Running for me is almost always a solo adventure, so I was surprised to take on a companion this morning. I have met another runner in the neighborhood who’s home is about a half mile away. I like to think of it as two songs. I’ve had conversations with him before but this morning as I passed by his house, he decided to join me. He’s a bit more accomplished than I am, having completed 15 Boston Marathons. He’s also five years younger and in better shape. I’m carrying about 10 extra pounds and had a restless night of sleep, so trying to keep up with him was a bit of a push. He would slow down and rejoin me if he got out of conversation range. He also likes to talk, while I was gasping for air. I’ve never been good at running and trying to chat, but he kept me entertained. As a result, my split times were the fastest I’ve had since moving to Florida. 

The last time I ran with anyone was probably my step-daughter in Washington D.C. It’s been years ago, and long after we had run some races together. While in Portland, I would run while my wife would walk the dogs, and loop back to join her when I got too far ahead. On occasion I would take the leash of Tally and try to get her to run or push the stroller with Tinker riding along. I haven’t even run a race in over four years, the last being the Hood to Coast Relay four years ago. My mile split times back then averaged 11 minutes per mile, while today I managed a 12 minute mile that was well under my usual 13-and-a-half to 14 minute pace. It seems that every year of late that goes by my times get a minute slower. 

I talked with an old boss yesterday who was amazed that I could still run at 70. I call it slogging, but still grateful that I can do it. I saw a post from him on my hometown Facebook site yesterday recalling his years at WTRC radio in Elkhart. He became my supervisor after the death of our sales manager and went on to manage the station. I moved to other markets and we lost track of each other. I sent him a friend request and soon we were talking on the phone. He has a second home in Florida about an hour south from us, so we’ll be getting together in the near future. This is one of the great things about social media, once you get by the repetitive hum-drum. 

With limited movie options this week, my wife and I will head to Siesta Key this afternoon for the sand sculpting events in lieu of “Matinee Monday.” Several of our neighbors went over the weekend and reported great things to see. It’s a chilly morning with little else to do, so a walk on the beach will be refreshing. We did watch the original 1984 version of Dune last night, Our last trip to the theater was to see the remake. Tonight, we’ll watch the third episode of Yellowstone and eat some home made minestrone soup to warm our bones because 50 is the new freezing by Florida standards.