Epiphany Alley

A straight stretch of road en route to Mt. Pleasant Circle in St. Michaels; one of two regular running routes at work.

Spring can hold some of the best runs of the year. The warming days are freeing as shorts and short sleeves work their way back into the reached-for attire. And unlike fall, a 65 or 70 degree day in the spring is on the warm side of the spectrum. Hitting 80 degrees this past Tuesday was (insert your superlative word here).

Early morning, I got off to a late start with the wake-up routine, and opted to toggle the day to allow a run after dropping Anna, our 5-year-old, off at school, but still before work. I parked at the Museum, cranked the i-pod and picked the shorter of two regular daytime running routes, across Route 33, to Fremont Street, right on Railroad Avenue, then down and around Mt. Pleasant Circle, following the same route back (I measured this route today, by truck odometer at 4.25 miles). Both routes wind back-roads west of the town proper; I am always amazed that St. Michaels hides tree-lined rural roads behind main street-shops and arm-in-arm houses.

I am not generally an i-pod runner, but I have come to appreciate the cadence and company of upbeat reggae or thought-provoking, head-nodding rap on runs at various distances (a 20-mile run from Easton to St. Michaels and back can use an extra kick). On Tuesday, a song lyric stuck in my head on the return portion of the route, "God lit the wick, so I gotta let the light shine." The thrust, for me on a stellar, sunny, short-sleeve day, enjoying a great morning run, was that you are given certain things that you take to--whether it is running, painting, woodworking, writing, sailing--and that you are best served by spending time on those things. Develop what you are good at. Do what you do.

I am not a gifted runner, not a front-of-pack rabbit. But I dig it. I take to it. I have thought some of my most creative and insightful thoughts while running. I hit the full range of emotions on the road or trail for a stretch of time. I live life more fully than when I have gone through periods when I am not running regularly. I have seen how I approach life, family, work, play, as a runner, and as a sitter-still. For me, the wick has already been lit. The choice has been made. I gotta run...

(cool hip-hop beat fades in louder as the pace picks up, and runner moves up the road)