(Sunday Paper, Year VIII, Issue 40)

We are one week away from the Chicago Marathon!

This is always a weird time.

It’s very similar to how I feel as baseball season’s Opening Day approaches - I get very excited and I have a particular day marked in my head and in theory that day is getting closer and closer but it feels like it’s getting farther and farther away.

Except couple that with the running tapering period…which makes me the slightest bit grumpy because my daily routine is a little different and….

Well, let’s just say it’s a good thing we’re only a week away.

Because for a few weeks now this marathon is about the only thing I can think about.

I think for the most part I haven’t been unbearable these past couple of weeks.

But I’ve described this tapering period before as kind of itchy - I feel like I should be doing something more and I’m not supposed to so I reluctantly don’t…but I don’t love it.

The weird thing is, though, when I actually am doing the few runs I have left, I’ve been doing them too fast, almost as though part of me just wants them to be over with…knowing that completing the run means another step closer to the actual marathon.

So this is how the past couple of weeks have been.

Just thinking about the marathon and how slowly time has gone by.

Luckily I’ve had a lot of work that I’m not doing because I can’t concentrate on it.

No, that’s not true. I spend almost the entire day thinking about the marathon and then realize I should have gotten some work done so I scramble.

It’s crazy because the planning for the Chicago Marathon has been going on for a very long time. I made the decision to run back in January, I think. (The fundraising started with the Super Bowl squares, so it was February at the latest.) And then the training, of course, was 18 weeks long.

So it has been on my mind for a very long time…but not as much as it has for the past few weeks.

All in all, thank goodness it’s finally one week away.

What I’ve Been Enjoying

I probably wrote somewhere in the past few years in this space that I was enjoying the first season of Only Murders In The Building. It was a show Kathy and I were watching together at the time. But she lost interest and gave me the go-ahead to carry on without her. I started watching it again recently and, with the season (series?) finale on Tuesday, I caught up. So I’ll be able to watch that episode in real time. Or at least, the same day everyone else does.

Notes

*Long runs Sunday, as it turns out, lasted all of one week. I ran again on Saturday this week because I wanted to give myself as much time as possible to recover before the big day. The weather was iffy on Saturday again, but when I woke up and saw it wasn’t raining I figured I should just go. I’m glad I did.

*The run itself was fine. 8 miles. I didn’t get hurt. That’s all I was looking to accomplish. Otherwise it’s like every other run these past couple of weeks - just kind of going through the motions.

*All right. Here’s the deal. Next week I’ll be posting the information about how you can follow me in the Chicago Marathon. The app for the marathon doesn’t seem to be out yet, which seems pretty bad for a major marathon. Hopefully that information is all set by Saturday.

*I think next week’s Sunday Paper will probably go out on Saturday night because…well, on Sunday I’m running a marathon.

*Team RMHC has been really great throughout this whole process. They take really good care of their runners. A lot of the worries I usually have - eating the night before, where to be before and after the race - I don’t have to worry about because they have a great set-up. As far as fundraising goes, Ronald McDonald House Charities is close to raising $2 million this training period, which can make a huge difference for the services they offer to families going through a hard time. I have reached my personal fundraising goal (Thank You!) but if you did not contribute and are still interested in doing so, you can do that at this link.

*The sad saga that is the 2023 Mets season comes to an end today. (Unless they need to have a makeup inning with the Marlins on Monday, I guess.) I will not remember this season fondly.

*If you care to know my rooting interests in the post-season, I have enjoyed the Orioles’ story this season, so I’ll be rooting for them. And if Seattle makes it in, I hope they do well. In the National League I have no interest. I guess maybe Milwaukee is the least offensive to me?

*Should be some pretty strong marathon content coming through on the social feeds the next couple of weeks. You can follow along at the links below.