It’s my wife’s favorite holiday with limited family obligations and one of Tally’s least favorite with “bombs bursting in air.” We started a tradition last year with a beach picnic, sunset, and fireworks that will continue again this evening. It was exceptionally hot this morning on my run, with thoughts of all the other running events that are staged this morning. The most famous and largest is the Peachtree 10k in Atlanta where 60,000 runners hit the streets. I never had the opportunity to run it. I’m surprised that the Atlanta Braves haven’t staged a similar race at our neighborhood stadium, but with all the snowbirds gone for the summer, it would probably not be a big draw. 

I did see at least four other runners this morning as I sputtered along my lonely asphalt trail. If they had been going the same direction they would have easily passed me by. I was thoroughly soaked in sweat by the time I jumped in the pool. I did enjoy the solitude to start the day and my blood pressure dropped from 156/73 to 98/72. I can feel a sense of relaxation once the discomfort of stiffness passes in my legs. It’s good to see a measurable medical benefit from running to go along with the sense of accomplishment once I finish every morning. 

It’s been five years since my last distance training started for Coast to Coast back in Portland, Oregon. At that time, I could still occasionally manage an eleven-minute mile pace, but anymore I’m lucky to see thirteen-minutes and in most cases struggle at sixteen-minutes. I can’t imagine what it will be like in another five years. Running does keep my mind off my other age-related handicaps like shaky hands, numb feet, hearing loss, and hoarseness of voice. However, it exaggerates my balance issues and demonstrates the deterioration of any athletic skills I might have once possessed. I guess my goal any more is not speed or form but rather just to keep going and to maintain my independence. It a day to celebrate that freedom!