Time to get running before it gets hot
Fred Decker
Easter and Springtime are generally accepted as time for your spirit and mother nature to be renewed. You may add to that your own physical renewal during this beautiful time of the year in Tallahassee. It’s much easier to start, renew or generally perk up your running program now. In Tallahassee it’s really tough to crank up the ambition when the weather gets hot and sticky, so get out there now and enjoy the cool, relatively dry mornings before the deer flies and summer lethargy hit you.
You’d also do well to survey your friends and acquaintances to find out who else may be inspired to pick up some physical activity. If you find a compatible running companion, it’s more fun and you build some feeling of obligation to meet your running buddy(s) each day. That’s just one more way to reinforce the program.
Marg and I used to run several miles to a friend’s house in the early morning, where she faithfully met us at the end of her driveway. There is no question that she would have often opted to stay in bed on those dark and cold and often snowy early winter mornings if she didn’t have the feeling she’d let us down. No doubt she often wondered why she was doing this, but after a mile into the morning run we were all having a great time. Most of the conversation didn’t include me, but it was strangely comforting for them to be running nearby. Whenever I noticed a pause in the conversation I had the strong and well- founded suspicion they were about to practice their speed work and blow by poor ol’ Fred. Of course there wasn’t a thing I could do about it since they were both top masters runners at the time, and Fred has always been pretty mediocre.
Those days are dear to my heart and impossible to reproduce, so get out there and make some memories and good runs of your own.