Musings on Play

"My heart is inditing a good matter," the Psalmist wrote centuries ago (Psalm 45:1). So is mine.

I guess you could say mine is a little more secular, however. I am thinking about running. I suppose if push came to shove, I still consider myself a runner though swimming is by far my best sport.

Specifically, I am thinking about running this fall and winter. I don't enjoy the heat as much as I used to. But even when I did, I always considered the winter as the reward for running through the summer heat. When the weather cools off, the pace heads down, the distances angle up, and the adventures pop out. I have missed my adventure running the past couple of years and look forward to doing it this year.

I have several runs in mind. At the top of the list is one I have mentioned before, The Parks Marathon. This is not an official race, but one I have dreamed about for several years. I plan to run a mile at thirteen city parks. The distance to and between the parks should bring me close to the 26.2 mile distance. I can freestyle any shortcoming. 

I also want to repeat a couple of runs I have done in the past. One is a loop out Highway 7 to Waley, across the bridge to Money Road and home. I don't remember exactly how long but I think that one is about 28 miles.

Going the opposite way is to Highway 49 north, hitting the  turn row and going through Bledsoe Plantation to the bridge at Money and then home on Money Road. I think that one is about 25 miles. I remember doing that one on a rare Sunday we didn't have church when we still pastored the Moorhead Church of God.

Another run that I have long thought about is to run on Highway 12 north of Lexington. I hope to drive to Lexington, park on the square, and run ten or more miles on Highway 12. The purpose of that run is to have fun and to get some big hill work in. That road is relentlessly up and down, and every time Penny and I drive through there I think about what it would be like to ambulate those hills.

I also want to do some long Carroll County runs. That used to be a staple of mine. Almost every week I would to go to Hodge Ski Lodge and run eleven to fourteen miles, sometimes more. I miss that. While we still own the place, I need to do some more of those journeys. The time will come when someone else has a deed on those 172 acres in the hills that forms my parking spot.

In addition to my own creations, I want to do one or two official marathons. I am thinking about the Mississippi River Marathon in February and the Gulf Coast Marathon in December. I haven't penciled either of those into my calendar yet, but they are calling to me, and if I can remain healthy, there is a pretty good chance I will pull the trigger on one or both of them.

One more thing that keeps popping up in my mind is back yard and alley workouts. I have a lot of things in mind, things like crossfit workouts on steroids: spinning, squatting, running; lifting, sled dragging, and running; etc, etc, and etc, for hours and hours and hours. I could set the trainer up at Plate City and the workout possibilities are legion. In short, I could wind up being in the shape of my life next spring just in time for Chicot IX. 

It's wonderful to be able to dream. When I didn't have that possibility, when I thought running and swimming were gone forever, I had difficulty getting out of bed some days. Heck, some days I didn't get out of bed. I know life is about more important things than playing and having fun. But all work and no play makes Zane a mighty dull boy.

Thank you, Jesus, for restoring my ability to have fun.