My alarm was set to 4:30 am - normal time for me. I awoke early; this is not uncommon. I looked at the clock - it said 4:20. Normally I am pretty good about rolling over and going back to sleep for those extra few minutes. But this time it was different. My heart was beating a couple beats per minute faster than normal. Was I sick? I did a self check - I didn't feel feverish, I wasn't coughing, I didn't have a tickle in my throat or nose, my stomach wasn't queasy... so I wasn't sick. What is it?
Then I realized, there is a feeling of adrenaline coursing through my body. The inky blackness of the still morning air, normally hiding from my vision any item beyond a foot or two away from my groggy eyes, revealed something... anticipation. I suddenly remembered.... No use trying to get back to sleep. That just simply isn't gonna happen today.
I got out of bed, shut off the alarm, went to the kitchen and got a glass of water. I asked myself, can I do this? I knew what the answer was. But what if I got injured? What if I found out sometime prior that I could not, for whatever reason? Perhaps I have a flaw in my body that would prevent me? Perhaps personal things would come up that would stop me? Death in the family? Sudden job transfer? Earthquake in Bangladesh? What if sunspot activity unexpectedly increased and I discovered that my body was sensitive to that? Maybe the sunspots would make me stronger? Why am I up at 4:28 am, two minutes before my alarm is supposed to ring?
My legs moved me into the office and I switched on the computer. Oh crap... I don't know what the web site is. Guess I can't do it. That's bogus, Paul, you have Google. So I typed in the words. Up came the web site in the hit list - it was the first one. With ever increasing trembling of the hands, I found the appropriate links, began typing my information. Name. Birthdate. Address. Birthdate again. Credit card info. Turn down the free memberships in this or that club. Name again. Birthdate again. Gee, they REALLY want to make sure that you are over 16... Or perhaps they want YOU to be REALLY sure that you REALLY want to do this by giving you plenty of opportunity to back out?
Then it stared at me. Expectantly waiting for me. Almost daring me. Like in "A Christmas Story", where Flick was triple-dog-dared into sticking his tongue to the post. I looked closer at it... are those - lips? Are they snarling at me? "Come on Paul, do it... he he he..." With quivering hands, I guided the mouse over to it and clicked the left mouse button. The "Submit" button. OH NO! STOP! WHERE IS THE CANCEL BUTTON? Then up came the message...
"Congratulations, you are registered for the Lakefront Marathon!"
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