Baptism

Yes, it was pouring rain when I woke up this morning - just as it was last night when I came home from salsa. Still, I couldn't bring myself to do yet another hamster wheel run. I impressed myself by getting out of bed and dressing to run. As a reward, it seemed, the rain slowed a bit.

I knew today's run would be no great shakes, and it wasn't. I was tired, my legs didn't really want to go, but I was glad to be out and running. The air was warm, as was the rain. I left the iPod at home (not the watch though) and just listened to the sounds of the rain, my footsteps, my breathing.

Meandering through my blue-collar neighborhood, I worried less and less about the run and just tried to enjoy myself. I watched people struggling to stay dry while getting in their cars on their way to work. It made me smile to know that I'd be doing the same dance soon enough even though there I was running through it without even a baseball cap. I felt a sense of freedom that was both sad and sweet.

While it wasn't the fastest run I've ever done, I set out to run for 40 minutes and that's what I did. So, mission accomplished, and as an added bonus, I was baptized into a new day.

About 4.5 in 40 minutes.