Sunday, June 20, 2004
It was raining buckets at 6 AM yesterday. "If it's like this when it's time to go, I'm blowing it off," I said to myself, and rolled over. By seven, however the rain had stopped-- but not at the Ridge. When Tom and Judy pulled up, at 8:00 on the button, by the way, it was raining steadily, and the outing became a search for breakfast. I don't know what's up with a place called Country Breads and More that doesn't open until nine, but back in Buffalo Towne did not disappoint. You just never know when it might be time to go to breakfast instead of running, so it's important to go as often as possible so you don't miss it when it comes around.
So that the day wouldn't turn into a total washout, I rode my bike over to Fort Erie to see Jim engage in his other hobby. I was joined by the rest of my family, who drove over. EGA was in a poor humor, and as I watched Jim in his Catholic girl school uniform piping away, I said to her, "I don't think I have any hobbies that are quite as eccentric as Jim's." "Probably not," she snarked. "Going to it, perhaps."
My plan was to see if Jim was up for a Sunday morning trip to the Ridge, and he was. We were joined by EGA, in a better mood today, and had a glorious run. This time the weather was perfect: just cool enough to be comfortable for the whole way, clear blue skies that were like a reward for living a good life. The whole 7.5 at the Ridge is, right now, the hardest thing I have ever run. It is amazing how the extra two and a half miles makes the hardest thing I'd ever run before that seem like a loop around Delaware Park, but there it is: when you get to the phone booth and then keep going, the 5 mile loop with the Mother and everything else seems almost as comfortable as staying in bed would have been. Part of it felt like the sort of run you do because you know it will make you stronger for the next one, but most of it was just plain good, and I managed it faster than last week, which tells me that I am still on track.
I had breakfast when I got home, showered and took a nap. You can't tell me that isn't a quality day.
So that the day wouldn't turn into a total washout, I rode my bike over to Fort Erie to see Jim engage in his other hobby. I was joined by the rest of my family, who drove over. EGA was in a poor humor, and as I watched Jim in his Catholic girl school uniform piping away, I said to her, "I don't think I have any hobbies that are quite as eccentric as Jim's." "Probably not," she snarked. "Going to it, perhaps."
My plan was to see if Jim was up for a Sunday morning trip to the Ridge, and he was. We were joined by EGA, in a better mood today, and had a glorious run. This time the weather was perfect: just cool enough to be comfortable for the whole way, clear blue skies that were like a reward for living a good life. The whole 7.5 at the Ridge is, right now, the hardest thing I have ever run. It is amazing how the extra two and a half miles makes the hardest thing I'd ever run before that seem like a loop around Delaware Park, but there it is: when you get to the phone booth and then keep going, the 5 mile loop with the Mother and everything else seems almost as comfortable as staying in bed would have been. Part of it felt like the sort of run you do because you know it will make you stronger for the next one, but most of it was just plain good, and I managed it faster than last week, which tells me that I am still on track.
I had breakfast when I got home, showered and took a nap. You can't tell me that isn't a quality day.
