I’ve been here before… on the wings of a demon! — “Exorcist II: The Heretic”
One of my favorite lines from a not particularly great movie. And honestly, I don’t even think that’s the EXACT quote, but it’s how I remember hearing it. In this age where truth and facts are subjective and/or, well, “heretical” — when the legend becomes reality, print the legend. That’s another quote I love, from a really good movie.
I say all of this because I’ve run the Socal River Marathon before. More than once. You read about it here. And maybe here. But it did have me thinking about quotes and phrases that have lingered and endured, knocking around the ol’ memory palace like a drunken sailor in San Diego during Ship Week. And the REAL quote I wanted to mention was from an actual living person. I just don’t remember their name — lost to history or maybe to a cell phone upgrade contacts list snafu.
Back when I used to meet people or be introduced to people or whatever we did before the Pandemic hermetically sealed us off and ensured all people post-lockdown were surprisingly WAY worse and less likely to be met, that the world itself became ANTI-SOCIAL in such an echo chamber-y way that I can’t recall the last person I met outside of work or an accidental, fleeting passing by at an airport or a coffee line.
Sometimes when I was introduced or met somebody and they found out about my marathon addiction, they’d ask me questions. Some asked what I was running towards. One person, and this is the one lost in the memory loom haze of time, asked what I was running from. And Today was one of those days I was running toward and away from things.
No reason to go into detail, other than that it was one of those days. I was feeling a bit under the weather — something I ate didn’t agree with me or I was underslept or overstressed or who knows why? But I was struggling and just trying to get between aid stations. It was a perfect day for running — not too hot, not too cold, sun for some of it, clouds for some of it. There was a headwind but that’s inevitable when running toward the beach I think in that part of the state. But I just wasn’t in fighting form — could be lack of training or any of the myriad excuses I’ve already put forth.
But I finished. It wasn’t pretty, but I finished. And I’ll run again in 2 weeks in the LA Marathon. So if this was nothing more than a “where am I?” tune-up race, then so be it. I’ve been there before… and I’ll be there again assuming I lace up my shoes a few more times.
