20 miles and a show

I spent all weekend at the theater, between performing in shows and then just hanging around afterwards with people.  This cast has taken a particular liking to karaoke, so I can finally check "Sing 'Baby Got Back' in public" off my bucket list.

My marathon is in June, so the heaviest mileage is at the same exact time that I'm doing nine shows over three weekends.  It's been tough mixing a social life in the theater with a full blown marathon training cycle.  First there's the obvious temptation to stay out all night after every show to drink beer with the cast instead of going to sleep early so I can run in the morning.

Only the best parties have goofy hats and fake cigarettes.  And Ed Doyle.

Then there's the fact that theater and sports don't typically mix.  I'm the only one in the cast that I know of that exercises on a regular basis.  Because of this, I tend to suffer through a lot of silly questions and comments while constantly feeling like I have to explain the urge to run for hours on end.  I ran another 20 miler this morning before the show this afternoon and never thought I'd hear the end of it.

"20 miles?  Who or what was chasing you?"

"I don't think I've run a total of 20 miles in my life."

"I'm getting tired just thinking about running that far."

"When's the marathon?  Next month?  If I start now I might finish with everyone else."

"The name of the marathon is 'Grandma's Marathon?!'  Guess you won't have much competition if it's just you and a bunch of old ladies!"

I was worried about my level of energy going into the show, because I felt like I was about to crash. Instead, I summoned the necessary fifteen minutes of energy and pulled off a nice performance. After my show I ran backstage where the other actors were playing Apples to Apples, slammed my water bottle on the floor and yelled, "What 20 miles?!"  It was a sudden burst of adrenaline that I just had to let out, and I do believe I scared the pants off a few people.