Running Man

I stepped out of the front door, stood on the porch a moment, breathing in the clean spring air and tried to relax my entire body. It was 7:15 AM and according to the porch thermometer it was 67 degrees. (Although, I've never trusted outdoor thermometers - they're as changeable as the weather.)

I went down the three steps to the front walk, turned around, and putting my right foot on the second step, began my stretching and warm up exercises. This was a very important element of my work out. Without the proper warm up it would be easy to develop a muscle cramp or to even tear something. I liked to think of it as my pre-flight check.

Once that was done I walked down the sidewalk and onto the street. We live in a very residential, gated community so the roads were all nice to run on. It was just a matter of picking my route. I've been thinking about my route for several days now and had decided to change it. Kick up the old cardio-vascular with more of a challenge. Shake out a few kinks.

So I set out running. I was dressed in a loose, light grey, sleeveless tee shirt and dark green running shorts. My shoes were designed for fast stops and quick acceleration as well as cushioned for the long run. I was good to go.

I turned left and began moving at a fast jog. Just warming up. Feeling everything work the way it's supposed to. I went half a block and turned right, crossing the street. When I got to the other side I made another right and kicked it up. I was really moving now, when, across the street from my house, I made another left hand turn. The route change had worked perfectly. As my neighbor's front door opened, I could feel my increased breathing and heart rate. I had just the slightest sheen of sweat developing on my face and arms. My tee shirt was sticking to my damp back.

And Marcy was standing there in that pink teddy that I loved on her. "What kept you?" she pouted. "Ted left ten minutes ago."

"I know," I said. "I heard him honk the horn." She kissed my cheek, grabbed my hand and began leading me up the stairs to the bedroom. My heart rate was kicking up another notch.

"Don't you think it's lucky that my husband and your wife have to work so much overtime on Saturdays?" she asked looking over her bare shoulder - a strap had slipped. "And it's good they can car pool," she continued, "you know, considering they work for different companies, and everything?"

"Yeah, it is." I answered. Thinking of Ted pulling into the Come-and-Go Motel with my wife right about now. Restraining a slightly lop-sided grin, I said, "It's real good!"