Monday, November 12, 2012

The Path of Least Mountain Lions

I realized the other day that I am happiest when training for a marathon. So, obviously, I signed up for a marathon.  The end.

Part Two: a week or so later, I decided not to do the marathon after all. The next best thing to training for a marathon is writing about how I have decided not to train for a marathon. At least not right at this moment.

It came to me when laying in bed, in my usual state of insomnia, that my schedule in the next 2 weeks leaves almost no room for running. So, I started planning things like "well, I will just get up at 4am and do a 15 miler before work." Then I was trying to figure out where to run safely, alone, at 4am. "I can get a quick 45 minutes in at 5:30 at the gym on the treadmill then shower there and head to work." Ugh. "I can try to escape during the day at work and run for an hour." Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. "I can run at 9:30pm after my 14 hours at the hospital." Then I was trying to figure out where to run safely, alone, at 9:30pm. Crap.

The thing is I LOVE running. I don't just like it for my health. I don't even like it for my jean size. If I could never run again, I will at least have these amazing memories, but I would grieve for a long time. Incidentally, I also love to play piano and very nearly cut the tip of one of my fingers off while making dinner for my family last night. Life without piano would suck beyond belief. If I was fingerless and could not run, I strongly recommend keeping a healthy distance between me and yourself.

Anyway, I was at the marsh the other night and was actually running relatively fast (for me these days, which is not saying a whole lot. See last post). And it looked so beautiful my heart nearly exploded (or maybe that was just the pace, but either way, it was nice). At first it was sublime.

Marsh, Nov 2012

But then it just declared itself and you could not help but see it for what it was.


 South Oxidation Pond, Nov 2012

And what it was? Just another sunset. And the only sunset there ever was. And that running path? I've tread on it a thousand times. After seeing these pictures, my daughter said something like "You always seem to run at the Marsh at the most beautiful times." Well, the marsh (our sewage plant, by the way), is a beautiful place, said I. And a thousand times there does not begin to scratch the surface. Except probably literally, in the running shoe path erosion sense of things.

Which path should I take? I think I shall not take the one that involves running at 4am with the mountain lions. If you haven't got a marathon in you, a half marathon will do. If you haven't got a half marathon, God bless you. 

Nice Path, Marsh Nov 2012






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