Wednesday, July 13, 2011

The Dog Days of Summer

Well summer is officially upon us.  The heat, humidity and cookouts that are filling our days serves as pure evidence of its arrival.  Amidst all the festivities and fairs, I still sit in limbo, both in terms of living arrangements (although that will be remedied by the end of the week) and in terms of racing.  You see, in a perfect world I’d be over in Europe right now with a long list of races lined up for me to compete in- but unfortunately the reality of the situation finds me still stateside, begging and pleading race directors and agents to allow me a spot on a starting line.  It is one of the more frustrating aspects of being an athlete- the notion of being fit yet unable to find a race.  The truth of the matter is that I am still an unknown in the world of running and with the absence of an agent, it proves nearly impossible to convince race organizers that I deserve to toe the line at their race.  While Tim and I were aware of this possible dilemma earlier in the year, we thought that my year’s results would help persuade my cause, but to no avail.  So instead I wait, eager for the chance to race, bags packed, ready at a moments notice to fly across the Atlantic to race in the far outside shot that someone lets me in or there is a last minute scratch.  It is a tough way to navigate through a race season, but I know that I am fit and I know that I am ready to race, just biding my time until the limbo is over.
Until next time,
Ben

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