As I was running this week I was thinking about the things that have changed since my last marathon (in 1989).
- I've changed careers. I was in the insurance business when I last ran a marathon. Now I'm a pastor. It's a change I'm glad I made.
- I've got two great kids. One's a junior in high school and the other a seventh grader. They are both jocks...more so than I ever was at their age. They'd probably join me in my long runs if they hadn't heard that long runs can hurt your vertical jump. Basketball is their game at this time in their lives.
- I've moved to the woods of northern Minnesota. It's fifteen miles to the nearest four-way stop sign. I don't worry about traffic when I run here. Bears and wolves, yes. I've seen a bear and plenty of wolf tracks on my runs. It adds a sense of adventure to the run. Kip Lagat, a Kenyan marathoner, explained why his country produces so many great marathoners with these words: "It's the road signs: Beware of Lions."
- On the other hand, I miss some of my old running routes in the Highland Park/Lake Forest area of Chicago. The traffic wasn't bad and the mansions were pretty cool. There were parks with drinking fountains and other runners to wave to.
If there is one thing I really miss about those years its my running partner. My wife and I were training for the Twin Cities Marathon in 1989. On our last long run something happened going up a little hill and she hurt her knee. She hasn't been able to run much since. She still cheers me on in my running endeavors, but I miss her companionship on those long tiring runs.
My wife is great. We all know what it is like to listen to someone go on and on about something that we love but can no longer do, but she listens willingly and prods me a little when I need a little motivation to get out the door.
Just like she used to.
I wouldn't trade her for the world.
1 comment:
Great post, Karl. I'm glad you solved the mystery of why Kenyan runners are so fast. We lived in Kenya for 18 1/2 years and that comment made me laugh.
My wife and I used to run together some until she started having back trouble and had to quit for 2-3 years. I miss that time. She's back to running some but our fitness levels have diverged quite a bit in the intervening time. We're both doing the Richmond, VA 10K this weekend. My goal is to finish before her wave starts and then run it a second time with her.
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