Another Run

Back in ’84, I ran my first mini marathon, the NYRR Women’s 10K around Central Park. Given it was my first attempt, I had no idea what to expect. Surprisingly, I ran a good clip and finished strong, around 35 minutes. What I remember was how quick I was whipping by so many runners. Fast forward to our recent visit into the city where I decided to run the loop again. Why not? My feet don’t fail me, and my heart is good. Well…as we all know, with time, our bodies do amazing things. For one, what the mind wants to do and what the body can do are polar opposites. To my point, once I laced up, I headed into the park and experienced something very different from my runs back in the 80’s and 90’s. This time, everyone was whipping by me; mothers pushing strollers, speed-walkers and even an old geezer who appeared to be a tad older than me. I completed the loop non-stop, but most sobering was, I finished but nothing close to 35 minutes, not even inside an hour. Don’t ask. So, here’s to pounding pavement, smiles to the miles and cheers to the years!