EIOP

The day of the Pope's retirement, February 28, came and went (see "Running through Pain"). I watched the news coverage as the final moments of the papacy ticked away. I ran that day in misery. I had thought to get a rest myself from what has become my routine. The whole media spectacle around the Pope's departure filled me with melancholy. Or jealousy, more accurately, as I yearned for a helicopter to snatch me away into a different life.

I am tired: yesterday I felt I didn't care if I ever made it to Boston, or Luxembourg either. Today I started reading about an expedition to Mt. Everest, and the tale stirred familiar longings. I felt again the lure of pushing against a perceived limit. I reflected on the way trivialities fall away and the moments crystallize into purity. I thought maybe I could forge ahead after all. But of course, it is Sunday and thus a no-running day. My dreams required no immediate action.

Still, I have a plan. I am implementing Emergency Interim Operating Procedures (EIOP). Circumstances compel me to suspend--temporarily, I insist--my weekly mileage goal. For now, I shift the focus to the day by day. I will do what I can. And I won't speculate too hard about the future.

No helicopter is coming to whisk me away. If I make it to Boston this time, I must do it through my own resources. In spite of this week's dire musings, I may get there. I do not want another letter from the BAA informing me that I failed to complete the Boston Marathon! Oh, well, at the very least, I have an awesome T-shirt from Myrtle Beach.