OK-Run if you can
November 4, 2010 (Thursday)
One of the many marathon races throughout the world in the course of a year will take place Sunday in New York. It’s called a “marathon” because an ancient runner ran from Marathon to Athens with news of victory. Since he had run much farther before the trip, the combined distance exhausted the 40-year-old runner and he died on the spot. Or so the story goes. When writing of it, Robert Browning calls “Marathon” by a descriptive name, “Fennel Field.” Aren’t you glad his name has not caught on? All around the world people would be running “Fennels” instead of “Marathons.” Doesn’t sound right.
I was visiting the hospital in Houston and had to cross Gessner Drive, which is so wide it has two “walk” lights, one to get to the middle of the street and one to finish crossing. With all that traffic bearing down, and the light instantly changing to “don’t walk,” I tried to run a few feet. Bad idea. That was my “Marathon.” After the hospital visit, as I was coming back, a car screeched to halt and out popped a young man who attacked a couple of men on the sidewalk right in front of me. It was an incentive for me to move faster, so I walked at a brisk pace. No more running. At least for the time being.
My mind goes back to when I was nine years old, sent to the grocery store, and skipping all the way there and back. I remember wondering at the time, “Why do people walk?” Skipping was more fun and got you there twice as fast. Now I know why people walk. Then I thought of high school touch football during PE. I ran like the wind, and no one could catch me. Those days are just memories now. I’m glad the “walk” light doesn’t say “run.”