If you've got a fantasy football team that title means a very different thing than most who don't. I should actually change it to "agony," because that's what's happening with my team right now. Injuries, off days, and an amazing level of unpredictability have rendered this season a horror show. Thus I search for other outrageous hopes and dreams — fantasies, if you will — to come true.
My cross country teams race at the Southern California championships this weekend, which is always the best part of the season. We'll compete on the rain course at Mt. SAC because recent weather has turned the legendary hills of the regular course to thick mud. This weekend and next at Fresno for State are the races I have dreamed of since we began base phase in June. Our peak and taper begin Wednesday. I'm excited and nervous and so proud of my runners. My fantasy is that I am the best coach I can be these next two weeks.
My own running is impaired by a recent calamity with Sadie, my black lab (read all about it here on my Substack). My left knee got banged up pretty well. Enough blood gushed that the stain wouldn't come out, drenching my favorite pair of jeans. I don't often wear long pants, preferring shorts almost year-round. So while I'm sad about losing those jeans for good, I'm glad I was wearing them. The damage to my knee would have been much worse. I'm taking a break from running until swelling and pain go away. This means long walks on a forest trail, which are quite wonderful in their own special way. My fantasy is that everything heals and I can start running again.
Then there are the blurbs. The latest came in over the weekend, a wonderful riff by the great Des Linden. I have never written a book quite like The Long Run and am overwhelmed by the positive words from some very famous runners and influencers. My decision to go solo a couple years ago felt like the best possible course of action. Now, putting out a unique and personal story in my own voice validates that decision. I love all my Taking books, but stepping away from not just being a co-author but also conventional American history was a gutsy gamble that I'm glad I took. My fantasy is that The Long Run goes straight to #1 and sells a million copies.
Hopes, dreams, fantasies. Call them what you will, but these engines power my career. Even at my lowest ebb, I've held on tight to them. Because more often than you think, they really do come true.