I dreamed a dream

Ok, so here's the kooky dream I had:

It's marathon race day, presumably VCM but it looked more like start line at New Bedford, MA. Amid the masses of people gathering before the race, I kept crossing path with people whom I closely associate with running - Beth, Hiedi, Erika, Jess, and lots of others. Then my mom and my sister were there, and then I realized my sister was running the race also. (She's not a runner.)

A group of us were standing around a 'Pedestrian Crossing' pylon in the street near the start line stretching, milling about, stuffing Gu in our pockets. Then I went into the nearby sports store (which I think was supposed to be Ski Rack, but inside it looked more like a used office supply store). I waited in line to use the bathroom, and stood there with some off office chairs reading the newspaper. And then realized I had been there a long time and the race was starting. I bolted outside and Beth and Erika were like, 'we gotta go - your shoes are over there." And I thought, 'Jeez, why did I wait till now to put on my shoes?!"

While I'm scrambling into my Asics, I overhear my sister asking a concierge (random concierge desk is now on the street corner by the pylon) for a map an directions for the race course. I'm like, 'I've run this race before, we don't have time to get a map - we gotta go!" And Tina is looking at the course map and asking the woman, 'Oh, so If we wanted to shorten this, we could just cut over from here and get to the finish area sooner?' And I'm simultaneously thinking, "there a MILLION options to short cut the VCM course, I'll point 'em out to you. Let's get going!" and also, "you can't just cut short a marathon! That's the point of the marathon - to go the whole distance!"

At which point I realize, my dream brain is confusing marathon training with the hiking we did on vacation last month, when we could chose where to go and for how long, and what route. So get my sister to follow out toward the start, which is no longer on the street, but now involves going through a modernist building with lots of staircases, and Tina decides she doesn't feel like doing the race, maybe she's hang out in the gym or the spa instead.

I start running, but it's seems like it's hours since the race started, because I can't seem to convince the people on the race course that I'm actually a runner -- they all look at me like, 'you know the race passed here ages ago?'

Now, none of this seems like a good running dream. Disorganized at the start, forgot my shoes, temptations to cheat, starting hours late. But it wasn't a stressful dream, mostly just nervous- exciting. Am I gonna make it? Yes, keep going! And that's maybe the bigger point here. Because what part f my training hasn't been undermined by bad planning, forgetfulness, willingness to be talked out of what I should be doing. Making through/around/over those obstacles is what counts.