As much as I don’t like bringing a car in for service, I hate doing my own exhaust work even more. But since the truck has an exhaust leak, the question becomes how to drop it off for service, get in a morning run, and still make it to work in time for a group meeting.
The answer, of course, is to drop it off and then run back home, hop in another car, and go to work. And so it was that I got up at 6:30 and fueled up with a bagel and almond butter. There are two things to be aware of with almond butter. First is that if you let it sit in the cupboard for several months before you open it, it will separate into oil and cement. Secondly, it has a magnetic attraction to freshly cleaned white table cloths. But I’m getting off track.
Getting into my running clothes was a bit of a challenge today, on account of if my head was attached, I’d be searching the house for it. After circling the house twice looking for the socks I was going to wear, my loving wife asked why there were socks on the dining room table. “Oops, sorry” is a more politically correct response than “they’re hiding the almond butter smudge”. But at least now I’m ready to run.
Next up, make a protein shake for after the run and lay my clothes out on the bed. I’ll have about 15 minutes to drink, shower, and change from the end of the run until I need to leave for work.
Okay, get the truck keys, clean out the interior (you do not want your mechanic to find “Culture Club” in your cassette deck), driver’s license, and EYEGLASSES! Uh-oh, I don’t usually run with my glasses on, and legally speaking, I need them for driving. A quick search through “that drawer” and I find a pair from 20 years ago. Pop off the clip-on flip-up blue blockers, wash the lenses, and I’ve got a pair that I can wear while driving and leave in the truck. Wow, my eyes were different 20 years ago. It’s like I’m looking at everything in a fun house mirror. But I’m legal to drive now, so off we go.
Drop off the truck, wait for the Garmin to find a few satellites, and we’re running. Slowly. Did I mention this is the seventh day in a row that I’ve run? But the weather is absolutely beautiful, and I run by some of the best scenery in Pepperell. Scenery is a good excuse to walk for a few moments and take it all in.
Have I mentioned that I’m the secretary of the local running club? And that I’ve run the Boston Marathon? Combine the two, and what happens is that whenever I take a walk break from my run, somebody who knows me is sure to drive by and make a comment. So having received my daily “motivation”, I continue on running.
And I make it home a bit earlier than expected. This is a problem. I’m not in a hurry, and soak in the shower for a few. Guess what? I’m not early anymore. By the time I made it to work, I was the last one into the meeting, but still made it before they had the Skype connection to the Budapest office up and running. I’ll let the reader decides if that counts as late or on time.
