Add to the list of things less than a block from our house: mile 21 of the Dallas Marathon on Swiss Avenue right behind us. How perfect is that? Not only could we walk over with mugs of coffee to watch, but we could sleep in and still watch the elite Kenyans in the lead go by. As we walked out, we called out to our neighbor across the street that we were going to watch the marathon, and she said “ooh, I hate that marathon”. It’s true, the marathon does completely trap us: the route includes Live Oak (one block to the north) and Swiss (one block to the south), as well as La Vista, our eastern cross street.

I walked over three or four times to see the various groups run by, looking out our bedroom window each time to gauge the crowds on Swiss. I felt for the runners; after press coverage during the week about how this might be the hottest marathon in Dallas history (yesterday’s high was eighty degrees), it was forty degrees for the run, with thirteen mile-per-hour winds and light misting. Ugh. I must say though that after watching, I would like to run next year. The problem is that I can’t start training in the heat of the summer, which doesn’t stop until, oh that’s right, yesterday.

On the other hand, I could run just run 21 miles and then saunter a few yards home ….