Good Sports

Reprinted with permission from the Zionsville Times Sentinel on March 14, 2007

by Budd Glassberg

Musings on a Sunday Afternoon

“Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.” - Ecclesiastes xi. 7.

With winter on the wane and spring hastening to arrive, last weekend’s weather was a preview of coming attractions. Heading to Zionsville’s rail-trail on Sunday afternoon, I noticed a marked increase in the foot/bike/skate/stroller traffic on the pathway. Could this be the same lonely trail that only three weeks earlier was void of all human activity, save a couple of die-hard runners? The bustle of families getting their first taste of sun and warmth this winter spread joy and good tidings among each of us as we traveled north and south. Like the spring daffodils bursting through the ground, we come in numbers and seem to color the day.

Some look to New Year’s Day to begin the next chapter of their lives with the promise of change. Resolutions made in mid winter when the cold grabs and wont let go tend to blow away with a strong wind. That first warm and sunny weekend after a brutal deluge of snow and cold weather clearly initiates a new found desire for people to move their bodies more often and steel their craving to seize the day. With no date to circle on the calendar, some will answer the call of spring with resolve to once again attain the activity of their youth.

Those who braved the winter’s wrath by staring it down were rewarded with the kind weather. They will not feel the Monday soreness of overdoing it on the weekend. Winter workouts were the tuition paid for the privilege of being able to take full advantage of the glorious conditions and energized renewal of activity.

It simply feels good to be out and about without the burden of layer upon layer of clothing. The sun touching skin that has not been exposed for months offers a sense of pleasure that radiates all through the body. The ground feels fine under foot. The unencumbered feet afford a feeling akin to freedom. It seems as though there is no better place to be on this day than here.

Seeing the families with children out for a walk or ride evoke a flood of memories that call to mind snippets of my father holding the seat of my bicycle as I peddled faster and faster before he let go for the first time and me taking on his role as I yelled to my daughter, “Your riding on your own”. One can’t help but smile at the little ones churning away on their tricycles with the family dog assuring security at their sides. There is a knowing feeling of potential as I notice a new Mom and Dad walking down the trail with their infant in her stroller. I have been on that trail too.

As I ran past an elderly couple walking hand in hand, I considered their road traveled and the satisfaction that comes with a lifetime together. Those thoughts helped me accurately place where I am in the spectrum of life and pointed to where the trail is heading. A pleasing thought indeed.

A pleasant Sunday afternoon is not a time for a speed workout. Instead it is the perfect time to reacquaint with good friendships that have been hibernating over the winter months. It is a time to run a while, then stop and talk and run some more. We are, each of us as we meet, a bit older, showing as tad more wear for the time passed, but so glad to see one another again.

Budd Glassberg is a resident of Zionsville who is active in the local running community. Visit www.runz.com for reprints of all his columns. You can reach him by email at budd@runz.com.