Without limits..

The physical aspect of my marathon training has come to an end. However, the mental process is still building up toward a crecendo that culminates on race day. So on this day I decided to rent, "Without Limits" as suggested by Eve in order to hone my focus and dicpline. I can honestly say I got more than what I bargained for.

Following my Sunday run I had resigned myself to a nice and easy day. After having waxed poetic to myself about the arduous training that I had undergone, I had suddenly discovered a missing piece of my training that was not addressed over its entire duration the discipline or, "mental toughness" as referenced to in, "Les Boys"

To address that deficiency, I decided to take Eve's suggestion and headed out to my local videostore. I am fortunate in this regard as my home is situated within proximity to four video stores, all within walking distance. I began with the closest one, "Le Superclub Videotron" and proceeded to head toward the sport section. Nothing was to be found in that section so I then headed toward the drama section. Once again I was greeting with nothing. Having canvassed the entire store, I decided that my best bet was to ask for assistance from the clerk behind the counter.

I approached her and asked her if they had, "Without Limits" for rental. The girl had a befuddled reaction and I thought to myself, "Oh great she probably doesn't understand English". I switched to French and proceeded in a similar fashion. Her head was low and deliberately avoided making eye contact with me as she was staring at the monitor through the glass counter. She then asked me, "Do you mean Sans limites?" My reaction turned from patience to indignation as what was supposed to be a simple query began a prolonged interrogation. I replied sternly, "No, it's an English movie." She continued to flail away at the keyboard and when she stopped, she raised her head and told me that it was in the back. What was so difficult about that? Perhaps someone had just returned it and they had not had the time to reshelve it. I asked her to fetch it for me such a cavalier attitude and she looked at me with embarassment and said, "It's in the adult section..."

I was moritified as I finally understood what and why was going on. She was aghast that someone would ask for a porno on a Sunday afternoon. For cryin' out lould people just came out of church just a few hours earlier. I was mortified at that point as I felt all the eyes in the store staring at me. In that instant, I was reduced to nothingness and I wish I were anywhere but where I stood.

At that moment she turned to me and asked if I still wanted it. Without hesitation, I declined the offer and litterally ran out of the store. My thoughts at that point turned to the person who had suggested it to me and thought, "grr... you got me good. That movie probably doesn't even exist"

I headed over to Blockbuster and looked around and the movie was not be found. This time, my approach to the clerk behind the counter was much shrewder, I asked the girl (was is always always a girl- just to exacerbate the humiliation) if they had the biography of Steve Prefontaine by the title, of "Without limits". I braced myself for the another wave of humiliation as she flailed away at her keyboard and in a robotic fashion looked at me and told me that they did not.

I ended going to La Boite Noire, and there there content and variety is much more comprehensive that Blockbuster and Videtron. They actually had two Prefontaine movies: Without Limits and Prefontaine.

I ended up renting, "Without Limits" and I found it to be quite entertaining. From the lightheartedness of his galavanting with the ladies to the anti climax of the Munich games to his tragic death, the one thing that I'll always remember the most about the movie was not the movie itself but the embarassment endured in renting it which was, without limits...