No trail race for me this weekend (apologies to my readers)

I've always prided myself on being a person who follows through on his committments, particularly when those committments involve time and money I've already invested.

So as you can probably guess, when I register for a road race, that means I'm going to run it. It might be a painful experience (Grandma's Marathon last year and a 5K I once ran on an excruciatingly sore hip come to mind), but I don't back out of races. I figure I've already paid the registration fee for it, so I might as well run the darn thing.

I had every intention of continuing this trend at the 7 @ 7 Trail Run this weekend. I signed up for it over a month ago, put in my fair share of training miles and was really looking forward to racing it it (and wearing the event t-shirt, kudos to whoever designed it, it looks awesome!).

However, due to my ignorance, I didn't realize that the trail run happens to be the same weekend as opener for fishing. And as luck would have it, I actually have the entire weekend off from work (definitely not a regular occurrence).

Now, I'll never admit to being an avid bait fisherman. My tackle box is nearly bare and my fishing rod rarely comes out of the closet in the summertime. Darkhouse spear fishing in the wintertime is my angling passion, and summers for me are mostly spent biking, running and attempting to play tennis.

But fishing opener is the exception to those interests. My dad and my brothers normally head up north for the weekend, and due to my work schedule, I haven't been able to join them for several years. On top of that, my dad is recovering from a recent surgery on his foot and has been looking for every excuse possible to get out of the house. Nobody likes being cooped up, especially someone as outdoors-oriented as my dad is (now you all know where I get it from).

I haven't seen him since his surgery, so I figure a weekend fishing adventure is a good way to catch up and help boost his spirits. It will also be a much-needed relaxing couple of days for myself.

So consequently, I will not be running in the 7 @ 7 race this weekend. The cabin we fish at is too far north and nobody likes to be the person that has to come home early from a weekend getaway. This means that my entry fee is now going to waste, but like the "fish in the sea" analogy for the opposite sex, there are plenty of other road races to run.

I wish nothing but the best of luck to all the runners this weekend, and I hope the weather and the trails cooperate in what looks to be a wonderful inaugural event for Final Stretch and the Greater Mankato Multisport Club.