Hello to an old friend

Day 31 -- Sept. 7, 2012

Today I'm 193.6 pounds of rolling thunder -- and I miss my snowman.

While it's Friday for the rest of the world, in my odd universe of working nights and weekends as a contract writer/editor it's somewhere between Tuesday and Wednesday. In this new normal, you work when you can and work on finding work when you're not working.

But when it's run time, it's run time. That's the plus side of this schedule. Nearly every day I find 45 minutes to two hours of sanctuary by hitting the streets or the spin bike and lose myself in my thoughts. 

Yesterday was a good day for a run. Warm with a slight breeze to take the heat off. 

So I decided to switch things up a bit. It's been more than a year since I had done the loop I chose for the day. I used to make this run after dropping our younger son off at middle school. It made for a nice hour to an hour and half jaunt through a beautiful adjacent neighborhood.

On this day, I left the house and made my way past the middle school. Wow, a mile down and no stops. Good boy. 

I managed to make it up the long, slow steady rise in the next mile and then down the twisting descent to the corner where kids were out on the playground at the preschool enjoying a warm late-summer day. Ahead was a long flat and then a dip over a bubbling creek and then up a short, steep hill.

It had been some time since I'd done any of this without my normal run/walk/run routine. And to be honest, it had become mostly a walk the hills and run the descents affair.

So as I crossed the creek and eyed the hill I was determined not to stop. I carried as much momentum as possible into the climb and tried to keep a steady pace.

Step by step I climbed the hill. My quads were burning. Sweat was pouring. And I was panting.

But I made no excuses. I dug in and crested the hill and turned the corner.

I don't really remember when I walked after that. It didn't matter. I had mastered a hill that I hadn't had success with in a long time. The rest of the run was gravy.

I enjoy this route. The tree-lined lanes take me past million-dollar mansions and well-manicured golf courses. It's quiet and alive all at the same time.

I rolled back into home base feeling good about the run and the day ahead. I was reminded how good it is to see an old friend like this route that I had forgotten but had now reacquainted myself with.

Who knows what today will bring. One thing is for sure, I'm still the world's slowest human.