A Walk on the Beach

I got a good hard 5 miles in tonight here in sunny, warm Florida. I ran a few miles Monday morning just to test the knee and that went well so I decided to give it one more day of rest and then hit them with a good run tonight. They took it well and I haven't had any pain at all from the ITB. I think I may be ready to run a marathon or something. Probably a good thing since I have one of those planned for Sunday. Just a little one out West somewhere around a bay or something.

I went for a walk along the beach after my run tonight. I wanted to get my feet wet with the cold water but didn't want to get totally soaked. I found the sand was firmest at the point where the waves ended their journey up the beach so I walked there. The waves would roll in and I would wait for awhile and then continue when they went back into the sea. Every few feet another wave would come at me and I would have to wait until it went back before I continued.

This went on for awhile until I became tired of constantly stopping and waiting for every wave. So then I tried to avoid the waves by walking up the sand a bit every time one would come in. This put me in deeper sand and made the walking harder. As the waves would roll out I would walk back down into the firmer sand where I had started and continue walking. Then another wave would roll in and I'd be back up the sand trying to avoid it but getting caught in the deep stuff again. Going towards and away from the waves made my path very long and the walking very hard

This went on for awhile until I decided to just go deeper in the water so that I wouldn't have to deal with the waves rushing at me and splashing my legs. I waded out into the water a bit where the water was a consistent depth and continued along. My path was now straight but I discovered a few holes in the sand that were covered by the water and it made the footing unsure and I became timid with each step. I was walking on sand that I could not see because it was covered up by the water I had waded into. I was also very wet and not comfortable.

Eventually I went back to the path I had started on. This time I walked on through the waves when they rushed at me and continued on my path after they rushed away. I would get splashed every now and then but was surprised to find that I kind of enjoyed the splashing once it was over. I also realized that every wave looks like it's moving fast as it's coming at you but that most are not that bad when they hit you. But the most important thing I learned was that they all return to the sea eventually. You're never in the water for very long as long as you stay on the path you've chosen and don't try to avoid or confront the waves. Just maintain your course and these waves will pass.

I think I learned a lot tonight.

As I was walking back to my hotel I saw some young boys playing on the beach and I missed my boys so much it hurt. I had a tear in my eye by the time I made it back here to the room but I know that this wave will pass too.

San Francisco is in 4 days. Bring it on.

Thanks for listening