Running. With Ripley. Believe It Or Not.

~ Live & Learn

Monday. 4:15 a.m. Up since 3:15 a.m. And for the life of me, I can’t understand why. Monday is a holiday, followed by two weeks vacation, and here I am. Hypnos, where are thou Hypnos? 

I skim through old blog posts. My last running blog post, aka last time I ran, June 6, 2020 —  Running. No More. (For now). Wowza. 15 months ago. 457 consecutive days without running. Like in a Row.

Jan Grue “…but the days slip by at an uncomfortable speed.”

I put on my running gear, and I step out the door. 

68° F, humidity is thick. Eugenides:  “…the air wishing it was water.” Mist hangs low over the street. Exactly, exactly like Ripley’s Believe It or Not.  

You might ask Why? Why this sudden urge to run. And I would say, I have no clue.  But the real Deep State, the subconscious, is whispering, yes you do DK. Yes you do.  Two major, MAJOR, dates approaching.

I put in 1.5 miles, feeling like a ½ marathon.

Soles hurt.
Ankles hurt.
Groins hurt.
Calves hurt.
Knees hurt.
Sciatica? Gone!

Tuesday. This morning. 4:00 a.m. 60° F.  No humidity.  Runner’s weather. 

Think of a calcified Gumby. Back of the knees tender to the touch. Thighs, think of pressing your thumbs into a frozen Turkey. It’s a struggle to bend down to tie the shoe laces.

I sit on the front porch, pondering life. Life that is, the deep contemplation of why the Mind feels 25 years old, and the Body and its parts, all feel alien. Just tired. 

You could say this is like getting back on a bicycle. The Muscle memory. The Propulsion. The desire. 

Dorothy Waters: “How familiar they are, these inner musics, these currents of desire. It is the other part that is difficult. The coming back.”

So, I run. Sort of a run that is. They call it a propulsive gait when you walk with your head and neck pushed forward. The Big Engine That Could. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.

I’m 2 miles out. Gulping air.  Best not to push this to the breaking point. I walk that last ½ mile home.  Well this is Something. Better than nothing!

Pema Chodron says “you have the choice to launch into your lousy habitual patterns, or to stay with the rawness and discomfort of the situation and let it transform you.”  

OK Pema. OK.

Let Transformation Reign!

43 thoughts on “Running. With Ripley. Believe It Or Not.”

  3. I was wondering the same thing as Mimi. Unless, that is, you’ll be running to the park to take pictures and then running home again to post. If that’s the case, I’m OK with it. 😉

    As much as your running posts delight me, I LOVE your morning trips to the park. They’ve become part of *my* morning routine and one I am loathe to relinquish…..

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  4. You know… when you were complaining of your sciatica (justly, I know), I wanted to tell you to run, move, run lightly, warm it up. Mine let’s me know it’s there every time I get out of bed. Once I run? No pain whatsoever. After the run a good stretch and the rest of the day I’m good. And good for you that you decided it was time… I know one of the big dates coming up 😉

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    2. Beth, I don’t know what to say to Dave but I think I can clearly see where you (and I) are heading…. Writing this with 6 pieces of Swiss choc squares, filled with nut-praliné inside, patiently waiting on a tissue next to my computer!!! This woman with so much knowledge on everything has NO CONTROL over the intake of her mouth – how sad is that!?!

      for reference: https://www.lindt.ch/de/chocoletti-tafelschokolade-milch-nuss-100g
      sadly, this page is only available in German and French and only valid for Switzerland.
      I have however found Lindt for the USA and they do great offers of the sort: buy 3 get 1, buy 5 get 2….. or 100 LIndor truffles for $30.- (and I’m honestly, apart from those chocolettis not a fan of Lindt chocs!!!! There are better ones)

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  6. I’m glad you are finding your way back to your happy place. I’m not a runner, never have been. But, I have my own happy places and whenever I rediscover them, there is a joy like the first time I found them. I watched ballet in a park recently and was reminded how much I love watching movement to music. I walked a path this weekend in a place I had passed by a thousand times in my car, but never stopped to visit. I found it beautifully hidden from the busy world that passed it by as I had until that day. There is just a contended beat of your heart when you find the places where you mind can quiet down and you just are. Being you without the conflict/pain that usually entails. It’s a good place to be.

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  7. For a very long time I no longer CAN run. But then I’ve never been and never will be a runner. I try to live my life in a fashion which doesn’t oblige me to run. Stay honest, don’t steal, go early enough to catch that plane/train/bus/tramway – and go so early that you still have time to take those all-important photos on your way (to the great chagrin of HH!)….
    I’m certainly not in top form, not in any form if I’m honest, but I am happy most of the time. And that’s a sweet reward for no longer being able to do even a 10th of a marathon without hyperventilating and snapping for air!
    Have a GREAT HOLIDAY dear friend and try to only do things you really, really love doing – if it’s running, that’s fine, if it’s ‘only’ taking pics, perfect too.

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  9. Yes! everything hurts when you exercise parts that have been at rest. But, the sciatica is GONE! And, the hurting parts will not continue hurting either. Love Kirizar’s share–was reminded of the place you found next to a highway where a goose was nesting. So, here’s to continue moving something or some part, and finding sweet hidden places that welcome us along the way.

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  11. Aging is Not for the weak. Or narcissists. Look at all the plastic surgery out there! It’s like now they’re wearing vinyl Barbie doll faces, and they all look alike, and they are convinced they are still young and beautiful.

    This is hard. I will not say otherwise. My own sister retouches all of her photos on Facebook, and I saw one that her granddaughter posted and she had her take down. It’s frightening really! She’s totally keyed into her high school chums, she’s 72, in a way I could never be. It’s sad to see how little people have actually grown or changed in 50 years. But there you go. At any rate, I can’t even envision what it would be like to post a picture of myself completely re-touched and then run into somebody I hadn’t seen in X number of years! I would be able to read the shock and horror on their faces, though they may try to disguise it. No thanks, I’ll deal with life as it comes.

    I am learning each day to accept and love the process. Each day I age, I am happier with myself inside. And perhaps that is what it’s about, who knows? Outer directed for the first half of life, forced to be inner directed for the remainder.

    💕

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    1. This Bela was Something. Your closing lines… YES!

      day I age, I am happier with myself inside. And perhaps that is what it’s about, who knows? Outer directed for the first half of life, forced to be inner directed for the remainder.

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  13. Hey David – walking is a good way to go!
    I’ve been walking quite a bit of late. Can’t dance anymore. Keith’s knee isn’t getting better!!! And we are in lockdown until, at least, mid October when we should have over 70% double vaxxed.
    Soooo…. walking is a great way to go!

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    1. Thank you Carolyn. I could never dance! I do agree walking is the “best” way to go and better on the knees and joints. While I can, I’m trying to continue to run. There’s nothing like the runner’s high (and ache) after being done. I find that my remaining days to run are short, so I’m taking advantage of it.

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  14. Glad you’re able to run again, David. I’m slowly learning to greet aging as a humbling teacher. The irony of retirement is discovering that more time for running and playing the guitar become a little more difficult for an aging body. So for awhile now, I too, have had to stop running. Recently though, I finally submitted to physical therapy, and wow, to my surprise, it’s helping!

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