Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Hey It’s Good To Be Back Home Again


The Ridge run was my last Delhi run for the year. Wednesday and Thursday just weren’t happening. Friday and Saturday were travel days, and Sunday was a relaxing day back at the lake. Monday, though and it’s back to the grind or I’ll never be in shape. This run is for the generous gifts of Kate’s class, my retired (now!) principal Barb Sirotin, Sue & Buzz and an anonymous gift from a coffee date. Thank you all for your generosity. I’ve passed my original fundraising goal thanks to you all and now I’ve got my eyes set on even greater heights! Please donate if you can!


It’s summer once again, and that means it’s back to life at the lake. The thing about being at the lake, is that all routines are tossed out the window. It’s tough to wake up and go for a run first thing in the morning. First of all, it’s cold. I mean really cold. Almost half the temperature of New Delhi. Secondly, it’s easy to sleep in. Or wake up early and make some coffee. Then some relaxing with the family, then breakfast. After breakfast, it’s hard to run, so there’s more resting and before you know it, it’s time for lunch. This pattern repeats all day. The jet lag doesn’t help. Knowing my downfall was eminent, I managed to scrape myself off of the sofa and away from my first book of summer and dress for running. Waiting on the counter was a gift from last year’s fundraising recipient, the American Cancer Society. A new pair of running shorts and socks! Thanks ACS. Dressed in my new gear, I headed out the door and down the dirt road for a five mile out and back. I felt terrible, with lunch still in my belly. The first thing I noticed of course was the air. How crisp and cool it is here in Minnesota. It’s such a drastic difference from Delhi. Last year I came home and took something like 3 minutes off of my normal times. Would this happen again this year? As I was thinking about the difference in the air, I noticed it was full of the white fluff of dandelion seeds taking flight. Quite a difference from the asbestos fluff and carcinogenic fine particle PM2.5 in the air on the other side of the world. Although my head was happy, my lungs were not. They seemed to be working overtime to get rid of the mess from Delhi and replace it with the intoxicating Murphy Lake air. The run was hard and my lunch kept reminding me it was still there.

 Finally, a reprieve. About 2 miles in to my 5, the next-door neighbor pulled up alongside me to say hello. “Good to have you back,” he said. “Good to be back,” I replied. Then, it was condolences and eagerness to meet Arlo and suddenly, without warning, the feelings I talked about in the last post surfaced. It won’t be easy, but I’d rather have it not be easy and be home than be anywhere else in the world. Because the real thing about the lake, is that it’s home. It’s where my family and I are going to build our future. It’s where we come to recharge. If a run gets skipped, it’s okay. That’s life at the lake. 

Coincidentally, in my ear, the last album on my iPod. I never got around to changing out the John Denver tribute from my last run. The song? “Back Home Again” by Old Crow Medicine Show. Indeed.


RUN STATS

Distance - 5 Miles
Time - 42:24
Soundtrack - Various Artists, The Music is You: A Tribute to John Denver



No comments:

Post a Comment