A Morning Run

Next week marks one year since I've returned to Dana-Farber after my brief time away. And yesterday I did something  that I haven't done in the time since I've been back; I ran before work.

Working in a large hospital setting offers some advantages. In this case, it means that I have access to a small men's room with a few lockers and a shower. Given that I have  a 75-90 minute commute, the ability to shower at work is critical. It means, among other things, that I don't have to run at 5 am in the morning, and that I get to run in Boston. However to make it happen, I do have to get up before 5 am.

The path that runs alongside the water. My
 run was before it was covered with snow

When I was training for the Boston Marathon back in 2010, I would do this 2-3 times a week. But with one week of four being shot, I haven't been able to get back into the routine, and with only one more round of chemo to go, the temptation has been to wait until after chemo's done.

But, as I wrote the other day, I don't want to put things on hold, put life on hold, waiting for some milestone. There is always another obstacle in the way - a busy week at work, kids sports or school events, a cold, the snow. Life doesn't roll up the delays and roll out a red carpet with an invitation to begin something new. Sometimes you just need to overcome the inertia and start. I felt rested on Monday so I went to sleep early and the next morning, I ran.

Sometimes the best part of any run (to adapt from Dorothy Parker) is to have run. Sometimes I run to justify ice cream. But sometimes, like yesterday, I truly enjoy the run. While daylight forced itself upon a reluctant dawn, I made my way along the paths that wind through the Longwood Medical Are and Jamaica Plain -- the trail follows a small waterway and took me toward, and then away the building rush hour traffic. My legs felt fresh; my lungs felt fine in the brisk winter air. Headphones on, I passed a few fellow runners and the occasional dog walker. I wasn't running at any fast clip, but speed wasn't the objective.

The goal was just to run.

-michael