This week in the birthday countdown gift opening marathon
(that my mother has so kindly provided) I received some cute clothes, a storage
box, some crayons, hair conditioner, and these cute fall cloth napkins and
place mats which do a lovely job of Autumning up my dining room. Hopefully the weather will get the hint
soon and cool down, autumn is almost here on the calendar, time to cool off So
Cal!
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| Nala loves helping me open my presents! |
Other than the impending 40th birthday, I’ve been
busy teaching. Yes, elementary as
usual but I am also teaching a level I Vinyasa Flow class at Claremont Yoga on
Monday and Friday at 4pm. Come and
join me, friends!
On Saturday, I was so exhausted from taking 33 kids to the
fair in the heat and then teaching an active flow class on Friday afternoon
that I opted to sleep in rather than do my long run. Actually I got up and tried to find my running clothes,
stumbling around the bedroom. My
sweet husband asked me, in just the right tone, “Honey do your really need to
do a LONG run today?” My body was
so sore and exhausted that I knew I really shouldn’t be pushing and could use a
rest day. “No, I don’t think I
should run at all today,” I replied on the verge of tears because I was so
relieved. After a restful Saturday
of swimming with our nieces and going out for an early sushi dinner, Greg
headed off to play a late night gig in the O.C. and I went straight to bed.
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| Sunrise on my morning run! |
I awoke on Sunday feeling ready for that long run. The first three miles uphill were slow
and purposeful. On top of exhaustion, I’ve been fighting a cold or allergies,
not sure which. At the top of the
hill, a young man was using that first and necessary water fountain, so I
waited my turn and watched him jog off.
This 14-15 year old African American fellow sporting glasses and a grin
seemed to be setting a good pace for the downhill. I made it my secret goal to catch up with him after I
quenched my thirst. I could barely
keep this kiddo in view as I headed down the first stretch, he was pushing me
to achieve sub 9-minute miles (which is a challenging pace for me especially in
this heat, not setting any records here, I’m not fast but I go the
distance!) I had to weave in and
out of a good number of joggers and walkers. At one point a gallant tall dark
and handsome man who was certainly my senior, though I could not tell you by
how many years, jogged off to the side to allow me to pass. As he slowed, he smiled at me as I sped
by and congratulated me for my effort, “Great job, Miss!” I had to smile and puff out a strained
“Thank You,” in his direction.
I don’t think my young running friend was aware of me at
first but as I matched his pace he seemed to be alright with me pacing with
him, not needing to pull ahead or fall behind. He ran on the horse path and I
ran on the paved section, so we often lost sight of each other through the
trees but as we neared the crossing at Mountain, he was only a few steps
ahead. I’m not sure what happened
in the final stretch of the trail, but somehow I made it to the final water
fountain ahead of the young man.
Finishing my drink, I noticed he was cuing up for a sip. Catching my breath, I smiled at him
saying hello as he wiped dripping water from his chin. He smiled back and replied, “Great job,
Ma’am!” Then he raced down the path leaving me to ponder. Did this young fellow just happen to go
to the same charm school as the older gentleman I saw on the path, or were the
two father and son? I got my
answer at the end of the trail as the young man (who was apparently 16 or older
was sitting in the driver seat of the vehicle waiting for dad who was slowly
approaching the car, there were some younger siblings on scooters who were
joining this group also). So I had
to wonder as I ran 8 miles instead of my regular 7, because I had some thinking
to do, if I am between “miss” and “ma’am” depending on the age of the polite
individual addressing me…what does that mean? I guess it means I am almost 40!
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