The cool, dry days of fall have finally arrived in Highlands after one of the rainiest summers that I remember. Rainy days that made running difficult, that brought out more gnats and mosquitos than usual, and that on one luckless day in August resulted in my slipping and falling on our rain-slickened stone sidewalk, clutching to my chest a circular saw and a drill. I was left with very interesting circular-saw-shaped bruises to my chest and a trip to the Urgent Care center in Franklin for an x-ray to determine whether or not I had broken any ribs. I know something about broken ribs.
Fortunately, my ribs were badly bruised but not broken, and so the slow, gradual process of healing proceeded through August and September. Finally, within the past two or three weeks, I have been able to resume morning pushups again! And then in October the weather began to change, with bright blue skies and cool air - perfect running conditions. Everywhere around me on my morning runs, the trees were simply beautiful! My usual route was transformed.
I missed some races I had planned to run this summer, but that was all right with me. Perhaps the forced down time was a benefit after all. Every runner, especially an aging one, should take a complete break from running periodically, planned or unplanned, and I have felt the past two weeks better than I have in a long time. Monday, I rambled on unaccustomed roads, taking walking breaks whenever I felt like it. And today I did the same, even venturing down the Franklin Road and through the Will Henry Stevens bridge at the entrance to The Bascom. I have not done that all year.
