Smiles on the Yakima Greenway

I had a good run yesterday. First of all it was nice to just be running on consecutive days. I was listening to Steve, which is what really helps pull me out of my running funk more than anything else-- and I was devoted to a full 8 miles, my longest in quite awhile. But what I didn't anticipate was the gem of running trail called the Yakima Greenway.

Matthew and I were on our annual late summer circuit of minor league baseball teams, this time we were visiting Yakima and the Tri-Cities. After we got checked into our Yakima room I opened the guest services book to help me find a running route for the next morning. I had thought about making loops around Yakima's downtown area which has been beautifully rejuvenated with trendy shops, replica lamp posts and hanging baskets. But I normally try to avoid the multiple street crossings that such an area necessitates and there was a weekend "3 on 3" hoops tournament going on that looked fun right but it was set up right on the downtown streets and very congested. I looked for something else in the notebook.

It wasn't hard to find. Not far was the Yakima Greenway, 10 miles of trails along the Yakima River and dotted with city parks. Perfect! It was only a few minutes away. Matthew and I went to the ball game between the Yakima Bears and the Tri-City Dust Devils and when we got back I set out my running stuff so I'd be ready to roll early the next morning. Trouble was I slept longer than had intended (I'm not quite adapted yet to the 5 a.m. wake up that my new job demands) and so didn't get out the door until I had geared up and woofed down some hotel express breakfast.

I parked at Sarg Hubbard Park and started north along the paved trail..and then it happened almost immediately. The first person I came to along the way smiled, gave me a quick wave. "Hmm, nice guy" thinks I. The next guy kinda the same thing, a little smile and a quick "morning!". Hmmm. Now I'm getting into it. As the next person approaches I smile and raise my diaper clutching paw. We even make some eye contact. "Mornin'!!"

The asphalt path straddles a riparian zone between the river and the freeway. Mostly it is quiet and a pleasant run but there are portions when it is forced annoyingly near the interstate and at the 4 mile point where I turned around the path would have actually taken me on an overpass to the other side.

After a mile or so I saw what looked like a golf cart coming at me from the other direction. Sure enough that's what it was--with two people riding it and a flashing amber light on top. Was there a golf course nearby? No, these were volunteers providing free water to anyone out on the path. Very friendly! I graciously declined the offer made by the apparently married couple adorned in straw hats with a band and those big wrap-around sun glasses. "No thank you, I carry my own" pointing to my Ultimate. I saw another one of these carts later on.

At one place I came to a couple with their Golden Retriever and I suddenly missed Hannah. In a few minutes I came to a place on the path dotted by wet paw prints and knew that the golden had been allowed to play in the river.

I stopped a few times to read a few of the many informational signs along the way. I'm a sucker for finding something out about the geology and history of the area. And some of them described how this greenway project was funded, apparently much of it through contributions. But what impressed me was the people. The culture of the greenway is one of smiles and goodwill based on the common experience. An exchange that is transmitted up and down it's 10 mile length one person at a time.

My smile broke out into a laugh just once, not from the greenway camaraderie, but from a skit Steve did taken from 2001, A Space Odyssey. I wonder what people must think when they see me do that! But no matter. Yesterday was a good run.

http://connect.garmin.com/player/12229496

When I Don't Run

When I was in college I was impressed by a certain essay we were asked to consider titled "Why I Write" by Joan Didion. I liked that short story starting with the cadence and rythmn of it's title but what really stuck to my ribs all these years was the fact that she doesn't really fulfill the promise of the title. She uses images and paints a picture which brings the reader into a deeper meaning. A meaning that exists in the white spaces around the words, a meaning of common fears that we all share and exist off the page.

It was about this time that I had planned to write an entry inspired by my Writing 101 assignment so many years ago, something I was going to call "Why I Run". That's going to have to wait because despite my determination and grand plans I have not been running -- much. This was to be the height of my marathon training. I had been pushing toward this time with both anticipation and expectation, excited to move past the time of long slow miles and finally push harder, and more than anything, go faster. My 12 week plan was printed and sitting on my desk ready to go. Running is pretty simple after that. You just need to put on your shoes and go do it.

But I haven't done it. In the last month I've logged less than 20 miles, well short of the 200 or more I should have completed. And not just completed but run with the purpose of a person devoted and committed . It just isn't that easy.

Running for me is all about heart. When I lose sight, when I stray and feel lost it can be extremely difficult for me to ind the road. Not because I don't want to run but because I have lost the heart to run. It's both a passion and a celebration of being alive, an exploration of my potential taken just one step at a time. But when I mess up or other events in my life go wrong, as happened last summer, the fire that feeds my passion for most everything, including running and blogging, is quelled. The times that I do run are mostly uninspired and only serve to confirm my condition.

This lull will end now, weeks old, not months, and I will return to the roads. That's where I'll find myself again and continue the quest. That's where I'll find the my inspiration to write an essay titled "Why I Run" and when I do write it it's meaning might be found in the white space.

On the run?

Williamsburg, VA.

Haven't been running much lately. Tons of excuses, the most recent being that we are on holiday on the east coast and have not made the time - except once. Started in DC then made a big sweeping loop up through Philly, Gettysburg and now down in Williamsburg on the way back to the start. Enjoying lots of history and spending time with the fam--but not running much!!