Left All Alone….Again!

She packed her bags, picked up the kids and walked out of the house, without looking back… As I saw her car driving away, I continued to ask myself this question again and again – “Why!?”  And with that, she was gone…

Sounds a bit dramatic, I know.  Relax – they just went on a quick overnight vacation to the Poconos, and I couldn’t join them – work!  I was left alone, to do what I pleased, when I pleased, and in a way that only I could find pleasing!  Instantly, the plan was formulated in my adventurous mind – the next morning I would be out there earlier than ever, going for a monstrous run, the one that can only be characterized as ‘monumental’ and ‘one for the ages’.  And I needed to get one like that in the books, with all the earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters coming my way.   Well, as they say, man plans – G-d laughs!

My plan (my dream, actually) involved going to sleep early, let’s say at 10 PM, which I normally cannot do.  But of course, my boss and other people kept me from fulfilling that dream and kept me on the phone until mid-night, trying as hard as they could to keep me away from executing on my planned insanity!  However, I am not known for being easy to sway, and I am also not known for being reasonable or for adjusting my plans, even when I should… What do they call it – stiff-necked?!

Anyway, despite getting just 4 hours of sleep, I was outside at 4:45 AM or so – and what a glorious morning it was!  Pitch dark outside, crisp cool air, something chirping all around me…  I will tell you – it is all mental, as I knew I would be in no rush to get back home, no time pressure to get the kids out to school / camp, whatever, in other words – no reason to be back home at a certain time.  I could be out forever, if only my legs and my breathing would keep me going.

So, as our buddy Forrest put it, “I just felt like running”, and I decided to duplicate his achievement and run as far as I could… well, obviously, I wouldn’t try to get across the entire country to LA and back, but certainly,could try and set my own new personal record.  And with that, I got my music pumping and went on a slow, distance-building adventure, trying to keep my mind off the surroundings…

The next thing I knew, I was racing alongside “Target” superstore – fairly far away from our house, and I had no idea how I could have gotten that far… and more importantly, how in the world I was going to get back!  Since taking the cab was not an option – I had no money and all the cab drivers were asleep, I simply chose to make my way back at an even slower pace, just treading along, relaxing and keeping my mind occupied with other nonsense.  And even though that did not work all too well, and I kept on wondering if I would have enough fuel left in the tank to get back or would I have to embarrass myself and seek asylum in the nearby Dunkin Donuts, begging the owners to give me a lift…

As I triumphantly returned home, I marked the time – 94 minutes of pure and uninterrupted cardio pleasure – a new one for me!  Yeah!!!  No clue as to how many miles that trip covered – and does it even matter?  Whatever they were – I am sure it’s a new record for me as well.

I am thinking of the next challenge – I guess nothing beats running through the winds of Hurricane Irene when she arrives here this weekend!  Of course, running during the earthquake would be my preference, but those are tough to schedule, so Irene would have to do!

Keep your engines running!