{"id":28315,"date":"2018-09-19T16:28:51","date_gmt":"2018-09-19T20:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.runkevinrun.com\/?p=28315"},"modified":"2018-09-19T16:28:51","modified_gmt":"2018-09-19T20:28:51","slug":"september-19-2018-bus-boy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/?p=28315","title":{"rendered":"September 19, 2018 – Bus Boy"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a long ride from Berlin to Vienna.\u00a0 When I booked this ticket, I just wanted to get into the city, wander about and get to my AirBNB for a late dinner.\u00a0 But complications have ensued.\u00a0 The Wachau Marathon needs me to pick up my bib tonight as I need it for the train ride to the start line on Sunday.\u00a0 They\u2019ll be there until 8 PM.\u00a0 The bus was supposed to get in at 6:05.\u00a0 Traffic in Dresden and Prague city centers has delayed us (so far) 20 minutes.\u00a0 I should still be fine but this is one of those clockwatching scenarios.<\/p>\n

To pass the hours on the bus, I\u2019m dozing on occasion though it\u2019s the fitful sleep of moments, not even minutes, the head bob that means you\u2019re JUST about to drift off when a wheel hits a pothole, a fellow passenger flips up their tray table, the sun bursts through a cloud cover to hit you with UV rays that\u2019d make a puppy lying on the carpet stretch out in joy.\u00a0 Inbetween, I\u2019ve alternated between reading GREAT EXPECTATIONS and watching a few episodes of Bill Hader\u2019s freshly minted multiple Emmy-award-winning BARRY.\u00a0 Back in my college days, there\u2019d be an easy comm studies paper comparing those two narratives.\u00a0 But of course paper topics for Comm Studies are like names of British pubs \u2013 you just need to smush two nouns or titles together and presto.\u00a0 The Fishmonger and the Telepath.\u00a0 The Rhombus and the Hand Model.\u00a0 The Elephant and the Scales of Justice.\u00a0 The Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and 13 Going on 30.\u00a0 Suicide Squad and the Virgin Suicides.\u00a0 Babe Squared — (the talking pig movie) and Babe (about Babe Ruth).<\/p>\n

Twenty years ago I was shooting my senior honors thesis movie THE BELL SAVERS right about now.\u00a0 It was over Fall Break that I started cutting scenes and realizing just how poor a job I had done directing and shooting that thing.\u00a0 There was a whole scene that contemplated de-colorizing, dubbing into French, and subtitling to get around the constant hum of an air conditioner on the audio.\u00a0 I wound up reshooting the whole thing a few days before I was screening the movie.\u00a0 I was a mess that semester, desperately trying to get things squared away, convinced that by graduating early I could get started on my life and fixing the lingering issues with me.\u00a0 How na\u00efve I was.\u00a0 How shortsighted.\u00a0 Who leaves college early?\u00a0 As with much of my life, I felt I had gotten all I needed and was moving onto whatever the next thing was, not realizing that nothing comes easy and maybe I should\u2019ve spent a bit more time enjoying the moment.\u00a0 That semester messed up a lot of relationships and friendships and honestly should\u2019ve been a red light warning signal for my obsessive, single-focus mindset when I\u2019m on a project.\u00a0 It was true in school.\u00a0 It was true at work.\u00a0 It\u2019s also kinda true with my running.\u00a0 Probably no kinda about it \u2013 it is true.<\/p>\n

Lee Peacock at the TravellingFit pasta dinner for Berlin was a great Master of Ceremonies.\u00a0 He introduced some folks hitting milestones \u2013 first marathon, Aboriginal Team in Training success stories, a husband and wife who overcame a stroke and got back into running within 12 months\u2026 and now were gong to run with their 20-something daughter so she could do her first race.\u00a0 And then he warned everybody that if they weren\u2019t careful they might wind up running a whole lot more.\u00a0 He asked me to stand up and jokingly warned, \u201cYou could be doing your 373 marathon like Kevin over there!\u201d\u00a0 It was a funny button to the whole thing, a classic Aussie balancing act between serious and fun and I was happy to go along with it.<\/p>\n

It was humbling to have people come up then and ask me about the races.\u00a0 While I ramble on and on about it here on my blog, I usually don\u2019t explicitly state how many marathons I\u2019ve run because, well, that\u2019s me.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been (mostly) fortunate both physically and financially to keep going.\u00a0 It\u2019s usually something that\u2019s more for me than others.\u00a0 And I honestly think WHATEVER someone is doing \u2013 a 5K, a 10, a marathon, a triathlon, hell, just getting up off the couch and going for a walk \u2013 that\u2019s all reason to celebrate and be proud.\u00a0 Me?\u00a0 Whatever.\u00a0 I’d rather hear about you and your story.<\/p>\n

I was surprised folks wanted to ask me about the races I\u2019d done\u2026 and Lee said he hoped I didn\u2019t mind him doing it.\u00a0 He knew I would roll with it.\u00a0 I told him I was happy to be his punchline but I told him I did not to be a total jerk about it during his speech, but my total with Berlin was going to be 403.\u00a0 The 372 number was when I first signed up for the tour package.\u00a0 That only added to the weirdness as people would say, \u201cWow \u2013 373!\u201d And then somebody else would pipe up nearby, \u201cNo, no \u2013 he\u2019s actually over 400!\u201d\u00a0 I guess I don\u2019t normally speak it aloud.\u00a0 It seemed to throw people for a loop.\u00a0 To me it\u2019s just something I go do so I can eat and drink too much.\u00a0 And to alleviate some stress now and again.\u00a0 When people asked how I did so many, I tried explaining to people, \u201cYeah, I\u2019m not that smart.\u201d\u00a0 Because running mile after mile after mile\u2026 maybe that\u2019s a dumb way to spend my time.\u00a0 But it\u2019s probably just as dumb as reframing “Saved By The Bell” as Shakespearan tragedy.<\/p>\n

See \u2013 two nouns, smushed together.\u00a0 The secret to Communications.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

But enough of all that.\u00a0 Words, words, as the poet says, sticking such sentiments into the Prince of Denmark\u2019s mouth.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t get to Denmark until Monday.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, photos from the bus \u2013 because unlike, say, US Weekly, which we all read for the articles, Run Kevin Run runs best when there’s less words and a lot more photos:<\/p>\n