Yesterday was one of those days you don't get very often.
Sometimes, you get the opportunity to do something that's geeky, frivolous and in all other ways absurd, and when you know that you'll probably never get a chance to do it again, it's an easy decision. That's how I found myself going to bed at 8:00pm on Wednesday night. And then waking up before 3:00am on Thursday morning. And then sitting in a movie theatre by 3:30, where I would remain for the next 22.5 hours.
As part of the ridiculous pop culture explosion that surrounds the Harry Potter phenomenon, the wife and I went to the Alamo Drafthouse for a Harry Potter Marathon: all 8 movies in a row, the last one being the midnight premier of the finale. It was awesome.
In addition to the specials that they were offering, including their recipe for butterbeer, and the pint glasses that they gave out to everyone in attendance, the entire atmosphere was great. A good number of people made it through the entire thing, though I think I was probably one of the few to go the whole time without sleeping. They had (mostly) entertaining interludes between each movie, though some of them were really quite awful.
The best part, though, was getting to see a movie at its premier time without having to fight over seats or stand in a line with a bunch of people "saving spots" for their friends, a huge pet peeve of mine. Never before have I felt like I earned a spot in a theatre more than that. In fact, any movie I see in theatre 2 at the Alamo, I think I've now earned the right to kick whoever is in that seat out of it. There should be a plaque or something put up. I guess I've got a few emails to write.
But hey, if nothing else, it's a great story to tell the kids one day when they say, "Dad, there's no way you were ever a huge geek. You're so cool all the time." "Oh yeah?" I'll reply, "Let me tell you a little story about a wizard named Harry..."
However, with these kinds of experiences, there is always one catch - the next day. After spending an insane amount of time in that theatre, the body adjusts in some strange ways. Most notably, when we went home a little after 2:00am, it actually seemed lighter outside, because in the full moon, the sky was brighter than the theatre. Then, of course, there's the sleep issues. I did sleep in today, and it took quite a bit of time to get my body in motion, even though I knew that I had a 3 mile run on the schedule, and it was going to be awfully hot out there. Eventually, I decided to start by cleaning the apartment, to get my energy moving, and then I could buckle down and do some work.
I didn't get to running until about 5:00pm, and it was just too hot outside to even consider a workout. So, off to the gym I went, with an idea inspired by last night's drive home.
One of my big issues in running is that I can't maintain the pace that I'm shooting for. Part of this is that I always think of a "pace run" as being fast, so my first couple miles are always too speedy. As a result, I tire myself out and end up dragging at the end. So today, I did the first half of a relativity experiment. Much like 2:00am can seem bright after a day in a theatre, so can a 7-minute pace feel easy after a really fast treadmill run. At least, that's the theory.
So I killed it on the treadmill today, and I'm hoping that it makes the "easy" run pace I'll start out with tomorrow just a little bit faster. The trouble with my 6-mile course is that the mile markers aren't well-defined, but I'll make due as best I can. What will be important is how I finish and when I start.
Which also means it's bedtime.
Friday's Run:
Indoors / Treadmill
3.1 Miles
19 Minutes, 40 Seconds
No comments:
Post a Comment