Oh, poop.

Distance: 4 miles
Weight: 167 lbs.
Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Snack: yes
Weather: cool & overcast
Time: 6:30am

Okay, here's a story. I went out with some old college friends Wednesday night. I did a little drinking, not too much, more than I should if I am planning on running the next morning. And I was out too late, I was up until one. But I drank an awful lot of water at that bar, we were outside so I wasn't inhaling much smoke. I'll avoid such situations in the future, but there I was.

I wake up around six and decide, all right, I can do this. I try stretching well before the run, I got a little flop-sweat going. I had downloaded an "encouragement" mix from iTunes, you have this perosnal trainer telling you when to pick up and cool down, etc.

I have a four-mile circle mapped out from my house. A big circle, out to Newbury (past the girl's school,) up Mayfield, down Noble, and home.

A bout half-way from home, I have to void. Seriously. I try to bear down, but it just gets worse. I another quarter-mile, I am in big, big trouble. I cut down a side-street in a pointless atempt to get home faster, but that just makes it worse, mentally. And I have a voice in my head (well, on my iPod) saying "Go for it!" and "Visualize your goal!"

I am freaking desperate and am assessing the foliage by the elementary school I am jogging past. Luckily for me, it was trash morning in that neighborhood, and this young guy in a tie is dragging a length of carpet out to the curb.

I said excuse me, and he say yes, and I said, I hate to ask this but I really need to use your bathroom. He hestitated for a moment in that way that made me feel as though, if my skin tone had been any different from his, he would have said no.

"Oh, all right," he said, and led me through the back of his house, and into his basement, where I found salvation. It was even a new bathroom, they were doing the basement. I think they were rehabbing the entire house.

On my way out I tried not to catch his wife's eye. "Love what you've done with the place," I said, and slunk away.