The Grind

Alternate Title: My Cockiness and Stubbornness Pay Off!

Last summer a co-worker of mine was very pleased with himself for having completed the Grouse Grind in 44:50. And he should be pleased with himself as it is an excellent time. I'm not sure why but when I heard his time I told him that I would be beat him. At the time I was running somewhat irregularly and doing not too much else. I definitely wasn't doing the Grouse Grind a couple of times a week. Soon after that, two friends and I actually did the Grind and I finished in just over one hour. It seemed my cockiness was perhaps unwarranted and definitely premature. A couple weeks later I did it again and finished in 57 minutes. But, I was still determined to beat the 44:50 time. I'm stubborn like that. The first time I did it this year, along with my two motivator pace bunnies, who, lets not kid ourselves, after the first climb of the season, stopped doing their jobs very effectively, I finished in 52:46. I let my co-worker know but I also let him know that I still intended to beat him. The next week I finished in 49:50 or so, then after a two week hiatus, 47:40 or so. All the while I kept my co-worker informed of my improvements and took joy in his realisation that I would in fact beat him. Because I'm like that. This is where it became a little complicated. When I time myself it is from the post at the gate to the post at the base of the stairs to the lodge. But my co-worker's 44:50 time was from the post to the rock clearing, which is a bit shorter than to the post. He timed himself from rock to post, did it in 37 seconds, so we gave him a very unofficial time of 45:27, with an asterisk beside it. Last week, I did the Grind in 45:29, so close to the unofficial time I could have claimed victory and no record book would have stopped me. Thankfully, my co-worker did the right, honourable and proper thing, which was too go out the next night and set a new personal best of 45:15 thus removing the asterisk and giving me a target. Finally, today, I finished in 44:41, which, in case you hadn't noticed, is faster than the original time I set out to beat. Next week, I may do the Grind again. Or, I may go out for beer and poutine. I can't really say. So, Rob, what do you got for me now?