On this Boston Marathon Monday, 2015, how could I just sit on my love seat, wine consumed and wonder what to do? The rest of the runner world had already run their miles for the day, some at the epic Boston Marathon, and several were people I knew. Others ran locally, some trail, some road, some treadmill, given the rain in my area, at least. One of my friends, Dean, even ran twice today. I know because I saw him post it on Facebook. The same Facebook that I was lazily sitting in front of feeling guilty for not running but still doing nothing about it.
That’s when it happened. I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself. I decided to throw off my mantle of apathy and go out for a run. I texted my bud Jeanne. Maybe she’d like to go to with. Monday was typically the day she shuttled her father in law around after work, but surely she’d be home by 6:45 and after dealing with him, surely she’d want to run!
She texted back quickly. It was a no. Too much school paperwork to do. Surprisingly, I didn’t mind today.
I changed, powered up my Garmin and hit the street for four miles around my little town in my cushioned Altra Torins to protect my heel, which sadly, was still giving me trouble.
The air was a cool 50 something and I felt great! By the first mile I shed my light rain jacket as the skies seemed to be only cloudy. It was here my Garmin decided to power down. That’s what I get for not charging my battery pre-run, I chastised myself.
So I ran without Garmin. I also ran without phone, without music a it was fantastic. I could hear the sound of my feet hitting the pavement. The crunch of my soles against the left over sand from a long drawn out winter. The birds chirping from the trees overhead. The sound of the little river that runs through town cascading over it’s rocky bed. The echo of my footsteps as I followed a truck through the tunnel only to emerge face to face with a trout fisherman searching out a new spot on the nearby riverbank. And then there were peepers. So many peepers! I love the sound of peepers in the Spring! There was the sound of acceleration of car engines as they passed me on the main road; people still making their way home from work. The sound of a boot connecting with a soccer ball on the pitch at the local field. Voices of children chasing after the ball. My breathing as I struggled to beast up the final hill before the turn back into my neighborhood.
Never has four miles sounded more glorious. Never have I been so thankful to be alive. I am so glad I got in that run today. I sure hope I remember it tomorrow.
#therunthatalmostwasn’t #runner
The View From the Road 