Crazy Americans!So I think I may be making a reputation for myself as a crazy novelty here. That feeling began yesterday when I was doing my morning workout. I left the hotel with my flats and drink and headed for the track. It was definitely cold, like 50 degrees, and cloudy, but it wasn’t until I was finished with my warm-up and ready to go when the sky just opened up. The thing about St. Mortiz is that this little four-lane track still has like a hundred people every morning. Maybe they knew it would be bad weather because there was maybe only 50 people, but still every single one of them made a mad dash to the one tent on the infield and they stuffed in there like cows coming to the barn. I took a minute to debate and I though of a story Mark Wetmore told me once about one time when he was waiting with Arthur Lydiard and some other people in a doorway for the rain to stop. At 60+ years old Arthur says, “Standing there won’t make it stop raining,” so I headed out into the storm. Within one lap I was trying to decide if I should take my shirt off. It was only like 50 degrees, but the shirt was plastered to my body and only weighing me down, so I threw it off. As I do lap after lap I see that the people under the tent are staring at me as they huddle under the tent. At one point someone either recognized me or just thought “I need to get a picture of this crazy guy”, and he starts taking pictures. Just my luck. it completely stopped with a mile to go.
Today I didn’t do myself any favors, either. I went down after my workout and decided to ice my legs in the lake. The best place was right on the path and people just stared and shook their heads when they saw me sitting in the ice water. One guy even said something to me in German and then I heard “Good Luck!” At least here at the hotel they are used to athletes doing crazy things. They say the skiers who train here in the winter bound up the stairs from the basement to the top floor. Athletes are crazy, I guess. Until next time…
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