone! Sure, I know a lot of those people now, for instance, Dan and Woody, and Ron Balow and Barbara and Miles were all up there, but the only one I knew was Ron Balow (and no offense Ron), but he was as much a rookie as I was. I fly into New Hanover, NH figuring, "I'll catch a ride with one of the runners." I figured the race was a big deal, er, NO! There is only 100 - 300 in these races, no one knew about some 100 mile run. Fortunately I went up to a lady that had on trail running shoes and asked, are you doing the race? She was, I hitched a ride I got my buckle, but I was lucky!

Going Home Alone, that was another story: there wasn't a rental car available anywhere, Cabs don't come where we were, and it have been 50 bucks if they did. My friend that gave me a ride to the race had gone on, I was stuck, alone and they were kicking us out of our camping field a day early, OH SCHMIDTZ! What's a guy that can't walk because he's run 100 miles do? I hitchhiked into town, with my luggage, oh this was fun! I snagged a ride with some dude driving west to Michigan, whereas I needed to go East 1 hour to New Hampshire. The dude went out of his way, took me into town and dropped me off at a phone booth (remember those?) so I could call a cab. Well, he felt sorry for me and carted me back to the airport (even though my plane didn't leave until the next day). From there I got a room at the airport inn, thank Gawd (remember it's In New England) it was cheap. The next day my legs were so sore, still alone, I had to get a cab to take me across the street to the airport. But I made it! I reckon I was never alone, I had a lady with me the whole time.... Lady Luck! And my favorite deity was there too, thanks God!

Yall can use brains and each other, you don't have to be lucky, I envy you all!

AndyMan