Thursday, May 03, 2007

"26 Miles to Traverse City...Just Imagine It"

This is funny. I was thinking the other day about running my upcoming marathon in Traverse City...26.2 miles...my first in my hometown. That number and name, 26 and Traverse City, was stuck in my head. Why was there something so familiar about that? I grew up in "TC". I've run several 5k and 15k's there before but never a marathon. So, why this feeling of deja vu?

It finally struck me this morning. I have two older brothers. When we were kids, being the youngest of three, I liked to pester my older brothers. Probably some sort of youngest-child-need-for-attention psychological thing. There is a sign on M-37 heading the back route into TC announcing "Traverse City 26". One day- I'm probably about 8 or 9 years old - I pounced on this and decided to use it to drive my oldest brother crazy. My grandparents were driving us home and my oldest brother and I were sitting in the back seat. For the duration....and I mean the full 26 miles....I steadily repeated:

"26 miles to Traverse City....just imagine it."
"26 miles to Traverse City....just imagine it."
"26 miles to Traverse City....just imagine it."

Over and over again. I don't know why I started saying it but my brother got mad. Real mad. Of course, this egged me on. Neither angry words, complaints to the grandparents, nor blows to my head or arms could prevent me from repeating this phrase steadily for the next 26 miles.

"26 miles to Traverse City....just imagine it."
"26 miles to Traverse City....just imagine it."
"26 miles to Traverse City....just imagine it."


This seems really funny now considering the Bayshore Marathon will start in Traverse City and, basically, leave and head out to Old Mission along the peninsula before returning. It truly will be 26 miles to Traverse City and I will - and have been - imagining it over the last several months.

No doubt, at some point, this phrase will pop into my head as I progress through the marathon. I just hope it doesn't get stuck there and repeat itself monotonously like one of those cheesy Jenny 867-5309 style pop songs (your welcome!) for the duration.

Though that would be fitting karma.

"26 miles to Traverse City...just imagine it."

I can.

5 comments:

Russ said...

sounds like things are going great...if not in person, i'll be there in spirit...run long and taper in the words of steve runner...i fell short this time, but the inspiration of fellow bloggers like you give me the courage to stand back up, dust off, and move my feet once again...i see boston in your future...

Mike said...

Thanks, now a have a mantra for the run....

it explains so much about your relationship with Dave. hee hee.

i hope to bring this phrase up around the picnic table, over little debbies of course.

Russ said...

glad to see you are reading reefer madness...my next recommendation is a short history of nearly everything by bill bryson

L*I*S*A said...

It's stunningly reminiscent of that scene in Rainman, "Pow! 97X"....

Mir said...

Just thing, one day it will be 26 miles to Boston. :)

Did you really repeat that for 26 miles? That's probably 30 minutes or more of driving. Very impressive. Pestering the siblings is a high art, after all. :P