I’m back at it again.  The ear issues I was freaking out about for the past few weeks turned out to be just liquid in my ear drum.  As much as I hate to take really strong medicines my doctor told me to get some of the over the counter Sudafed.  I did.  It worked.  That Sudafed is some string stuff, I now know that I am not going deaf and it is also not one of the many disasterous life ending ailments my hyper-powered mind came up with when I didn’t know what was happening.  I’m all about solutions today.

I celebrated be happy healthy ear by yesterday going on a bike ride on my new dream bike that I built up, It’s taken almost 2 years of saving up pennies and dollars day after day, week after week and I finally built it.  It’s literally my dream bike, my baby, she never leaves my sight.  I’m going to put up a whole post all about her in a few days after I ride her more, today’s post is all about my amazing run.

Today was my first day back on a good longer-ish run, so I was like a kid in a candy shop.  I ran one of the all time classic Pasadena runs along the wide dirt path from the Rose Bowl along the base of the Arroro Canyon, to the wash right under the Monterey Bridge in South Pasadena.  I’m not sure how long that is, but it usually feels like a good 6 or so miles there and back.

The day was perfect.  We just got our first good solid rain in months, so the air couldn’t have been better.  The weather was cool and sunny, the air crisp yet not so cold that I needed to wear a long sleeve shirt.  As I ran along the trail, I was awestruck at how beautiful the day was.  Near the end of the trail as it begins to get narrow next to the Arroyo Seco golf course, I heard another runner coming up behind me.  I let him pass.  He looked way more serious like he was actually tracking his time and paying attention to his distance.  He thanked me and I began talking to him asking him where he’s coming from.  A long story made short we end up running together all the way to the turn around point at the wash and all the way back to the Rose Bowl.  We ended up talking about all sorts of great things.  His name is Richard, he moved to Pasadena 5 years ago from Alabama, he has 2 daughters who he is head over heels in love with, the oldest just started kindergarden, the yongest just started pre-kindergarden, his wife is an interior designer.  I told him all about me, where I used to work, what I am in school for, on and on.  We talked about how and why we started running and what else we do athletics-wise.  Our conversations took some incredible paths, at times joining together within similarities at then shooting away from each other as the differences came to light, back and forth together and apart.

This is what I love about running and cycling.  Especially the running I like to do.  It’s not the general everyone-does-it type of running, I focus more on trails where not many other people go.  I like the loneliness of it, I like the scenery, and I absolutely love the adventures I end up finding along the way.  It feel very special to me.  So when I ended up meeting Richard on the trail today I knew from the gate that he shares the same deep love I have for the trails.  It is an automatic similarity that we have, a deep personal similarity, and a perfect spring board for a great conversation.

The run I got to share with Richard was the perfect conclusion to one of the better days I can remember having in recent history.  This would not have been possible without the first step of lacing up, then getting out, and then playing in the sun.  Today was one of those days when the hard work I have put in with all the nutrition balance, cycling, running, falling, breaking, healing, crying, and laughing truly feels to have paid off.  Today was and is the gold medal for me, I do not compete in cycling or running nor am I interested because, really, today was it.  There is nothing more.  For me at least.

Get up and go, lace up and play.  The weather is great, honor that.