Walking

Mary, my mid-week training partner gave up a day of running to come to Kezar Falls to cheer me up today. We walked 10 miles of extremely hilly country roads at a fast pace, chatting the entire way. She, like so many other people I know, seems a little miffed that I injured myself mountain biking. She has forbidden me to get back on the bike. I guess a running injury is easier for another runner to accept than a mountain biking injury. I don't get too bent out of shape when people lecture me or tell me what to do. I just let it go in one ear and out the other. And if what someone is telling me is particularly silly, I might smile a little. I'm sure that trait drove my Mom crazy while I was growing up but oddly, it has always gotten me ahead in my career.

We left my house and walked in beautiful bright sunshine. We started out by marching straight up Chapel Street Hill and through the muddy woods to the back roads of Porter. I picked a route with virtually no traffic. We walked past scenic Black Bog, the historic town pound, the old meeting house, and then walked back home between Little and Big Spectacle Ponds. I often wonder if local people who don't run, walk, or bike notice how wonderful these things are from the windows of their cars. I also admit that when I was training on these same roads ten years ago, I was running too fast and working to hard to appreciate any of it myself.

There is a lot of poverty and ignorance in this area and some of the sights along the sides of these country roads are not nice to look at, but to me it beats the suburbs outside of New York City where I was raised. People here in Porter aren't putting on any airs, that's for sure! And even better than that, nobody is asking them to! It is common to see an extravagant and beautiful home with a perfectly manicured lawn abutting a paper-sided shack with old appliances and un-caged chickens in the front yard. And it is also not uncommon to see the people from those two different worlds leaning on the fence talking to each other and enjoying the morning together. Mainers are an accepting lot for the most part.

I am scheduled for another X-ray on Tuesday and I hope to be able to start some running and riding next week. I'm not counting on it though, I'll take what I get dealt and make the best of it.