I believe that we, as runners, are the ultimate 'outdoorsmen.' We experience blast furnace heat, numbing cold, gale force winds, footprints in sand and snow, and the magnificence of a spring or an autumn day, as no mere mortal can.
Today was one of those days.
I met my running partner of more than 25-years, 2:17 and Olympic Trials marathoner, Randy Haas, and we set out on our rural 7-mile training run. The sky was deep blue, wind was calm, and, I'm sure the sound of our voices in conversation throughout the 51 minutes of running echoed throughout the valley. The crisp, high thirties temperatures produced a chill as we began, but, as all runners know, by the time we finished, sweat enveloped us.
In the barren remains of cornfields, doe grazed, calmly observing us as we trotted by. In a wodded hollow, a flock of turkeys gobbled, unfazed by our presence. It seemed as though we blended in, one with nature.
Few cars passed us on our journey. My lungs burned as Haas dragged me up our steep Pennsylvania hills, strategically placed in the middle of the workout, then we strode effortlessly on the undulating ribbon of road that comprised the final two miles of the course.
If you're a non-runner, the previous paragraphs might as well be written in Manderin Chinese.
Embrace and enjoy days like this. Celebrate when you complete a workout and icicles fall off your jacket when you enter the house. Smile and wave when the irate motorists salute you with obscene gestures on those days of torrential rains. Greet the new day as you watch the sunrise and the only sound you hear are your soles striking the asphalt. Sprint the last mile as you strain to end your workout before darkness sets in.
Enjoy and conquer.
You are no mere mortal.
You are a runner.
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