Preparedness

Will shortly leave town for the Survival of the Shawangunks! The run-swim portion of the race has been seriously curtailed due to trail damage post-Irene, and now the rain this week has flooded some of the bike course - we will learn later today whether they have had to arrange detours or whether that leg at least will continue as planned. I am rather nervous about this race, mostly for logistical reasons, but am very much hoping I can make course cutoffs and finish; that said, I am seriously undertrained, so if I don't make a time cutoff and get pulled, I am determined not to let it ruin my day. The race finish is in a very beautiful spot, the Mohonk Mountain House, with a lavishly catered post-race party, so at the very least I should be able to cheer other athletes to the finish and celebrate with them - however we will hope that philosophical stoicism is not called for and that I will huff and puff my way to the finish on my own two feet.

I may well not be home until 8pm or so tomorrow, and undoubtedly in a state of exhaustion and griminess and with a huge backpack of things that will need to go directly into the washing machine (probably including said backpack itself!). Unintended happy consequence of this race being scheduled the day before my first day of teaching: my syllabi, handouts and first-day plans were 95% complete more than 48 hours in advance of actual teaching! This is unprecedented, and gives me a very beneficial and possibly misleading sense of being on top of things. I am also, it must be said, glad that I will be doing something unusual and life-affirming on the actual day of September 11.