Chicago Marathon is not that far away (mid-October) and I’m not feeling all that confident…. but I’ve got 8 marathons under my belt so I’m sure ‘experience’ will count. Experience has taught me that experience won’t count for shit – I’m going to be crying myself to sleep for weeks before and days after regardless of success or failure…. that is what experience has taught me.
I failed at my first Half Ironman and I failed at my 2nd Marathon. In both cases it was a long, lonely walk back to the car, and a very long and lonely drive home.
I could be all bombastic and say “This taught me never to fail again” or some such rubbish. That is bullshit. If I was scared of failing…. I’d enter the local 5km race or Tuff Mudda. I didn’t, I entered a Marathon and I’m not sure I’m going to finish. I’m going to train my arse off because I’m not sure if I’ll finish.
Everyone says training is boring…. most of the time it is but I like running and I LOVE running not having to worry about bloody King Brown snakes every step. On top of that I get to explore some fun places while running here in Colorado.
Today I had a 2nd crack at running to the abandoned mining town of Gilman.
I run slow…. but I figure I can outrun the local constabulary if necessary (and I am familiar with the bush around these parts)……..
My day started off back behind the town of Red Cliff…….
Then I ran down the hill…. to the other side of the bridge.
I ran along the train tracks – much easier than bike riding along the tracks which we did last time.
Just as I am walking up into the town, I hear a truck coming down the hill. I ducked into an old mine entrance and the bobby’s passed….. they were the first and last people I saw all day. (The word Bobby aka police, comes from Sir Robert Peel, he founded the London Metropolitan Police).
The town of Gilman was abandoned in 1984 by the EPA because of high toxicity levels, from what I’ve read the place was abandoned pretty quickly and they left a lot of stuff. This truck was just left, there was some machinery in a shop on blocks which looked like it was being worked on.
Apart from the bobby’s I saw when I arrived there was nobody else around and it was pretty cool and weird. Chernobyl?
I didn’t go into this house because it has a ghost.
I did find a piano though….. this one is even shittier than my piano. My neighbors might think it sounds better than mine though – haha.
(My piano was an engagement present bought in 1915, 102 years ago. I’m not the second owner…. I”m the first caretaker.)
Then it was a 5 mile run back to Red Cliff. I believe all elite athletes have a post training regime. Normally my post run hydration is scotch and hottub, today I was thirsty, so I went with beer instead.
After my post run warm down I headed back over Shrine Pass, I snowmobile up here a bunch during winter. The sled is much quicker (70mph top speed) than the subi (50mph), and in winter there aren’t Texas number plates driving like old ladies.
If I die in the next couple of weeks from lead poisoning or asbestos…. that will teach me and I’ll take back every thing I’ve said about the EPA.
PS – This is the 2nd time I’ve put a post script into a blog post. After I published these photos, a friend of mine who has been to the town of Gilman many times sent me this message from the local constabulary that was published probably while I was on the property……
PPS – I appreciate your direction in this matter……