Thoughts Over 17 Miles

Got out today in the rain with no intention other than to see how I feel after taking essentially a week off since the race last weekend.  My shoulder has been painful (understatement) and hadn't gotten better during the week.  In fact, it seemed to hurt more on Wednesday than it did right after it happened.  Mark, a doctor at Boulder Sports Medicine, was kind enough to look at it on Monday and didn't feel it was broken, just separated.  Since it's still so painful after a week, I have a feeling there's some sort of break in there, mostly because he said it should feel better after a week.  I do notice that today it does seem to be a little better.

Not wanting to do anything crazy like bounding descents on Bear or Green on rain soaked rocks, I opted for a flat trail run out to BoBo Link.  After the first out n back I decided to do it again for 17 miles total.  Boulder Creek is crazy high right now and in sections was up over the trail submerging it under 18" of water which I happily trounced through like a kid.

Since this run never takes much thinking or attentiveness, I have room in my small mind to pry open other thoughts.  One of these thoughts was about how people (runners, ultrarunners, mostly since they are the majority of the blogs I visit) portray themselves on their blogs in ways that are in stark contrast to reality.  I mean, I realize no one is going to just come out and present himself as the schmuck he may well be but to go the opposite direction and advertise himself as one thing when it's inconsistent with things he does in real life.  I think it's common to be concerned how one is perceived by others.  Adamantly stating that one does not care what others think automatically calls that person into question and says that he surely does care.

A friend and I were exchanging emails over the last week "talking" about this, i.e. how one portrays himself and how that portrayal often strays from reality.  At one point he wrote, "We've known so many people who looked like they were living the dream and had it all, then, the next thing you know - divorced, bankrupt, complete freaks, etc....."  In his overt and refreshingly blunt way of expressing things, my friend nailed a very common thing about our culture; how one seems is not how he lives.  Of course, I'm generalizing and know there absolutely are people who live how they seem.  I'm just saying it's common enough that it's noticeable and noteworthy.

Keep it real folks.