Training Log Archive: Swampfox

On the event conference call the other night, there was some discussion about whether to have awards for Day 3 or not. After listening for a while, I said there was no reason to bother.

Nearly everyone will find at least one control on their course (there is streamering to follow to the first control, which should help), many people will find a few controls, some of the exceptionally good racers will find most of their controls, but nobody will find all the controls on their course. It's really, really hard. We had a stern directive from the SEA to make the courses as difficult as possible, and when you get a directive like that, there are no half measures.

Ran the Day 4 Blue course; I thought it was pretty good--about the right amount of challenge and making a rather good survey of the sorts of details and vegetation Pelican Bay offers. It's actually too good to waste on the Blue runners, however, since there are only 6 registered (so far) for this race.

We will probably therefore switch Blue with Brown, since there are so many people eager to run Brown. Boy, will they be surprised (both Brown and Blue runners)!

While I was getting ready to run, I eventually reached the point where I was putting on my O' shoes, and to do that I opened up my truck door and stuck my feet out. As I finished tying the last shoe, I looked up, and there was Runner Dude--I hadn't heard a thing, maybe because I was listening to the radio. Runner Dude was shirtless, in running shorts, looked to be in his 20s, and had a hydration pack on.

Raymond was right behind him. I had no idea who Raymond was, but it didn't seem to matter. As soon as he spotted my open door, he made a dash straight for it, and with one mighty leap he cleared me, hit the passenger seat, curled up, and immediately fell asleep. The whole sequence took a good bit less than 2 seconds.

Raymond was a Cattle Dog, and, apparently, much more afraid of thunder than of me.

I like Raymond's style, and I have thought for a while a good Cattle Dog might be just the thing.

I told Runner Dude: "I already like this dog so much I think I'm going to keep it."

Runner Dude said: "My wife will kill me if I come home without Raymond."

I told him: "Well then either you better not go home or else you better start singing your Death Song, and I hope you have a good one."

He started singing, but it wasn't a good one at all.

I told him: "Stop that right now! My god, that's no death song, that's Barry Manilow!"

Runner Dude said: "I know it, if I'm going down, you are, too."

So it was a standoff and as much as I was taken by Raymond, I knew keeping him wasn't the right thing to do, so I let Runner Dude grab Raymond by the collar and drag him out--which he had to do, because there was still some thunder, and Raymond wasn't budging. He really, really didn't like the thunder. But once Runner Dude had him out and I got the door shut, they took off at a trot and that was that.

100% true story.