Mount Pleasant High School
Run time: 58:10 + 1-lap kick
Another lonely winter track, with leaves piled onto walkways, and mats laid across the track for the football players to access the field. This one had cement grandstands on both sides, so I ran a lot of stairs. The grandstands were built on human-made hills, which helped to block the wind.
Yes, we had sun. It does not rain a lot in Michigan, but neither does it sun a lot. What it does a lot is cloud. This is way different from Utah. My guess is that everyone in Michigan is Vitamin D deficient. So the blue sky this day was welcome.
The stairs were tricky – uneven, non-uniform, and crumbly. This made it interesting. Since I learned about the proper pitch of stairs by watching “This Old House,” I am keenly aware of stairs that require a stride too long or too short. Uneven pitches are good for the brain – they demand attention. I caught the toe of my running shoe just once, on the way up, so no emergency room visits.
It was a cold, dry week. I was able to circumnavigate the state in our Honda Accord – no need to rent an AWD. The 2+ feet of snow we got right before Christmas had melted away, along with the giant icicles that hung from our eaves. The snow interrupted my home running schedule. Samantha and Sophie flew in Christmas morning and stayed till New Year’s Eve. I got my exercise dancing and running up and down the hall and laughing and clowning around.
Christopher was also home for a month. He lobbied hard to go to the cinemas to watch “Violent Night.” We did. We sat in the empty theater, eating popcorn and alternately laughing and cringing. Was it the best artistic work I have seen? No. Was it funny and well-made? Yes. I have a feeling it will become part of the family holiday film canon in years to come.
It was a low-key Christmas. Alex and Rachel flew to Utah to be with her family. Kevin stayed home to watch the dog. They would have added to the frivolity. Back in Oregon there would be drop-in visits from friends to add some spice. Our neighbors John and Lynn came over for a wonderful enchilada dinner prepared by Barb before their holiday trip to California. We all missed Ruby – first Christmas without her.
Now it is a new year with new plans and new goals and each day new, an unending series of uneven stairs.
Don't Make It a Habit. Make It a Ritual. 