Let's Talk About Personal Humiliation, Journey and a Pint of Blood

Welcome to Running With Rick!  Gotta confess that this post is all over the map with personal humiliation, this year's Loop the Lake 8K, a pint of blood and a Journey slam. Only way to make sense of this mess is for me to...interview myself. Don't say you weren't warned.

RWR:  You just finished your sixth Loop the Lake race.  Any thoughts you want to share?

Rick:  I can now listen to Christopher Cross.

RWR: I respect individual tastes in music, but is that something you want to put out on the internet?

Rick:  What I mean is I now can listen to one of his songs without immediately associating it with bad experiences because I included that song in a playlist for my most recent race.

RWR:  Didn't you do the same thing at last year? Make up a playlist of songs from your senior year in Track where you attempt to give yourself a more positive memory associated with those songs? If that's the case, need I remind you that that post had one of your lowest viewings on this blog. Why go down that road again?

Rick:  Because this is also connected to my recent post about my freshman season of track at UCC. Where I finished last in one race that entire season.

RWR:  Are you crazy? That post had the worst viewing of anything this blog has ever published. Why do a post based on two of your "lowest-rated" topics? Don't you want someone besides your coach and wife to read "Running With Rick"?

Rick:  I believe I have something important to share or I wouldn't do this. Besides, I'm interviewing myself. What could possibly go wrong with any of that?

RWR:  So long as I have the right to say "I told you so" later, I'll keep this future train wreck moving. We're talking about your freshman year of Track at Umpqua Community College where you had to run both the 10K and 5K at each meet and, as you've reminded us, you finished last in all but one race over that entire season. Obviously, that was not a pleasant experience. But it was also 45 years ago. You've had a lot of excellent races since then. Why dredge it up now?

Just so we're clear on this - my legs aren't really that long.

Rick: Because I never told anyone the real impact of that season on me. Because I never told anyone how it felt to not only come in last but also be slow enough that I was lapped by several runners in both races. Because I never told anyone how ashamed I felt to be the person everyone was waiting on to finish so that they could start the next event and how for the first time in my life, running became a source of embarrassment instead of pride.

RWR:  What brought all this back?

Rick:  I'd put all of it behind me decades ago. But when I wrote the post on that season, it also dredged up everything I'd buried after that season. When that happened, I wanted to bring closure to those memories.

RWR:  I take it that's where the music comes in. But I also have to ask, you were on a scholarship. You'd had a strong cross-country season that fall. What happened that you were suddenly so bad?

Rick:  For one, I've never been good at "doubling" in a track meet. Give me one race and I'll typically have a good performance. But two will always be a struggle. With having to run over nine miles, I would have to hold back on my pace for the 10K which was early in the meet so that I would hopefully have enough for a competitive 5K a couple hours later. Unfortunately, that pace was too slow to be competitive in the 10K and still left me too tired for the 5K.

RWR: And this went on for an entire season? Didn't you change any training or talk to your coach?

Rick: In hindsight, I should definitely have talked with my coach after a couple of meets. But I just did what was asked of me, including everything in practice. But nothing improved. I just remained stuck at a slow pace where I stood out like a sore thumb, wearing green and white striped shorts.

Big-time kudos to Terry Kruse for his outstanding photography!

RWR: Where does music tie into this?

Rick: I love music. Back then, we'd have the radio playing in the van we took to the meets. That meant hearing the latest from Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, Linda Ronstandt and so on. I'd typically have the last song I'd hear on the van stuck in my head for the entire meet. That would either spoil a good Clash song or be double suffering if I raced 9 miles with Air Supply whining in my head.

RWR: So you developed a playlist consisting of these songs for Loop the Lake?

Rick: Exactly. I saw that race as an opportunity to tie those songs into a much more uplifting, more rewarding experience. I know I can't change the past. But if the race went well, then I have positive memories to now associate with those songs.

RWR: Just tell me you didn't overindulge in yacht rock.

Rick:  Hey, I covered some serious musical real estate on that playlist. I even included “Any Way You Want It”, one of the most overplayed Journey songs ever.   

RWR:  I know you, Rick.  You only included Journey so that your wife would let you listen to that playlist at home. Anyway, how did Loop the Lake go? 

Rick:  Quite well. Probably the strongest I’ve felt in a race for the past year.  And with a distance of only five miles, it wasn't hard to lock in on each song as I’m racing.  

RWR:  Any particular example you’d like to share?

This is the bridge is one of the best reasons to run at Gray's Lake!

Rick:  Queen’s "A Crazy Thing Called Love" kicks on just as I start up a concrete bridge, taking me over a segment of Gray’s Lake, as well as putting some distance between myself and a group of runners that I’d just passed.  A much better memory to associate with that song.

RWR:  Nice.  And how did you ultimately do?

Rick:  I came in 33/123 and second in my age group.  Which is pretty decent given the elite runners in this race.  

RWR: And the big question - did it work? Do you feel any better about that season?

Rick: Crazy as it sounds, yes. I know we cannot change history, but, in my mind, there is a better sense of closure to all of it. Not only can I connect that music to the outcome of the race, but also to how good I have it in my current life - something I could never have conceived during that season.

RWR:  Good to know. I also have to ask, how did you feel about not winning your age group?

Rick:  The guy who won the 60-69 men's age group is an amazing runner from Atlanta.  He finished 4 freaking minutes ahead of me.  Kudos to him!  

RWR:  I’m pleased that you respect his talent.  Did you have a chance to meet him?

Rick:  I introduced myself to him at the awards event afterwards.  I just hope I didn’t scare him away from Iowa when I told him that I wanted a pint of his blood to inject into my veins so that I could gain some of his speed.

RWR:  It's clear that I can't take you anywhere. What about the playlist. I’m guessing that Amy still doesn’t like it, despite your inclusion of Journey.

Rick:  Turns out that’s the only song on it that she likes.

RWR:  She is a smart woman.

Rick.  You do know that I never liked you, right?

RWR:  And you know that the feeling is mutual,

Beautiful sunrise over Gray's Lake in Des Moines!