Cerebral Run

AM: 4.03 miles, 33:47, 8:23 pace, Max HR = 139, Avg HR = 125, 20% Z3, 71% Z2
PM: 8.08 miles, 1:09:46, 8:38 pace, no HR info

I had a lot of random thoughts as I ran this morning and this evening.

I really enjoy living inside of a major city. My running path allows me to gaze on the Houston skyline as I run around a little league baseball field. I see wild flowers and a large red sculpture every time I run through Stude and White Oak park. Unfortunately I also see graffiti and trash. The tropical storm that recently passed through Houston caused the banks of White Oak Bayou to overflow, depositing thousands of plastic bottles and other floating trash in my park. Punks periodically decide to tag trash cans, concrete and even the sculpture I mentioned above with their names. "Noob" has done some damage recently, and "Vein" is the latest offender with fresh marks I saw for the first time this morning.

But the story is more positive than negative. The first thing I noticed about the park during my evening run was that the trash was picked up today. The city and volunteers do a great job taking care of our park. Trash and graffiti have a short life span around here. Unfortunately energy must be wasted in the clean up effort that would be better spent in other areas.

My evening run was more about reflection. I ran with an iPod, which I seldom do, and threw together a playlist on the fly. Alphaville's "Forever Young" took me back to high school. If you have a moment, listen to the song. It remains one of my favorite songs of all time.

I was a typical teenager, which is to say that I struggled with confidence and self-image. I lived a life of unnecessary stress about money, the future, am I good enough, who am I, etc. High school was tough, but it was good to me. It certainly wasn't "the best time of my life" -- I have to say right now is that time for me. But high school was a tremendous growth opportunity and it really launched me toward the person I am today.

I feel bad about not keeping in touch with my classmates. I missed my ten year reunion because I was on my honeymoon, and my 15 because it was just a picnic for locals (Norcross, GA). I had the typical superficial friends, but I also had some friends that I cared deeply about and miss to this day. The song I mentioned above reminds me of my good friends Rana and Alison. We bonded over a summer at GHP and kept in close touch until we graduated and went our separate ways. I miss those two.

I believe that we have an unlimited capacity to love. It takes tremendous effort to get to the point where you love a person, but once that's achieved it is never lost. Having that bond with one person does not preclude establishing another relationship. It's not like a glass that can only hold 16 ounces before overflowing. It's like a beam of light projected into space. The source can always get brighter and the energy created by the light is never lost -- it just spreads out.

Anyway, that's my amateur philosophy (C- grade, to stick with the high school theme) that went through my head today. Oh, and also I saw a guy that looked like Jerry Stiller.

The body felt a bit rough today, thanks to a race and a few extra miles on Saturday, plus an aggressive 6M stretch during an 18 mile run on Sunday. I cut it short in the morning (4 instead of a planned 6), but made up the difference in the evening because I felt better than expected. Last 7 days = 61.47 miles.

Forever Young by Alphaville