Broken Vest

There isn't much to say about week 30 at 100+ miles other than what happened on Friday. Moving towards the second mile of a planned comfortable 24, my orange vest zipper broke (again). This time I was done with it, just throwing away the metal zip piece into the closest passing trash can. For the next 3-4 miles I was running with the left side of the vest hanging off of my left shoulder slipping repeatedly just below the biceps. It was very annoying to say the least, but when you are 82 miles into the weekly goal and want that Saturday rest day, you just keep going.

I had to continue wearing the vest because the pockets hold my car key and wallet. I have been driving to a Jennette's Pier in the Outer Banks as opposed to running across the bridge from Manteo (where we are staying for awhile). The reason is to avoid the flies/mosquitoes. They can be a nuisance on the Manteo side of the bridge (but magically disappear over the top). Anyway, while running along I found a wiry piece of strong rubber, like part of a belt for a car motor, and then proceeded to puncture the inner lining of two inner pockets about chest high (with a plastic knife I also found on the side of the road), slithered it through both sides and then tied it close enough to keep the vest up on both shoulders. This makeshift clip worked, holding the vest in its proper fitting place for the remainder of the run. I was sure I was going to just throw the whole contraption away once finished, but instead I am now wondering how long it will last. Will it hold up the last 2200+ miles? So tomorrow I will just pull it over my head to start week 31. If you see an orange vest on the side of Route 12 don't waste your time stopping, its broken.