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What Does Next Mean

Normally, "next" means the immediate event after this one, so the next day after a Monday is Tuesday, the next letter in the alphabet after C is D, etc.  

For most things there is no dispute, if I say I plan to go to Italy next year, everyone knows I mean 2025, not 2026, since it's currently 2024.  But if I say, are you coming to our BBQ next Sunday? People might rightly wonder if it's the coming Sunday or the one after that.  Some people mean it one way (I take next literally) and some people mean the day after the coming one (my wife).  We both think the other is using it wrong.

There's nobody I trust more than Professor Paul Brians of WSU.  Here's what his Common Errors in English Usage has:

next, this

If I tell you that the company picnic is next Saturday it would be wise to ask whether I mean this coming Saturday or the Saturday after that. People differ in how they use “next” in this sort of context, and there’s no standard pattern; so it’s worth making an extra effort to be clear.

So, we're kind of both right.

Wordle 830

 My 22nd loss and the end of 110 game streak.  Last loss was at 718

You Didn't Have to Race

I couldn't have not raced.  I, being the way I am, got inexorably sucked-in.  It was a bloodthirsty competition, we both gave all we had and not a word, or even a looks was exchanged.  Here's how it went down.

I was five and a half miles into an 8-miler and getting to where I turned off of a suburban side-road onto the (paved) rail-trail.  About 100 feet before I got to the turn, I saw another jogger pass my road on the path and going the direction I would be going.  

He was tall, gangly probably a bit younger than my 61 years and looked to be going a bit more slowly than me.  I hadn't run in a few days and had that, I feel really good, kind of running day.

I made up about half the 100 feet distance between us pretty quickly, he was going a lot slower than me--I'd been doing about 9:20 pace for my first 5.5 miles, I wear a Garmin, so I can be and was at the time, well aware of my pace.  Once I got to about 25 feet of him, even though I'd sped up, I was no longer gaining on him.  I had more in me and had already pushed myself to, what I thought, was a sustainable speed, so I redoubled my efforts. It had taken me half a mile to catch him and after catching someone, I like to burry them.  I hate it when somebody passes me and then slows down, either on the track or on the highway and so I don't like to; be that person,  so after passing, I kept pouring on the steam..  As I passed, I saw that he was running with ear buds in place and he made no sign of noticing me.   I could hear his footsteps and breathing behind me, maybe 20 feet back, even though I was redoubling my efforts, he was not getting buried.

Along we both went, passing pedestrians, getting passed by bicyclists.  At one point, I saw a man with a corgi ahead of me, by the side of the path.  I gave plenty of room and nodded at him as I passed.  I heard the dog barking and snarling behind me, about as far back as I estimated the other runner to be.  I was was aware of the man running behind me until at least the Heart Pond parking area and maybe a bit further.  When I crossed the final road and was a quarter mile before exiting the path, I no longer heard him--he could have turned off or quit with the speed.  I forgot to look back when I made my exit.

I'd been averaging about 9:20/mile before the race, the remaining 2.5 miles was at 8:00/mile and once I got off the bike path, I'm certain that I dropped my speed a lot.

Added:  I don't always win.  But I always end up running faster than I would have.

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