Just to let you know- this blog is no longer active. I'll be keeping up my 101 in 1001 list until its completion, but will not be writing new posts. You can read the post below if you want the long version. Thanks for the journey to all my friends in the blogosphere!

Thursday, June 30, 2011

26.2 Miles Per Gallon?

This encounter happened months ago and still cracks me up every time I think about it, but I kept forgetting to share it with y'all.

Back in October 2009 when I finished my first marathon, I, of course, immediately had to locate a "26.2" sticker to put on my car. It's important, as most of you know, to signify to other runners that I'm in the club, to brag without having to say a word, and to look just a little bit mysterious to those outside of the loop.


A lot of folks around here are pretty far outside the loop- running and otherwise. Don't get me wrong, most of the people here are kind and smart and hard working and all of that, but it's pretty easy to be outside of the cultural norm when you're an hour from a civilization large enough to have a Target.

Anyway....all this of leads up to this story.

Since we don't have curbside pickup, I frequent our local "recycling convenience (that's a whole 'nother story) center" about once a week and have developed an ongoing conversation with the two older gentlemen that run the center. They already think I'm kind of a freak because I usually show up with almost literally a carload of recyclables (home + school) and get a little flustered when the community service workers put my glass in the "limbs and leaves" container or toss a unsorted box into the "brown goods" (I still don't know what that's supposed to mean) receptacle.

When the friendlier of the two men was waiting for me to pop my trunk one day he glanced at my bumper and muttered, "Twenty six point two, hmm."

"Yep!" I chirped, so happy to explain, "26.2 miles."

"26.2 miles per gallon? Is that about what you get in this car?"

Awkward silence while I try simultaneously to not laugh or cry. (Am I really living this far out of the loop?!)

"Umm, no, but that would make sense, wouldn't it, sir? That's just how long I ran one time. In a race. Yep, 26.2 miles."

"Huh."

I'm pretty sure he didn't believe me.

7 comments:

  1. I think I would have cried.... but this made me laugh! My best friend just got a sticker for her car.... 0.0.... as you can see, she's not a runner!

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  2. Ha! I could imagine that happening around here too. I see those a lot (or the 13.1) and always always wonder how many people know what it means. The MPG is classic though! Like you would be so proud you would have a car magnet made just for that.

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  3. Too funny! I could see that happening around here too!

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  4. Oh that's so funny!! That would have happened in our small town, but now that we've moved, I feel like our city is SOOO much more active! I am probably the only person in our gym parking lot without a 26.2 or 70.3 or 140.6 sticker!

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  5. Oh how funny! I really could see that happening here too. :)

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  6. wow !! i live in such an athletic area that those magnets are far too common......

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  7. That literally made me lol. Hope you don't mind if I repeat that story to some running friends. It's too good not to share.

    Kudos for making the effort to recycle. I was used ot putting out a trash can and recycling bin when we lived in NJ. When we moved to GA, I was surprised to find out we had to pay for private pickup of each. Um, what are my taxes paying for then? All the snow removal in the winter? haha

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