Towpath Four Mile

#IBelieveSurvivors

Caught a Twitter thread the other day. A woman asked, "what would you do if all men had a 9:00 pm curfew." The responses were breathless and ebullient, and also sad, because it's a fantasy.

Many said they would run. Run after dark, without fear, without looking over their shoulder. Through the woods, on the streets. In a sports bra.

Distance: 4 miles
Pace: 9:14
Route: Towpath Trail
Temperature: 55°
Climate: cool
Mood: good

Allie wanted to get eight in, Chris invited me to join them, so we could do a (slower) four mile; three miles out, one mile back and then walk for two.

The temperature was perfect, we made good time. Breakfast at Original L.A. Pete's.

Exercises: not yet

Distance: 4 miles
Route: Rec Center
Mood: angry

Neglected Entry

That time I entirely neglected to blog a run. Hasn't happened in over twelve years. Just didn't think of it. Just didn't care.

Today is Tuesday, September 25. Two days ago the boy and I went to the gym. He rode his bike and I ran, then as he did the treadmill at the rec center, I ran two more miles. Then we came home, and by that time I was exhausted. Not just tired, but my muscles were weary, my hip hurt.

Distance: a little more than four miles

Running the treadmill last week, I learned I do not like the treadmill. You must run a consistent speed, and that doesn't work for me anymore. I need to be able to slow down, when I want to slow down, and speed up when I want to speed up, without thinking about it. Keeping the pace consistent makes me shorten my stride, and that does not feel good.

Likewise, I feel that running with the boy riding his boke also does not work. He has longer legs now, he goes faster. And I go slower. I have to run hard to keep up. Not very hard, but harder than I would, you know?

Anyway, I haven't been so ambivalent about running since 2011. These things, they come, they go.

Forest Hill Partner Run

Chris came by and we ran my usual through Forest Hill Park. Last night was Pandemonium, I got off all right, feeling decent this morning but also tired. Very, very tired. Stayed in bed until ten, which is nice because I don't usually get to do that.

Distance: 3.25 miles
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 56°
Climate: rain
Mood: decent

The mornings include rising at five. I have to get up at five, so I can shower, but also maybe read. Writing has not been part of my routine, which concerns me. Motivation is low. Life is good, I'm not depressed, I'm just kind of floating.

It is, after all, September. It's not like I am not busy. There are many things to do. But my time doesn't feel like it's mine.

Exercises: soon

It's nice running with Chris, we get to talk about stuff we don't get to talk to anyone else about. I think this is what the humans call "having a friend."

Baseline: 178 lbs.
Today: 172.5 lbs. (+0.5)
Goal: 165 lbs.

I travel every place.

Me and the boy, at the rec center. They got all new equipment. The boy insisted I try out the new treadmill, which features actual (simulated) courses from around the planet. I chose Everest Base Camp, Nepal.

Distance: 2.3 miles
Pace: 5.0 mph
Route: Treadmill
Mood: okay. sleepy.

Exercises: not really

Baseline: 178 lbs.
Today: 172 lbs. (+2.0)
Goal: 165 lbs.

I eat a lot of shit.

What's That Lyric?
The Wanderer - Donna Summer

Through all your joy and pain.

Another Hocking River run, on my own this time. We'll be heading home this afternoon, far too short a stay but so worth it.

The girl has turned me onto Plant Nanny. It's all about hydration, right? I'm not into app games, not at all. But any kind of timer/reminder is a good thing. Sitting at my desk all day, or in the rehearsal room, I just don't drink water. Doesn't happen.

Distance: 3 miles
Pace: 8:34
Route: Hocking River Run
Temperature: 84
Climate: hot & sunny
Mood: good, you know?

Mood matters. The Eminem album was a bit aggressive. I was running to the rhythm but trying to ignore a lot of the words. What can I say? I much prefer George Michael.

George Michael Playlist
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) ft. Aretha Franklin
Bad Boys w/Wham!
I Want Your Sex
As ft. Mary J. Blige
Too Funky
Star People 97

Exercises: I did. I will.

Brunch with Dr. Condee left much to reflect upon. He had sciatica decades ago -- and it went away. So it's possible. He has had medical issues, as have I. We talk about them. We acknowledge them. We take care of them. We push through them.

It was a very pleasant run today. Bit too warm, bit too sunny, and yet just right. Time to head home, to cut my hair, and get back to work.

I got a marathoner's pace.

Why do I run? Why do I not run? How much of what a person does or does not do on any given day is based on imposition, inspiration, or compulsion? Which is to say, what others require of you, what motivates you, or what you are unconsciously compelled to do?

The first is my job. We began residency rehearsals this week, which means I wake at five, and break at five, in the service of family and collaborators. The last is eating, breathing, but also washing, doing chores, engaging socially ... though these last could become the second.

For that second one, that is where happiness can sit, and also your unhappiness. Because it is what you choose. And if you do not choose, but believe you should, that creates anxiety and regret. That is where the shoulds dwell.

I should be writing. I should be running. Also, I should not be eating so much. I don't generally run a lot in September, anyway. But I do gain weight.

Distance: 4.5 miles
Pace: 8:46
Route: Hocking River Bike Path
Temperature: 85
Climate: hot & sunny
Mood: anxious

Okay, acupuncture. So, put simply, very thin needles were inserted into my flesh and an electrical current was run through them. It was not an unpleasant experience. But you do feel it, it's like receiving a deep tissue massage.

The thing is, all the different exercises I have been doing have done little to alleviate the discomfort and/or pain of my nerve issues. We are trying different things. The goal, as I am to understand it, is for the discomfort and/or pain to cease. Not to "become manageable" but to "go away."

I find it hard to believe this will ever be the case. But that's what the man says. We'll keep going.

Exercises: soon

Eminem dropped a new album yesterday. A lot of people are hating on it, but LeBron James is a fan, so that is what I am listening to today.

Kamikaze - Eminem (2018)
The Ringer
Greatest*
Lucky You*
Normal*
Stepping Stone
Not Alike
Kamikaze
Fall
Nice Guy
Good Guy

Justin (skit): Ha ha! Shady got some dude to impersonate Bon Iver! Wait, what? That's really him? Oh, shit.

Felt good to get back out on my feet again. Hot, sweaty day. The wife and the girl all came out to the bike path, we each had our own routine. After, I met with Dr. Condee at Eclipse Company Store, the catch up, stuff ourselves with brisket and enjoy craft beer.

He's a runner, too. But the past several meet-ups have been work-related, as in he knows lots of things and I don't know anything, and I have this play to write. Four years ago it was the Globe Theatre, two years ago it was wayang kulit. So we finally got to share a lot of stories about running after fifty, about injuries, incidents and near-death experiences. He's an inspiration to me in so many ways.