Geoffrey Chaucer is credited with saying, “all good things must come to an end.” In other words, nothing lasts forever, including all of us.  Chaucer, of course, is best known for writing The Canterbury Tales. I do not recognize any of his other works, but just like his words, he died in 1400 and is buried in Westminster Abbey. I do not recall seeing his monument there when we visited exactly a year ago today, in fact. I was still running at that time, although I knew that the end of my streak was not far away.

Sure enough, January 15, 2024 was the last day, with open-heart surgery later that morning. I sent a notification to the United States Streak Runners Association to that effect, and today I saw the official word in the Summer newsletter. I had been moved from the active list to the retired list, slotted as #164 in all-time lengths of streaks, after 15.05 years of running every day. Realistically, others will soon pass me by, and this ranking will continue to fall. I will salute each one, as well as the 163 others that maintained longer streaks through the years.  

Even though I indicated that I had already started walking a couple miles every day in recovery, I have since had a setback. Charlie Horses and cramps in my left thigh and calf have led me to the gym. I can do the stationary bike and rowing machine, but after about 15-minutes on the treadmill the pain is too great. I do finally get an ultrasound next week in trying and get some answers. Also, for the first time in several weeks, I started to feel a bit light-headed during the course of writing this post. This had been an issue, along with balance, for some time. The treadmill at least allows me to hold onto the side rails for support. I did notice that my blood pressure dropped from 111/87 to 83/77 after this morning’s workout. 

Running for me was more than just exercise. It was a daily goal in my life that helped me transition from the working world into retirement. Now, I at least have the gym to keep me busy for an hour every morning. Writing is a secondary motivation that keeps me going every day. I’ve been so consumed in writing a neighbor’s life story that I’ve somewhat ignored my own personal need to get in touch with myself through these rants. I’ve often noted that putting things in writing is like having my own personal therapist – you, the reader. Thanks for tolerating my all-too-often-boring life stories. They, too, will inevitably come to an end someday. Right, Mister Chaucer?