WWJD What Would Jumbo Do????

Initially when I got sick last weekend I thought I'd be out of action for two days tops...having sat out Monday and Tuesday I thought I'd be back in commission come Wednesday....cue Go West singing "The King Of Wishful Thinking".....by the time Wednesday and Thursday had come and gone w/out me lacing up my running shoes I figured I'd stick a fork in the week and start a fresh on Monday......cue the Penn Relays....

I figured if ever there was a weekend to be sat at home NOT running it was this weekend,Mondays Boston Marathon was still unwatched on my dvr,Sunday was the London Marathon and on Saturday they were showing both Penn Relays and Drake Relays in the afternoon......cue yours truly taking a "zen like" philosophy w/ the recliner....and becoming one w/ it........
Mid way through NBCSN's coverage of Penn they showed the College Mens 4x1 mile relay,a race and distance close to my heart which peaked my interest to say the least.....
By the time of the anchor leg w/ Edward Cheserek running for Oregon it looked like a "slam dunk for the Ducks........

For reasons best known to himself Cheserek the leading college 5,000m/10,000m runner and NCAA Indoor Mile champ got his "knickers in  a twist" about being out in front and opted to slow the pace.....why I don't know as he was more than capable of outrunning the field.....by doing so the entire field was now bunched on his shoulder come the bell lap and it became a "kickers finish".....w/ Villanova's anchor Jordan Williamsz an 800m/1,500m specialest leaving Cheserek in his wake coming off the final turn......GO WILDCATS!!!!!
Now granted I have no real connection to Villanova,sadly I didn't go there{sidebar I've always said IF I'd grown up in America w/ the same athletic talent I had growing up in South East London I would have wanted to have gone to Villanova period and been coached by the late,great legendary Jumbo Elliot.....whether I had the grades or money is of course another matter} but given my hero worship of Eamon Coghlan who did go there and was coached by Jumbo I've always felt that Villanova was my "would be"alma mater........

So much so that following their dramatic win in the 4x1 mile relay I felt "duty bound" to get off the recliner,stretch and head over to the Art Museum Loop for an impromptu 8.4 miler around the Art Museum Loop.....my usual "out and back 8 miler along the Schuylkill Banks and Kelly Dr was compromised by said Penn Relays,I knew trying to navigate my way passed Franklin Field to the South St bridge would be problamatic.....but I wasn't going to allow that to stop me from getting a run in........I think Jumbo would have approved!!!