"If it was raining soup the Irish would go out with forks." - Brendan Behan

When we went on a run - Don, Bob, and I - we'd decide at the beginning which loop we'd do, how far we wanted to go. The shortest was down to Dick's Texaco and back, three miles. The longest was the hilly Manzanita Park loop that came out to about eight miles. Which of those or of the several in between distances we did depended on the weather, what we'd done the day before, how much time we had, and what chores had to be done after we got back. But one thing was true regardless of which loop we chose.

All the routes ended with the same stretch - 2.5 miles back San Miguel Canyon Rd. to the stop sign at Paradise Rd. From there we'd walk the 1/4 mile up the hill to the church parking lot where we'd part company.

No matter the distance or the day, every run changed at the marker that indicated it was one mile to that stop sign. We might have pushed or loped, we always talked, and the camaraderie was wonderful. But with a mile left to go it was a cut-throat race to the stop sign with no quarter given and sometimes some dirty tricks thrown in. It could have been a hot and humid summer day and a brisk 8-miler, but three male egos could not, would not allow the other two to arrive unchallenged at the stop sign.

That last mile was always the fastest and also the hardest. There's something that happens in the mind when the body nears the end of the effort. Knowing the end is near it struggles to continue. Whether three flat or eight hilly, the brain says, "I only have one mile left and can't go another 100 yards beyond that. And I'm not sure I'm good for this mile." It's entirely a function of the mind - if it were two miles the brain wouldn't put up any serious resistance - but the mind is powerful and can be subjected only by something more powerful, in our case the male ego. Nearing the finish line the soldier presses through from sense of duty, the running back drives forward with hopes of a victory, and the first responder with a commitment to serving others.

Two more sleeps, one more Sunday's responsibilities.