John-crack

It's 3:48 a.m.  I've been awake since about 1:30 a.m.  I went to bed at 9:30 p.m.  Only four hours of sleep.  Why am I awake?  Got a text that Chris B., Greg O. and Greg F. running Elfin Forest at 5:00 a.m.  Am I in?  Didn't think so when I went to bed.  Set the alarm for 4:30 a.m., but figured I'd turn it off and run at 7:00 a.m.  Instead, here I am, trolling Facebook, eating breakfast, drinking coffee and itching to go running.

I get this way when it comes to running now.  Anticipation pulses through me. [Bruce: Don't rush yourself! Sometimes anticipation can heighten the... pleasure.]

I need that run.  It's John-crack.  Things have changed a bit, but not much.  My crack used to be surfing.  If I went to bed and the winds were howling off-shore, the tide was going be low and the buoys were up, there was about zero chance of sleep.

Same thing with cycling.  Group ride into Marin? Nice day in D.C. as a bike messenger?  I'd dream about riding, grabbing onto buses and trucks and playing in traffic.

Now I'm starting to dream about running.  The other night my running shoes were too big and my feet kept slipping out.  But after running 70 miles that week, it wasn't enough, I was running in my sleep.

Now I'm awake.  Time to run.

 John, Chris & Greg

John, Chris & Greg

Fast forward.  It's 7:46 p.m.  All the runners are home.  Except all crack is not created equal.  My crack is more road marathon crack.  I put in 14.9 miles with 3,142' of gain.  The crack of Greg F. and Chris B. is twice as strong, 50K crack, they put in 32.6 miles with 5,336' of gain. Then there is Greg O. crack.  38.3 miles, 8,041' of gain.  It's fuckin' madman crack.

[Now this is Panda, from Mexico. Very good stuff. This is Bava, different, but equally good. And this is Choco from the Hartz Mountains of Germany. Now the first two are the same, forty-five an ounce -- those are friend prices -- but this one...(pointing to the Choco) ...this one's a little more expensive. It's fifty-five. But when you shoot it, you'll know where that extra money went.Nothing wrong with the first two. It's real, real, real, good shit. But this one's a fuckin' madman.]