shades of yesterday...

                                                                 

it's been forever since i've dragged my saggy carcass out of bed for an early sunday morning run.  i managed to do so today. 

back in the day, "red's raiders" gathered every sunday morning at 7:00 for what was usually a 10 miler.  rick, johnny, mike, tom, red and me; the cast of characters changed some over time.  in those days we all were running 10k's on saturday.  the goal for most was to break 40 minutes.  for some that milestone had already been reached.  for all, anytime we toed the line the goal was to set an new pr.

time.  it was all about time back then.  the goal-- to run the course in the fastest time one could coax from body and mind.

i remember those sunday mornings of thirty years ago; the six of us running shoulder to shoulder in lockstep.  six pairs of feet, the sound of our footsteps in perfect synchrony as six lefts, then six rights struck the ground as one.

time has changed the look of our merry band.  red and mike have passed on. tom has moved away. on this fine morning rick and johnny showed up for their usual sunday morning stroll.  as for the "runners",  it's dan and me.  dan first joined us for our sunday runs in the early 80's.  since then he has been there most every sunday morning. these days he is often the only "runner" who shows up. 

all of us are less than the lean, mean running machines we were in the old days.  time you see is, and never will be, a runner's friend.

aio