Running through the city streets

It was the annual Houston marathon/half marathon. Unlike in the past I chose to participate this year in the half marathon only. I suppose once a runner you are always a runner. Some 15000 runners ran through the city streets. It was a cool morning. As the sun peeked through the opening between high rises with brilliant color, as the starting gun went off, the sea of humanity took off, at first slowly as a herd, and then slowly they separated. It was not about your time, it was not about the prize money, and it was for that unexplainable experience that one gets after the sweat and grueling exhaustion at the finish line. It was about not giving up whether you came first or last.

It seems crazy for this whole bunch and perhaps I am one of them. I have done several marathons in the past. I am not a spring chicken any more. I broke my left wrist playing soccer. I messed up my right shoulder playing tennis. I am slowing down a few minutes every year. But around this time of the year, the thrill of running through the city streets passing by cheering crowd on either side (even these folks come out on a cold Sunday morning instead of sleeping in, that's their annual ritual and they keep the runners going) is so inviting that the runners heed the silent calling.

I got up at 4:30 AM. Left home at 5:30. At 7:00 AM we took off. I finished in 1 hour 55 minutes and 15 seconds. Not a record by any means. But on a personal basis I did reasonably well. I got my medal, picked up my finisher shirt, chowed down some food (egg, sausage, biscuit, hash brown, banana, bagel, yogurt,... thanks to many organizations and thousands of volunteers who gave up their morning as well for the runners) before heading home. As I opened the door, Tigger was waiting for me (I wondered if he was trying to congratulate me or was worried not knowing where I had gone so early, I know no cat language).

I want to thank many people. To mention a few, two daughters and my wife who are away, worried about me and wished me well, Jonathon, Dan, and Michael.

As a matter of fact Dan (Lee) and Michael (Kroh), who are our older daughter's friends from high school days stopped by yesterday (to pick up Christmas gifts for them from our older daughter). These are two wonderful young men. As I made some special tea, we chatted all afternoon about many things like their studies, politics, the right turn the country is taking to our dismay, indifference in voting by younger generation, poverty, AIDS, environment, human nature, etc. Our discussion obviously was not going to change the world, but it gave me a perspective of younger generation.

I am very optimistic about the future as these young people (with much better understanding of the diverse global village) start taking reigns of the country away from many older, highly conservative, inflexible (my way or high way) people. Like the Sun rise this morning with beautiful color, I have no doubt that the future has to be better than what we have done to the present world.