a'right. let's do this; let's run. why? i dunno. I ran last night, I shouldn't have to run today. But my subconscious would rather run Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, than Tuesdays and Thursdays. what a bitch.
So there I am again, headed out for a four-miler. I'm following my five-mile route, but keep telling myself I'll just WALK down the hill from the park once I've completed the loop.
It was a good run. The stress of going uphill seems to be lessening. The powersnot and HEED really do their stuff. I should take note of that. Doing TKEs before the run seems to help, too.
The main bizarreness of this run was that everybody was passing me. And there were a lot of people out tonight, too! I don't blame them... they were taking advantage of the 76 degrees and easy humidity just like I was.
At first, I got passed by a duo obviously in training. No sweat. Then I got passed by little-pink-outfit-missy-thing and that was strange, because she was taking fewer steps than me. huh.
Now... picture, if you will, a Forrest Gump type. Only twice in the movies have I ever seen Tom Hanks with the long hair and big, bushy beard look, and in Castaway he looked pretty much like Forrest Gump on a desert island.
So picture a man, a primeval man, who has let his hair grow because he is focused on other, more important things. Now picture this man about my height 5'6". And picture his eyes just about glowing in the dusk evening light. Now picture that spectre coming up on you from behind.
This is what I got passed by going down the south slope of the park. I heard soft footsteps and turned, expecting to see someone running the parallel trail - and there he was! This wild phantasm almost disappearing into the trees, running at about twice my speed - ! He's fast! I've seen fast runners before, but they're usually track people in training. This wasn't one. He'd obviously been out a while - his grey shirt was soaked - and he was about my age, I guess, not a high schooler.
Time goes on. I reach the bottom of the slope and get passed AGAIN by this guy, this time on his way up the hill. OK, cool, I think, he's doing a hill workout.
Time goes on. I pass around the lake, get passed by a few more duos, fine, fine. Then I get passed by a grey whirlwind topped by a mass of dark hair: it's that guy! He soon disappears ahead of me.
Time goes on. I'm starting up the big hill when he passes me a fourth time, going the other way. This is getting bizarre. I also get passed - get this - by a guy on a 4' unicycle.
Time goes on. I'm getting paranoid. What's next? Getting overtaken by a kindergartner on a Big Wheel? Nope! It's Forrest again - for the fifth time - powering past me at the top of the big hill as if he were going over a speedbump.
Time goes on. I'm halfway across the top of the park - and nearly done with the run - when I spy the guy coming towards me AGAIN. "Hey!" I called "What's your name?"
He seems surprised, but answers, "Neil!"
"I'm Cris!" I respond as we pass each other. Someday I will ask Neil what kind of crazy workout he was doing.
I walk down the Slope to my house, relaxing and really enjoying how I feel. 4 solid miles the day after a 5 mile run and my knees aren't yet killing me. Sweet. And now I won't be passed by any more people.
Time goes on. I'm two blocks from home when I spy movement on the opposite sidewalk. Would you believe it? It's Neil again, running downhill and off into the dark! My sanity surrenders.
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