Yeah, I’m a nut, I ran a half marathon a week after a marathon.
Sue me.
It was a ‘fun run’, OK, and that’s a phrase that’s loaded with way too much meaning for me to go into right now. Anyway, a nice part of it all was getting to the start of the race, which involved a subway ride on the Lexington Avenue line and a 25-minute trip on the SI Ferry. The ferry is still free, which means the terrorists haven’t won, and it’s a fun way to rid yourself of a half hour of your life.
However, on the way, the #4 train I was riding on stopped at 42nd St., as scheduled (you never know on the weekends, it’s travel roulette ‘round here). Since it was early Sunday morning, there was room to sit and fewer passengers getting on and off. And as I waited for the car doors to close, I noticed the biggest damn cockroach in midtown trying to board the train. I’m telling you, he was big, as in ‘Vs. Godzilla’ big. He stopped at the edge of the platform, looked in, and began to think about the feasibility of jumping onto the train. Since the doors stayed open for a few minutes, he had plenty of time to turn around, do a few laps, return, and think some more. Again and again. And I’m just sitting there watching this big-ass insect considering his options during his long run. So I started thinking about Kafka, European Lit’s Mr. Sunshine. And about turning into some running insect myself, and just then the doors slammed shut before Megalon could make another trip to Tokyo. I must say he did appear more intelligent in his decision-making abilities than some of the citizens I’ve come across in this fair city of ours.
So I got to Satan I-, uh, Staten Island, met up with running pal Susie, and she listened to me gab on and on and on about the Chicago Marathon for a full 13.1 miles. Poor thing.
Finished the race, ran to the noon ferry, and was back home before I sprouted antennae.
But that damn cockroach still haunts me. Better re-read
The Metamorphosis in time for Halloween.
6 comments:
I was wondering what the hell that thing was in the picture...
Great picture... I took a picture of a rat down along the rails in the subway in NYC last November, but it wasn't anywhere near as scary as your picture....
How fun to take the Staten Is. ferry to a run.
ewwww... Cockroaches are my big fear. I'll take a rat any day over a roach!!
So your recovery plan... does this mean you are running a 10K next weekend, a 5K the week after then finally going down to a 1 mile fun run?
Eew! I saw a NY subway rat once, it was small enough to be almost cute, nothing like the cat-sized monster I saw dead in a gutter once in Barcelona. But cockroaches are never cute. Ever.
I saw a butterfly on the subway once... I'm going to try to think about my butterfly every time the image of your cockroach comes into my head. Eew.
Love the picture. It's frightening to think about how smart those things are. I wonder what he's doing now....working on his novel or posting to his blog about the hustle and bustle of roach life. Wonder what it's called... "Rolls Roach" Ok. I'll stop.
'Rolls Roach'? 'Rats and butterflies'? You folks are crazy!
Mr. Pot calls the kettle black again.
Dusty, unfortunately, my races are going to pick back up, though you're kind of right, I have a 5-miler this weekend. No, I'll never learn.
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