Goat Milk and Slot Machines
Do I have your curiosity piqued? Choosing a title for my post is one of my favorite things about posting, but I don't always work real hard on it.
This weekend, Barbara and I went to Vicksburg. The Goat Milk Marathon is 30 minutes away from there at a little town in Mississippi called Utica. Barbara is from Vicksburg and her dad and sister still live there.
We stayed at the Rainbow Casino Hotel. Barb's dad and significant other, Miss Kay, frequent that establishment so much, they get all kinds of comps, including cheap hotel rooms. We are the recipients of their casino patronage.
We drove up on Saturday and met Barb's folks at Utica to drive the Goat Milk course. I was a bit intimidated as we drove, because there was one big mountain hill after another. The Boston Marathon course wore me down with what seemed like much smaller hills. Ulp. I knew I was in for a hard run in the morning. 20 miles on this course would be a good test for the real thing in two weeks.
After driving the course, we checked in at the hotel, and then met Barb's folks in the casino for a little slot machine action. Barbara was staked $10 by her dad at a penny machine. She lost it quickly, and being a good father, he threw more good money after bad. She lost another $10. Being a good father-in-law, he hooked me up with a $10, but the results were dramatically different. I parlayed that fen into $76, but lost down to $66 before cashing out. I redeemed Barbara and made a few bucks ($36) to the good. I think I am going to quit my job and be a full-time gambler; that is some easy money.
Sunday morning was beautiful. The temperature was headed to the low 90's, but it started out at 62. We got to the course by 7:00 am and I felt very good at the start. I ran slow knowing I had 20 miles to traverse. This is my last long run before the marathon. It is important this run be a good experiences or my mind will have to wrestles with doubt leading up to marathon day.
The scenery was beautiful. We were in the middle of nowhere. The whole time I ran we only saw three cars. On the other hand, we saw deer, a coyote, squirrels, birds, horses, cows, and of course, a few goats. One spot on the course was like running in a tunnel of trees. The road sloped down like a black ribbon into a dark green cave. The beauty and serenity of the course took my mind off of the hills. I began slow, 8:15 to 8:30 per mile, but picked up the pace. Many of the miles were run at 7:47. I felt so good, I ran an extra mile and ran it in 7:33. Two hills were long and hard. My tongue was dragging on those, but I recovered quickly. In the end, I ran 21 miles in 2:49:23. I know I could have run the whole marathon that day. So I am full of confidence and looking forward to the race June 4.
I suppose it is time to start a new week. Here's hoping yours is a good one.
Until the next time
John Strain