Friday, January 12, 2007

Fairfield Clydesdale shatters 220m record

Arrrgh!!! Teenage boys!!! I wake my son up this morning on schedule at 5:45. He takes his customary yet forbidingly long 20 minute shower, which he's been told to cut back to 5 minutes. Then, he hollers downstairs for me to throw him up some boxers and a t-shirt. Then he asks me what time it is. This is refreshing to me as he is rarely concerned at all with the time, going at his own groggy pace right up until the last moments before the bus arrives. So, I'm thinking, well done. He's trying to stay on schedule, right?

So, I breathe a sigh of pride and relief that my son is being so unusually thoughtful this morning and I make my way to the computer to check the e-mail. After some period of time passes, I realize, I don't hear anything going on upstairs, like my son getting dressed, like the shhhhhhh sound of deodorant, like the swish-swish of a toothbrush so I call out his name from the computer room. So, what do I hear? I hear the sound of a young man GETTING UP OUT OF BED!!! That's why he wanted to know what time it was. Not so he could stay on schedule and "get cracking" as I like to call it. He wanted to get a NAP!!!

So, he comes downstairs, still in his boxers and t-shirt and makes his way to the laundry room to get his clothes out of the dryer. No breakfast yet, hair not combed, teeth not brushed, can't find his key to the house, doesn't know where he put his homework, and the bus is due to arrive in less than 5 minutes. I GIVE UP!!!

So, I just go on about my business. No sense in causing a big scene while the rest of the house is yet to stir. I start in on some chores that I need to get done, like wash clothes and work on my 20 oz., 100g of carb, high-octane ultra fuel beverage. Next thing I hear is the front door close. Well, good. He got off to school by himself. I'll save the blessing out for this afternoon when he gets home. I'm going about my business and then think, "I wonder if he got his lunch." I go look on the table and there it is.

Now normally I would just leave it or eat it myself but I thought I may be able to catch him before the bus arrives.

I know. I know. This is supposed to be a running blog. WELL...I get out the door, and look down through the fog towards the corner and see the bus. Oh well, too late. But I see the brake lights on the bus stay on and a little girl running back into the house right there at the bus stop. I hear a faint sound of another father through the mist saying sternly, "Hurry up!" Well, that's my cue.

Oh, the running! So, I take off in a barfoot high-tail dash down the dead center of the street. About halfway there, I think, "I'm gonna make it." I see DS in the very back seat, asleep, with his head down on the seat in front of him. I give his luch to the bus driver and they're on their way. Oh, yeah, I beat the little girl who went in to get whatever it is she forgot.

So, I got some sprints in this morning. Here are the stats:

Venue: my street
Warmup: none
Distance: down the block
Pace: Fast!!! (but not as fast as Bill)
Cooldown: walk back home

Overall, a good run!

9 comments:

Steve Bezner said...

Great post Vic. I know that drill.

J~Mom said...

That had me cracking up!! I go through that drill with my kiddos every morning and they are still in grade school. OY!

TX Runner Mom said...

LOL! So this is what I have to look forward to in the days ahead. Oh boy!

Sarah said...

When I was in elementary school, I was the first kid on my street to start school, so the bus always stopped at the end of my driveway. Between me and my siblings and other kids, it stopped there for the next 15 years! On cold days, we could wait inside the house. Awesome. :)

Anonymous said...

Should've had your watch on so we could have accurate distance and time....expressed in miles per minute, of course.

Anonymous said...

Great taper!

Good luck on Sunday!

Anonymous said...

Looks like a cool temperature start. Just hope the north wind isn't tough.

Good luck, tomorrow, y'all.

Anonymous said...

Great post Vic...reminded me of my 13 years of riding the cheese wagon. My dad had to do that several times for us...you didn't do it in your underwear did you? At least once a year my dad gave the bus a "tighty-whitey" show...and I wonder why I ate by myself every lunch...?

IronWaddler said...

Good job dad!!! Good luck on Sunday.