Odd Ratio. Odd People.

Quote of the Day: "If your name is not Abernathy then you don't have practice"- Coach Traughber at the Team Meeting.

As you know, the quote is normally at the end of a post, but today's quote summed up the whole day so it got moved up. We had a team meeting right after school for all the guys still practicing. It was the classic end-of-track-get-ready-for-cross-country meeting. This time it even included a movie clip! We got the run down on everything going on this summer with camps and group runs. Also received the golden packet, the key to success, the summer workout plan. Encouraging words were spoken by coach who said there is a great group of guys and that 2010 could be the best summer on record. The movie clip was from Running the Sahara a favorite movie of Coach. I think one simple phrase could encompass what this summer should be like: "Say Yes." Yes to running, yes to getting better, yes to following the plan. The incentives went unchanged: 80% will get you breakfast at the Traughber's and a dri-fit shirt, which I guarantee will be totally awesome.

On to practice. 3 Coaches, 1 runner. Yep, a very odd coach to runner ratio. But nonetheless practice was good. I did miss everyone, especially on the warm-up. It's weird to run 3 laps and stretch on your own. Being the only guy, I got to pick my run. I went with my favorite Chasselle. Rob, T-bone, and the Milk Man all accompanied me at the beginning. If you are thinking to yourself that must have been awesome, I will conform that thought: it was awesome! Finished up on the track at 50 minutes just in time to field a grounder from the baseball team who was taking batting practice on the turf forcing Coach Traughber and Leeman to play dodge the baseball. I still don't know why they cut me, I have soft hands and made a nice throw. But that doesn't matter, I love running Track. Finished up with some upper body lifts and light core.

Now, about the odd people. With Rob I had the craziest encounter while running in my life. We run in a populated area so of course we will run into people. Some are awesome like the nameless kid from Westminster. We had the opposite end of it today. A complete psycho jerk. So going down Ladue on the right side this guy in a conversion van probably from the early 90s slows down next to Rob and I. His window is down and he yells out, "You guys are on the wrong side of the road." He assumed he would have just carried on then, but not this guy. He went on to say that we were a bad example to his kid who was in the front seat looking like he would rather be anywhere else then between his dad and a couple runners. He said we would be killed; that we were breaking the law; that he was going to call the cops, and crazy stuff like that. He was holding up like 10 cars and filling drove away after Rob said that he graduated college when we were asked where we go to school. Yea, odd crazy dude. Completely true story. It was hilarious.

Best Dressed: Rob in full white out. White shirt, white half-zip, white shorts, white hat.