On Election Day, I Ran

My friend, Dimitrios, is running a marathon on Sunday.

Bastard.

While I'm largely happy for his determination at committing attempted suicide, knowledge that he was going to run 42 kilometers before I ran the 21 km was kind of depressing.

Not 'depressing.' Rather 'leading me to engage in self-pitying.'

Thus, in a fit of desperation to prove I haven't completely lost it, I got in two runs last week. (I also punched a car that cut me off when I, the legal pedestrian, had right of way.) To cap off this resurgence, today, on Election Day, I ran home from work while Nat was at school.

From Highway 7 and Leslie to Yonge and Sheppard. Parts of Richmond Hill, Markham, and Toronto. Or, this:


View Larger Map

It's not nearly as impressive as I had hoped at the time, though. For some reason, I had it in my head that it was 17 km. Not even close--it's only 13 km. This, granted, is far more than you ran yesterday, but it's not exactly the 'almost-a-half-marathon' my ego so desired. My birthday isn't until November 12, but, realistically, it ain't getting any warmer between now and then if I'm still going to do this thing.

I'm in Montreal on Thursday and Friday (will desperately seeking out smoked herring, Iles cheese, and ecume, along with a trip to the Drawn & Quarterly store to snag some stuff by Kevin Huizenga), but I'll try to run an arbitrary two hours on Sunday and see how I do. Ideally, I'll run 21 k on Friday next, which I've taken off work in anticipation of being up late for the wicked-awesome Danko Jones show. We'll see.

For now, I'm going to watch the election results and read the third part of the Essex County trilogy by the brilliant (brilliant~!) Jeff Lemire. Incidentally, if you voted Conservative, I honestly think you're (a) an idiot duped by the devil or (b) an utter asshole who cares for nothing other than his/her own needs at the present without thought to the future. Please note, if we discuss this in person, I'll back-pedal and say I was being melodramatic and I understand people have the right to think differently about politics and that we can be friends despite having disparate opinions.

This, of course, is bollocks. You're an idiot or an asshole.

Here's my current running mix, in all its unfettered glory:

Warm-up walk
The Rock's entrance theme from WWE wrestling on a continuous loop

running
theme from Godzilla/The Champ is Here (Jadakiss, with Mohammad Ali samples)
Battle Without Honor or Humility (Tomoyasu Hotei)
Fast Cars (U2)
Weapon of Choice (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club)
Wolf Like Me (TV on the Radio)
Bombs over Baghdad (Outkast)
Big Wave (Pearl Jam)
Neighbourhood #3 (Arcade Fire)
Death or Life, We Want You (the Dears)*
Electioneering (Radiohead)
Call Me Lightning (the Who)
Right Here, Right Now (Fatboy Slim)
Man (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
The Hives Introduce the Metric System of Time (the Hives)
Integral (Pet Shop Boys)
Black Math (the White STripes)
Choose Me (Danko Jones)
Tripping (Robbie Williams)
Red Receiver (Sons and Daughters)
Just Keep Walking (INXS)
We've Got a File on You (Blur)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Propellerheads)

didn't get to:
Unsound (Headstones)
A Little Less Conversation (Elvis Presley, remixed by JXL)
C'mon C'mon (Von Bondies)
Somethings Never Fall (Black Haloes)
This Fire (Franz Ferdinand)
Keep the Living Bodies Warm (Tangiers)
Zero (Smashing Pumpkins)
Not Your Stepping Stone (the Monkees)
The Plot (White Rabbits)
I'm So Bored with the USA (the Clash)

* Nat and I saw the Dears on Friday in a church. The show was very good and the new album is killer. Far superior to that crap you're listening to. Buy it when it comes out.