Such promise...

A day of such promise. Crisp, cooler air and a heavy morning dew. A far change from the high Texas heat and humidity that has stifled us so far this fall. So what if I turned off the alarm clock and didn't wake up at the pre-determined time that would have given me more than enough time for a long run. So what if, by the time I got out of bed, I was already running late — at least I was running. For me to be able to say this two years ago would have been laughable.

The first few steps felt good. No fatigue, no aches or pains. Just me, the city streets and finally the lake. With no definitive decision made on which race (and I use that term loosely being a perennial middle of the packer) to shoot for next, I am left to enjoy the underlying reason we all hit the streets, trails, tracks and treadmills. For all, there is surely a health component to the constant drive of running, for others there is an intrinsic draw. For me, on this morning, it was about enjoying what felt to be the first coming of cooler weather. Just as I hit my stride after mile 4, the beauty of the morning became heavy, my legs became weighted. What was such a great morning turned challenging...without warning.

It was the kind of morning that could cause doubt to seep in about goals, times, pacing, distance. But on this morning there were none of those thoughts. With no definitive plans for race season the challenges were simply affirmation that, even though I could have turned over and ignored the alarm clock, I did not — I was out running. I pressed on and found myself slowly moving through trails that I had taken for granted in my rush to keep pace on other mornings. I was able to enjoy the morning, to enjoy thoughts about my daughter, to replay moments spent with my son, to think of how lucky I am that my wife puts up with me and to really realize what a gift it is to be healthy enough to be active.




Final tally 5.2 miles running, 1.3 miles walking, 1 great chance to be free from the anxiety of a bad workout.