Kind of a Moment

Yesterday I drove out to the C&O Canal to do my long run. The recent rain and stretch of temperatures above the freezing mark had cleared much of the snow from the roads and sidewalks, so I was hoping that the towpath would be relatively clear. When I arrived it was about 45 degrees F and I was wearing shorts and a long sleeve tech shirt. I should have worn gloves because my fingers were stiff nearly all of the way.

I started at Riley’s Lock, about a quarter mile south of mile marker 23. I started running south, toward Washington. Most of the towpath was clear, but there were some long segments that were still covered with snow. I was forced to run on the edge of the towpath to avoid the slush. I felt a bit stiff and sluggish at first. For some reason my hamstrings felt unusually tight. The tightness abated after a few miles, but I still felt lethargic and slow. It took great effort to throw in a few surges.

I turned around a bit past Swain’s Lock (past mile marker 17). The sun was beginning to set. There was nobody else around me on the towpath. I passed a section of the Potomac River that was pulsing with energy. The muddy brown water on my left was rushing along, the river swollen from the recent rain and melting snow. By contrast, the canal on my right was utterly still. Large parts of the canal were still covered with sheets of ice. The sun was partially obscured by the trees over in Virginia. A lone goose honked. And then I was struck by melancholy. One day, I thought, I won’t be able to do this anymore.

That sucks.