5/21/14: "Good Morning, Old Friend," *OR* "Two Lessons"

Question: What's the best part about summer?

Possible correct answers: Warmer mornings, warmer evenings, suntans, grilling, cold drinks, no school, road trips, longer evenings, earlier mornings, more comfortable clothing, and a general better quality of life.

Most correct answer: Early morning runs!

Not surprisingly, I didn't go on very many morning runs during the winter or spring. And by 'not many', I mean absolutely none. It's difficult to make myself do anything before the sun rises, and when it came to pulling myself out of bed when it was just as dark as when I went to bed, I couldn't manage it.

Tuesday was primary election day in Kentucky, and, lucky me, there was no school (an item on the very short list of perks of being a state employee). So, being as there was no pressure of getting to school on time, I decided to have my first early run of the season.

As frequenters of this blog have probably come to know, Hillary Smith and I are getting married this July. I'll be moving into the house she built last year in Versailles, a town ten or twelve miles southwest of Lexington, my current home. Though I can't wait to officially be her husband and stepdad to her two amazing girls, I have to admit that leaving Lexington is a little bittersweet. Especially when I remember my old running routes.

In particular, during the summer, I'd always hit the road around 5:30 AM and see how many miles I could clock before the sun finally got over the row of houses in my neighborhood on Tates Creek Road. I'd always tell the sun, "Good morning, old friend. I beat you this morning."

I know, it's dumb. But I looked forward to it every morning.

Yesterday, as I was running through Versailles, a town I had never run this early in the morning, the sky was thick with clouds. As I prepared to head home, my old friend finally broke through the murk.

It was then that I realized two things. 

First, it isn't the town or the road or the landscape that makes a run worthwhile, but who's waiting for you when that run is over. Before, it was just my cat, Samson. Now, I'm going to have a full house to come home to: three beautiful ladies, a rambunctious kitten, and yes, even my old cat, Sam. 

Second, I realized that my old friend had beaten me to the punch that morning. And that it's time to start lacing up earlier, because I'm not going to let the sun beat me all summer just because I'm changing locations. After all, he's still in the same place he's always been.