That Guy and the woman watering the flower baskets

Legs were flat this morning, though the rest of my body felt good. Needed to remind myself to not go out too fast, after a while I gave in and just ran, mind wondering, my favorite kind of run. Checking in on how I felt, where the little aches were today, but allowing myself the luxury of a mental bushwhacking hike.

About halfway through That Guy showed up. "Bout time," I welcomed him between breaths. I noticed he arrived just as the woman who waters the hanging baskets appeared, coincidence? "Nice timing."

"I notice you looking a bit fatigued," was his greeting.

"Started out too fast."

"45 years of this and you still haven't learned?"

"Aren't you a bundle of encouragement this morning!"

He was right though, I'm like the conservatives who value the immediate gratification of consumer capitalism over long term environmental protections. Yes, I had politics on my mind during this run. It seems to me conservative political beliefs are more concerned with current consumer satisfaction for short term economic growth, mostly for the wealthy and corporation America, than long term economic growth and environmental protections that benefits all. They are the horse drawn buggy investor who doubles down rather than invests in the new technology of automobiles.

Back to running, by now my body is as flat as my legs. I approach my decision point of making this a 5.2 or 4.8 run at a plog (plod/jog), at least that's what if feels like. I decide on the shorter run this morning. I try and channel my inner Nick Symmonds or  Lauren Fleshman for the last half mile. Ugh didn't work this time.  The finish line finally arrives, that wonderful crack on the roadside.  Then I hear That Guy, bent over hands on knees, "Nice run."