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I finished the rest of 2021's T-shirts today. While the design I least liked was the above because of the "back to school" theme, I did think it was fun to place on a baseball T-shirt. That said, there are a few finer points that I dislike about my t-shirt production itself for it requires a skill set that remains in development—I dislike mistakes. The shirts still work, so they're ready to go.

This race was initially conceived to commemorate a 200-day beard on tomorrow—profound stuff I know! Instead, it was a literal run down memory lane as I circled my 4-8th grade school and swung by K-3. It's funny the flood of feelings that come from a time when one is really just a kid, not that the events of high school and college didn't make a stronger impact, of course, but I wouldn't have thought that even as a kid, there's stuff in my head still...and there was once a journal from that time that is Just Another Thing Lost Forever on that damned flight down from Alaska. There's some rich symbolism there somewhere...

For all that I thought I would simply CRUSH Race 1, this second race came up empty by EIGHT SECONDS, hitting 0:56:45. As I was running, I felt like I had all the time in the world, but it simply got away from me. I just figured my switch to sandals would slash my time. But like my first race, I'm still developing my muscles as a midfoot-forefoot-ish runner, doing my best to run like a ninja!

But for now, my sandals slap.

I should have won. I made a pit stop, one that lasted about 5-10 seconds alone! I peered inside a window to a room I haven't seen since 1990: my 6th grade homeroom, Mr. Lunsford's class. CLEARLY, nothing was the same except for the walls, but I was taken back to the layout of the desks that I knew and how everything today seems just a little bit smaller. I considered it all for about 5-10 seconds and hit the path again. It all seemed smaller including the line of sidewalk where we boarded our bus home or the path out the door into the night air from the Valentine's Dance after I finally gave in to Kari's crush to the sound of Don't Cry, a mood that foreshadowed our sophomore year. Sometimes we run with things heavier than legs that skipped a warm-up.

I had a problem with the finish line: there wasn't one for me to burn out to reach! In my last run, I just had to pass the Chemistry/Geology building on campus and I was finished. Today, I got off the route and despite my attempt at compensating for it, I was left to finish the race directionless in the parking lot. If I had something to aim for beyond my watch face, I would have dug deep. So, the first race gets the win here. This has been a lesson of focus!

I now have a record of 1-1. Well, "We're on to Cincinnati:" The One-Year Carnivore 5K on November 23. I actually have time to train for it, assuming my recovery from this one bounces back as fast as I suspect I will. Pass the eggshells, please.