by Christopher Alan Sweeney

Created on: January 25, 2010   Last Updated: January 26, 2010

It’s dark but you awaken anyway and grab your robe to put over your body which is naked except for your briefs. You drag yourself to the bathroom and then to the kitchen. Your right heel is tender so you kind of tiptoe on that foot as you cross the tile floors of the house. Push the button on Mr. Coffee and go outside for the paper.

A big glass of V-8 and three cups of coffee get everything working. The morning news goes in and yesterday's consumption goes out. You feel pretty good.

It isn’t even 6:00 a.m. but it’s time to get with it. Running shorts and a shirt, socks and running shoes, some Vicks in each nostril, some tiger balm on each knee, both ankles and on the right heel you’re ready to go and you slip out the front door. A little stretching-okay a lot of stretching and you start out slow. The start line is at the red light. Between here and there doesn’t count.

It’s Monday, an easy day, you only have to do seven miles. Should run it for time-right? Okay punch the stop watch at the light and go. It’s convenient that the cross streets on the other side of the canal are every half mile. You run to the corner at cross street number seven and look at the stop watch-not bad-twenty-five minutes. Turn and dig it out-it’s time to put some heat on. Oh God! Your lungs are already burning and you’ve only done a mile of the return. Can’t slow now it’s too early but you can’t keep going at that pace and the heel hurts. Screw it! Turn it up! Oh God! Why do I do this to myself?

Pray: Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come… .

Sing: Holy, holy, holy Lord God almighty early in the morning my song will rise to thee… .

The last half mile is covered in almost schoolboy time. Back in high school that was a minute and fifty-two seconds. So this morning it was two and forty. 

Lungs are burning. Sweat is pouring off your body. You walk a little wobbly to the clubhouse. There’s a concrete block wall around the pool area which is more for decoration than security. You drag your body over it and go to the shower. You can’t put all that sweat in the pool. Then just tumble into the deep end. It isn’t cold. This is South Florida after all. But your body starts to cool enough that you can go home, shower, shave and go to work.

Tomorrow is a ten mile day. Then Wednesday is another seven, Thursday is fifteen, Friday is only five and the

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