Run to Process, Run to Escape, Run to Run

I came home from a lovely, beautiful, peaceful run with Xar on a new trail head near Ragged Mountain.  I was surprised to see a message from her on my phone.  I opened it before I got out of the car.  "We go offline for a few little hours and there's a fresh stack of breaking news headlines in that time period..."  There was more.  I quickly headed in to find Rick, already with a beer, watching the horrific attack on democracy.

I can't believe how personal and violating it felt.  Rick said he's not a religious person, but those buildings are as close to sacred to him as a church to many.  We couldn't look away.  It seemed, while what we've almost expected from a Trump presidency, still unfathomable.

I ran with Squirrel while we digested, mulled, and mourned.  Then I had a very similar run with Bucky.  Today, I was very happy to say Jason and I ran with none of it.  We enjoyed the beautiful day, our run, and each other's company.  However, on the ride home, the Trump signs and banners made me sick.  I felt so many emotions in response to them and my reactions were very different from those before the election.

As hard as it is for me to understand,  I know people were for Trump, some very passionately.  Then we had an election.  An election that was as closely watched and scrutinized than ever before.  Biden won.  Now, that means disappointed Trump voters (I won't even mention the Clinton voters who were called snowflakes for being so distraught over Trump winning in 2016).  The losing side, well, loses.  But this is no normal election because nothing has been normal since Trump.  He has been grooming his electorate much like an abuser grooms his victim.  He started early in the relationship with the lies and fawning.  If his "alternative facts" were called out too much, he would sometimes try to pawn them off as jokes, but, if they weren't totally called out, he doubled down.  He started sewing the seed of doubt in the results of this election when he won the first.  The only way he could lose is if he was cheated.  Well he lost.  Of course, he used the results unfolded to play into his narrative.  Always the conman.

Sadly, the American people seem to be very easy to scam.  Look how many people are following Qanon.  Have you seen the outrageous fantasy they've woven?  JFK Jr didn't die, but is secretly helping Trump to lead a war against Satanic elites.  Of, and of course, there are the lizard people.

Lou Dobbs, a Fox News personality, commented, and I paraphrase, we know he won; where's the evidence?!  Here's and actual quote, "Eight weeks from the election and we still don't have verifiable, tangible support for the crimes that everyone knows were committed."  OMFG!  How do you know he won?  The numbers don't bear it out and no evidence of fraud.  Wishing doesn't make it so.  All of Trump's horses and all of Trump's men couldn't find (fabricate) evidence to put a win together again.  Even judges Trump put in place threw Trump's cases out of court for being ridiculous, baseless.

So when I see Trump signs and banners still adorning folks' homes after the attempt coup, it makes me sick.  Trump  just tried to overthrow the US government.  He whipped his crazies into a frenzy and they tried to stop Congress from certifying a legitimate election.  Violently.  That day, everyone should have pulled up their Trump signs and banners and denounced the traitor.  You love the United States of America and its democratic principles???  Prove it.

Okay, okay, let's try to believe that reason will prevail.  Let me go on to think about my running season. Oh, right...There's still COVID-19 going on.  Sigh.  I'm pretty sure we'll pull off Riverlands 100.  Mindy and I love that race:  the runners, the ATV club, the volunteers, the course, Androscoggin Riverlands State Park, and the whole enchilada.  If you can, volunteer and help us make it happen!

And then my own plans for this season...I have a score to settle with Never Summer 100k.  I had to defer last year (did I say fucking COVID enough yet?).  This year, I have the gear, I will have the training, I have more support (hard to believe, given what Rick has always given 💓)  Bucky and Brent are going to be running it, too.  It's so cool knowing I'll have friends at the start and who'll be out there on the course, maybe luring the bear and mountain lions ahead of me 😎.  And then I have another added bonus this year, a pacer.  Joker, one half of TMR's FKT100 Mile Wilderness duo, is going all that way just to pace me.  I say I better finish or die trying.  If I'm not dead before he joins, I know I got his.  And, by got this, I mean will put NS to bed for good.  

Running friends, I can't tell you how much you mean.