Holy Saturday

This morning, I got up with my alarm clock at 5:30. I did my spiritual study and got in the car to go to the park about 6:45.

The full moon was hanging low in the western sky, dawn was already on the wane.

I got to the park, sprayed myself for mosquitoes and started off on another long jog/walk of undetermined distance. The boys who work for the city were setting up an Easter egg hunt. As I got further down the trail towards  the water, I could see a red ball of a sun well above the horizon.

Am I training for an ultra? Am I just doing this because this is what I do?

I give nods to the people I see every Saturday. Some are fast runners. Some are slower and clumsier than me; which seems hard to imagine.

I think of a guy I heard from recently. He was in second place in a marathon when he strained his calf and had to quit. It was the first DNF (did not finish) for this 30 something speedster. He thinks he'll quit running. What? Quit running just cuz you don't want to be a slow poke also ran?

I think of another guy who worked really hard to qualify for Boston. But he only qualified by a few seconds. So he didn't make the cut. So he quit running and got fat. What? Is that all you think running is?

Running will hand your ego to you on a plate. Every time.

I keep slogging along. After one 8 mile lap, I have a pit stop at the car and head out for a second lap. Easter eggs are strewn all over the place. Corrals are set up to keep age groups apart. The weather is perfect today, but hot for a runner.

Back to Pine Gully park and out to Red Bluff. At 15 miles, I am tired and my legs are sore here and there. I double back around the bayou for 0.6 miles of high speed walking. I can't decide when to quit. My legs hurt, but that seems not to be the deciding factor.

I get back to Meador park. The Easter eggs have all been collected and parents are walking their children back to the cars. I think, "I still want to run tomorrow and I should get groceries now (in case the stores are closed tomorrow)." And so, arriving at the car after a 17 mile slog, I stop.

Well, it is Saturday. I'll workout some more this evening when a Prairie Home Companion comes on.

I haven't a clue as to why I need to do this. I need a cup of coffee.