Running with Jack

I wanted to take a walk with a colleague of mine during lunch today, but of course it started pouring down rain right before we wanted to go. So I read a couple blogs, then opened my training log and started skimming through it. I was looking over my notes from my last long run when out of nowhere Taper Tommy starts whispering in my ear “You didn’t run fast enough on your last long run.” Then he skips over to the other ear and says: “You haven’t trained enough at a faster pace!”

Now I don’t know if you know Taper Tommy. First let me clarify that Taper Tommy has nothing to do with Mia’s cute little boy Tommy. No, Taper Tommy is a back-stabbing little pain in the butt that hides out in the dirty laundry basket waiting for his debut a few weeks before a major race. He thrives on uncertainty, discontentment, and discouragement. He lives for the day when you fall to pieces right before a race.

So anyway I say to Taper Tommy: “Little early aren’t you?”
TT: “Oh, I thought I’d get an early start.”
Jack: “No need to really, don’t go out of your way for my sake.”
TT: “No problem, it’s my pleasure!” “By the way you’ve been overdoing it a little this week, don’t you think?”
Jack: “No, why do you say this?”
TT: “Well, over 40K/25M in 3 days, I’d say that is way too much when your long run is coming up Saturday! You’ll be hitting the wall for sure.”
Jack: “TT, don’t try to trick me into that negative thinking, I’m going to kick your butt on Saturday!”
TT: “I'll see you on Saturday...”