The 6-mile Autumn run across First Watchung Mountain ascended Vossellar Avenue past LaMonte Field where I had played away childhood in Pop Warner, Pony League, and Bound Brook High School football and baseball. That first glance back always set the stage for a memorable run, and this one right after college was that and more.
Crossing Route 22 at the traffic light, the road turned abruptly steep, forcing focus on each toe strike until reaching the summit, winded and spent. Then I wobbled along Hillcrest Road until breathing slowed, legs lightened, and senses returned, heightened for the rest of the crest.
A sea of red, green, and gold...
...football practice jerseys sacrificed for the greater good of acing both Physics and Organic Chemistry in a game of pre-med catch up. It worked, but the hurt of a senior co-captain abandoning teammates was hardened into lifelong guilt by a coach who refused my request to stand with the team on the sidelines during home games.
The musty scent of decay...
...on the Kappa Alpha dance floor on a Sunday morning traded for late nights in the science building. And, to top it off, my house dog Renaldo, variously known to the brothers as Retardo, Renaldo-Tin-Tin, and Renaldo-Buddy-Dog, had to drop out during his senior year to become Fatty-Flea-Bag at my parents house in New Jersey.
Joyous screams...
...of a pileated woodpecker up in the oaks conjured good friends and wild parties left for two health care jobs and a calculus class to enhance chances for medical school admission. But, if I'd learned anything from first football and now distance running, persistence pays off in the end.
The end of that Hillcrest run came suddenly as I emerged onto Mountain Avenue. Turning downhill, I at first fought the steep grade but then let go and let gravity sprint me back into my hometown for one last push.
Beautiful fall colors. And a great reason to get out there and run. I ran about 1 1/2 miles today. How far did you run?
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