I’m running the LA County Holiday Half Marathon this Sunday. My A goal: PR and finish in less than 1:58 (~9 minute pace). I’m unsure if I can do it. I might just decide to run easy and enjoy the views when I encounter the hills around the Puddingstone Reservoir and Bonelli Park. If I don’t PR, I won’t cry and it won’t ruin the rest of the day. The B goal is to not go over 2:03.

In other running news, I finished Meb Keflezighi’s (with Dick Patrick) autobiography Run to Overcome earlier this week. It’s a good, quick read that’ll both inspire you to get out and run and make you thankful for the opportunities you’ve been afforded (even if you haven’t done as much with them as Eritrean refugees). The way Meb talks about his family’s faith reminded me a lot of my parents and grandparents. I often hear my mother say “si Dios quiere” (God willing) in reference to future plans. I also love that Meb is very humble about his impressive accomplishments and gives credit to everyone who has helped him in his career since he was a teenager just learning that people ran for sport. According to Meb, “it takes a village to raise a runner.” That’s even more true for him as he lived in a village with no running water or electricity as a boy. Last, I knew Meb was a Bruin, but didn’t realize that his younger brother/now agent, Merhawi, was a classmate. As I was reading, the name sounded familiar. I think we were in the same summer program.

Last, and less inspiring but more troubling, I watched Marathon Boy recently. The NY Times’ synopsis:

The film recounts the story, already extensively reported, of Budhia Singh, a child from the slums who became a sensation for his ability to run long distances at very young ages — half-marathons at 3, marathons and, in the most famous instance, more than 40 miles nonstop at 4. He and the coach-guru who adopted him, Biranchi Das, became the stars of a years-long national soap opera involving accusations of child abuse and fraud, standoffs with police and government officials, imprisonment and forced separation.

It’s a tough film to watch, but there were some moments that made me laugh given that minus the distance running thing, Budhia isn’t too different from other 6 year olds and says what’s on his mind.

I’m much more polite when I encounter people on the running path or sidewalk and follow the “share the road/path” approach. However, the folks walking towards me taking up the entire sidewalk who refuse to move thus making me run around them makes me think I might be too polite. If I took Budhia’s approach, I’m sure they’d move.

As for the second screen shot, I’m sure many runners can relate.

Meb photo and screenshots by Sean.