I’ve been a more or less serious runner for about 25 years — about 3 times a week, 15-20 miles. Not as much as my serious running friends, but nevertheless a commitment. This last year I drifted away from it. I was trying to finish up a much-delayed book, and I basically stopped running.
I didn’t feel as well as before. I wasn’t getting the endorphins for the brain and the circulation for the body. I didn’t have the ravenous appetite. So I started walking a week ago. Last night I went to meet my running friends, a Tuesday night ritual. As of lately I went off on my own, so as not to slow them down. I walked/ran along the ocean (south of Muir Beach), then circled around and came back down a mountain trail back to the beach. I was starting to feel good. By now it was dark, but I could make out the trail and didn’t turn on my headlamp. There was a red-tinged sunset mist over the ocean and wisps of fog in the valley. The lights of Muir beach twinkled in the background, making it look like a Mediterranean village. An owl fluttered up off the trail in front of me.
For some reason I started singing songs — loud. I’ll See You in My Dreams; Stardust; a bunch of Mills Brothers songs: Paper Doll/Up the Lazy River/Moonlight Bay. No one to hear me. This was fun! Then on to meet the boys in the pub for a pint. A pretty good night. Maybe I’ll start running again.
