Top Five: Did not expect to see that when running!

5. Rocky must have put on a few pounds, shrunk, and now has grey hair, because someone was jump-roping while running on Comm. Ave. I would need a friend to check on this, but I don’t think adding jump-roping to running enhances the work-out or burns more calories. Also, what about potentially tripping?

4. Busted…It might have been a day in January or February, but I was running up Tremont St in the direction of Park St, just past the Boylston T stop, when I saw two people get arrested. Probably selling drugs in the Commons, however I did not stop to investigate the scene.

3. Of course another time that I chose not to investigate the scene, or hang around to ask questions, occurred on Comm. Ave in Newton. As I was heading back on my seven mile loop, racing up Heartbreak Hill, I heard the loud screech of a car slamming on the breaks. Next thing, BOOM! This car went right into the back of another car that was waiting at the Hammond St light. I hadn’t seen a car crash in a while, and thankfully I could tell that aside from the damage to the cars this was not serious, therefore I just kept running.

2. Dinner for five. Early in my training I was doing a four to five mile loop around Brookline and was running up Harvard St, when I passed Matt Murphy’s Pub, and caught fellow DFCI & Jimmy Fund Development colleagues Ginny, Amy, Katie, Annie, and Susan, dining at the restaurant. I think they were more shocked to see me, as I decided to just walk in the restaurant to say hi for a minute before I went back to my run. Thanks though for offering to get me a beer, I would have stayed yet I never feel comfortable in a restaurant in sweaty clothes.

1. Along a DFMC 16 mile group run from Longfellow Athletic Club in Wayland to Concord and back, I stopped just about halfway at a Dunkin Donuts on the corner of RT 117 to use the bathroom. In the men’s room, I looked up at the smoke detector and noticed two swastikas drawn in a sharpie. I was enraged and stormed out and asked to speak to the manager. Of course while I was waiting to speak to the manager I realized that I would have to explain to this person, most likely not from the U.S., what the symbol stood for. It’s a sad moment to know that so many like her have no idea and could not care. I briefly told her that it is a symbol of hate and that if it is not cleaned off, or if the smoke detector is not replaced, I will be back in 4 weeks to handle it myself. Cooler heads prevailed in this moment, because I could have easily decided to yell at the patrons sitting in Dunkin Donuts that morning, but I went back out and proceeded with my run.

Like I said, I would be back in 4 weeks for another run out of Wayland. The run was actually 20 miles this time. I made the requisite stop back in Dunkin Donuts to check the smoke detector and did notice that the marks were wiped clean. I did not expect to see the swastika four weeks prior, and that day also did not expect to see them gone. So Concord I am calling you out. Whoever did it will probably never care or learn better, but will just continue thinking its funny. That’s Concord Massachusetts for you.