How many times have you refreshed ultrasignup to see the current count of applicants? A week ago there were 1687 applicants. That’s now down to 1527 as I post today. How many times have you checked this site to see if there are any new comments or posts from AJW, Jasper, Gilligan, Twiet, Monkeyboy, Cougarbait, Blair, etc? Instead of working or studying are you planning your races and training in anticipation of getting selected on December 5?
If you answered anything other than, “what are you talking about?” then you may be obsessed like new Oregonian and former New Yorker, Yassine Diboun, who just sent me the following video. Presumably he created this while in class. Could this be you and your co-worker? Thanks, Yassine.
my noon class was actually canceled today but I was supposed to be writing a paper. Every time my wife walked by I acted like I was writing some paper on health care reform but then after she left I was back to “surfing” and creating this 😉 I keep telling myself…”there are much worse things I could be obsessing about!”
Less than five days…may the force be with you! 🙂
That is absolutely awesome! I love it! And, yes, needless to say, I am obsessed. The good thing is I can run free on Saturday (at least for one more year:)
Poor Digital Man!!!! He has no one to share his obsession with. How sad! He needs to dump that lady and find someone more understanding!
@whitetrash, I agree. DUMP HER! Gotta admit though she has some nice curves. Although I can’t tell whether they are romantically involved or not. Could just be a co-worker.
@Craig, Answers must be had! We need a follow up! Who is this “hater,” and why is he even talking to her? Only reverential statements about running are allowed where I work! Will he get in? Who will crew him and who will pat him on the back when he throws up?
@whitetrash, Maybe we can do a whole series on Digital Man’s WS adventures? Why don’t you do episode #2.
I think she is (or was) just a co-worker/friend that he constantly gave updates to about the whole ultra running world and all the details that come along with it. This includes gross stories about puke and bowel movements and puss filled blisters, chafing, and black toenails that fall off. Over the years she has picked up the slack in the office and listened but the resentment built up inside until finally today she exploded. Now there is this awkwardness in the office and he rarely brings up anything running related. When he gets picked saturday he will go down to squaw valley in june with his wife who supports him and his ultramarathon obsession.
@Yassine, I gotta admit, she kind of hot.
How did you get my wife to voice over for you?
Yes, I am obsessed. Isn’t this a rhetorical question when asked of most ultra runner? 🙂
One of the benefits of having a 100 mile race scheduled for a week after the WS100 Lotto is scheduled, is that I am not obsessed in the slightest with the WS100 Lotto.
I am too busy being obsessed with final planning for running the 100 a week AFTER the Lotto! (Not really). 🙂
As for the WS100 event this Saturday, I wish you all luck in being chosen. Particularly the veterans whose heart will truly be “rendered asunder” if they do not get in. And I am not making fun of that predicament either.
My take is that if I get in, great!. If not, then we turn to pacing a friend who does get in, or having a lot of fun volunteering at one of the aid stations if needed.
And then will begin the slow, subtle task of persuading my beloved spouse, over the course of a few months, how wonderful it will be to take a family vacation to the Sierras (centered around this sacred event) in late June.
Theere are a lot of other wonderful 100 mile races and if not chosen for WS this year, maybe I can get one or two of the others under my belt next year, so that if chosen for WS in 2011, some may have less concern about whether I am worthy or not of being there in the first place. I am not being flip. I truly ubderstand this view.
Now, please excuse me, while I get back to obsessing about whether I have included all that I need in my drop bags for the littel run on December 12th, and obsess about whether I should just go with two handhelds, or carry a third bottle in a fanny pack, for water along one of those nine mile stretches!
Good day.
@Robert Blair, That’s funny Robert! Talk about obsessive…I’ve got a 2010 race calendar mapped out for if I get into WS and then one mapped for if I don’t…either way I’ll be obsessing ;0)
That’s funny!
GOD NO! That was exactly how my wife said it when I asked her if she wanted to go see the Rolling Stones (again) for the 5th time in 2 years.
(back to lurking)
I particularly like the body language.
Am I correct in observing that the request for “good vibes” is at the root of this interchange? LB, aren’t you going to counter this idea. Or maybe you want it bad enough to accept “good vibes” from your mates?
@OD, I’m being taunted by a one-eyed guy with a stride that looks like he’s hopping over newts? OK, I’ll bite. I believe that no matter what any of us do we cannot influence the lottery in any way to improve our odds of being selected on Saturday. Good vibes, included. However, perhaps if we could hack into Gilligan’s computer and alter the algorithm to weight the Oregonian entries heavier, perhaps. At this point, it seems to be all in Gilligan’s code, or at least in the seed that is chosen to start the random process. Hey Mark, care to share your code with us?
@Craig, We will pray for you anyway, LB.
@white trash,
Sky Daddy has your back bro.
@Craig,
Hey, almost foul play on even suggesting to alter the algorithm to weight the Oregonian entries heavier!
In addition, I will experiment with the veracity of your assumption that “no matter what any of us do we cannot influence the lottery in any way to improve our odds of being selected on Saturday”. 🙂
I am, right now, writing down my wish…to be selected…in this year’s…lottery…for the 2010 WS100. There, I have written it!
I am now taking this piece of paper, with this wish personally inscribed, and I am placing it in…a “God box”.
Only if I do NOT get chosen (highly likely, I admit) will I agree with your assumption. 🙂
If I AM chosen I will adamantly refute your assumption, and personally declare that I was selected solely because I took the specific action noted above. 🙂
Good day.
@Robert Blair, If I could I’d actually weight the Eugene entrants higher. One year nobody from Eugene got selected in the lottery. And we usually have a good number. This year we have 16 entrants I think. For a small little town that is a lot of people. We also had two runners in the top ten in 2005. Not sure what any of this means.
@Craig, That’s incredible. I hope a majority of you get in.
@Craig, …for a small little town that is jam packed with runners…
This represents a typical work scenario convo for me. I’m getting excited about the lotto. If don’t get in, get to find another hundo. Looks to be an exciting 2010 either way.
It is hilarious that we are so obsessed that some members of this comment reel even find the woman in the “i’m obsessed video” attractive. you must have watched the video a few too many times.
good luck to all in the lotto.
pierre
@Pierre, I’ve only watched it like 10 times. Is that a lot? And I haven’t hooked it up to the big TV like I did the Jizzle Wizzle Mile. Good thing it is only a minute.
Good luck in the lottery everybody:)
Man, I am glad I sprinted up the pavement from Robie Pt.
jisl
@AJW, I’m pretty new to this WS obsession but if I remember correctly the field was pretty darn stacked last year too. If you throw down what you threw down last year there is still a pretty good chance you’ll get in the top ten. There might be a lot of “fast” guys signing up this year but a ton of them won’t get picked. Have fun this weekend in CA!
This blog is more interesting than some of the reality shows I watch! I would suggest you 100 miler obsessors go out and run a few more miles before Sat.lottery to burn up more anxiety so you can get even more anxious until the drawing of names of which some of you may get picked. How about that? This is wild being the mother of 2 sons who have a passion for the WS 100. Craig, you still have time to watch the video at least 20 more times or more. See you Friday Craig!
@mom from Cool, Be careful. He was talking about making you run a timed mile when he sees you.
@Kimo, Hi Kimo, That would be interesting………not!
Obsessed,are you kidding me I live in the same small town as Craig I wouldn`t even be selected first team.
Although my wife has wondered why I always seem to get the end of June off when I pick vacations yet somehow Thanksgiving/Christmas/Spring break are all taken…?
Oh and one other thing I have a tennis ball that I wrote on with a Sharpie,WS100 Lottery Winner I throw the ball down my driveway my Dog runs after it brings it back and drops it at my feet,well you can imagine my surprise when I pick the ball up and find out that I won! I have only done this a couple of hundred times….I`m feeling good about my odds. JT
@John Ticer, I was worried about you a couple of years ago, but now you seem to have the appropriate level of commitment. With the tennis ball thing, you make the first team.
All you obsessed WS folks, Monkeyboy, my wife and I are down in Cool right now. We’ll be at the lottery in Auburn on Saturday. Monkeyboy will be on the video camera recording the action. We hope to post a video and short post by Saturday night. We stopped and stood on the No Hands Bridge tonight. It was beautiful.
Obviously a lot of people won’t get selected tomorrow but let’s hope we can all celebrate and enjoy the excitement of those that do get selected.
There is nothing wrong with blackened toenails or running 100 miles. Deep down, I know that woman is sad she can’t do it. I feel pity for her and pray for her situation.