Still Pushing

Yesterday was the first day I have walked since my last post. I thought about exercising but to be honest it’s been hot. The last couple of days temperatures have hovered up in the 90’s with a heat index that made it feel like 100. If I am not out by seven in the morning there is no way I can make myself do two miles at 80 degrees. So this morning There was no desire in my mind to get up and move anything. However the little voice inside my heart kept calling to me. I mean it was so strong that I was unable to ignore it and believe me I tried.
After getting myself together I made the decision to stay close to home. Sometimes I have great ideas and this turned out to be one of them. My routine like so many other worker bees always included hoping in the car never really observing more than the nice aesthetics of my street.
I had never noticed that the trees that lined the sidewalk actually interlocked and formed a nice canopy for walking. While I have been annoyed by various cranes and their loud mating calls, I hadn’t noticed the variety of song birds that live in the area as well. I sort of felt like I had rediscovered the reason I live in the area. The daily grind of life has a way of dulling our senses down to nothing as the push to get from point A to point B consumes us. As I walked along taking it all in I realized the setting was slowing me down. This was no leisure walk this was business. I’m out here to get back in shape and then become fit enough to finish a race I haven’t even picked yet. So off the sidewalk and into the street I went.
Knowing full well the street in the morning is the wrong place to be. Those same folks that used to include me are in their cars hurrying to work. Most aren’t really paying attention, perhaps preparing for the work day ahead and just trying to make it through the day at a job they hate. Some are late or have not had their morning java or nicotine fix, no surprise that group wanted me out the road. After all it’s Friday and that means everyone shows up for pay day so traffic today is a bit more active than the rest of the week. Now here is this woman (me) out walking between the white lines on the side of a very curvy road causing drivers to move a little more to the center of the lane. I’ve been there not understanding way the heck these idiots are in the street when there is a perfectly good sidewalk around. Well tar is way more comfortable than concrete to walk on and after just missing being blessed by a few of those birds the road seemed more appealing. I don’t have a death wish although thanks to transplanted Yankees mostly from New York, New Jersey and Boston, Florida was ranked fourth on the worst driver list this year. Since the hospital is not my idea of a getaway vacation I decided to face the traffic so I could see trouble coming if need be.
True confession, I liked the street, maybe it just seemed deviant to be there. I told myself it was race practice, isn’t that what they do in cities, block off streets for races. Wasn’t I just getting in game mode preparing for the big day. Okay it sounded good but the small sprint I made from the speed limit sign to the next industrial driveway told me that day was really in the distant future. Dreams become goals and then realities and as I pushed to the end of the road I call home I kept that in focus. Not even the guy in a black 80ish camero who leaned out and hollered something as he waited in line at the intersection could cause me to break concentration on the task at hand. Making the half circle turn behind his car I moved back in the direction I came from. My legs stiffened, I was slowing so I picked up pace and all was fine. The return trip was uneventful and one I will make again because mixing up where and when I workout keeps boredom from setting in.
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