what's in the bag

it doesn't take much to make it through the night in a hotel in seattle. one could argue a toothbrush is madatory, but it really is not. in my travels throughout the country on various track or cross country trips i've found many hotels provide these "essentials". toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shampoo, and the like all are available through that all important digit on a hotel room phone: "0". pretty much all i should worry about packing is my uniform, shoes, spikes, ID, and maybe some warmup pants. which reminds me that i forgot my warmup jacket. damn.

over the years i should have produced a streamlined method for pre-meet packing. alas, i have not. therefore i dread, absolutely DREAD the process. for some reason it is beyond me to rely on a weather report and i MUST pack until full and then pray my third long sleeve running shirt will squeeze into the bag. this is the only aspect of traveling i hate. everything else is wonderous bliss.

despite early morning hours i am safetly tucked into a bus or van with a sample of my best friends, all just as tired and just as excited and just as confident and just as anxious (absent of any detectable traces of nerves, of course- confidence is a wonderful thing). those that don't bring coffee on the bus ride to the airport will frantically scout the terminal area for the welcoming aroma...ahh, the body is a temple. a caffeine addicted temple.

nothing productive can be done during the trip, although many times i have managed to use valuable bag space for college homework. a truly freshman mistake. no professor wants a paper that was written while free HBO is saturating a hotel room or a fierce game of hearts is played on a plane anyway, right? it's this lack of productivity i really will miss. track trips are a unique chance to talk and joke and share excitement with your best friends. it is an escape from the week, a chance for glory at the meager expense of searing pain during a race. a pretty good deal if you ask me. AND all this gets to happen in my final race in washington state this saturday.

i love seattle. i like the smell of the streets, wet and dry. i enjoy the gray skies in winter- always ready to pummel the naysayers with a fancy northwest sprinkle. i like the sounds, the traffic, and the lights of the city out my hotel window. on second thought, maybe it isn't seattle i like so much, maybe it is the feeling of coming home. perhaps that's why i'm confident my toothbrush will be waiting for me.

see you in seattle!