Ebb and Flow

Cool start heading South

 Saturday started off pretty cold, and there was a constant threat of rain overhead throughout the morning, but a solid group of 26 runners came out to run...rain or shine.

We did our full 12 miles, did it in 3 hours for a near perfect pace of 15 min/mile.  On the way back, there were a few drops of rain here and there, but it never really opened up even though the rain clouds were looming overhead.  This also made for near perfect running conditions with the cool air temps.

Mothers' Beach

This being the first time the group has gone the South course, we took a bit of a bathroom break at Mothers' Beach, as I related a bit of the historical significance of the local area. Since this was a lot longer than we have ever gone, I just told the group let's just go 6 miles and then turn around and come back.


I find it helps to break down a run like this into smaller chunks, and if you can think of it that way, it's a lot easier to mentally overcome it.  Our 6 mile turnaround was just along Ballona Creek, and it was lovely this time of year.


During the run, whenever I started to fade a bit, and this was a tough one for me, because this past week I actually had to paint an entire office, and lay down some new flooring....I was pretty sore and tired, I knew I had to do something to keep myself going and to help the group out too.  So when in doubt, tell a good story, and I did so, about three times. 

A Man and His Manor

My stories this week was about some special people I had the chance to work with, and the circumstances of those special moments.  It's a bit too much to repeat all that here, but my point of the stories was that there are times when opportunities and circumstances are such that we realize how privileged we are to be there, and for me I told about those moments.  The first was about working on a tv series, and a very moving scene involving Esther Rolle, and how the entire cast and crew were left breathless, the second was about being in England with Audrey Hepburn and how elegant and wonderful a person she was, and finally the third story was about working with a few of my film heroes, all in one studio...Akira Kurasawa, George Lucas, and Francis Coppola.

On set with Audrey Hepburn...Gardens of the World

Surprise Birthday greeting from Audrey

It may seem like a Entertainment Tonight type moment, but it really wasn't, in all cases, it was something very unique and special.  I have a few more stories left in me, so don't feel bad if you missed these, but it really helped me get through the 12 miler.


With the highs come the lows...as we finished our run, I brought Patricia into the circle, and for those who may not know her, she is the one usually right at the front with the short hair, and her husband is Jamie, the tall guy who is also one of our PLs, and I shared with everyone that she had just lost her mother the day before.  Her mother, whom Patricia was caring for, had passed away, quietly in their home, she was 89 years old.  

Jamie had told me that morning that he wanted Patricia to come out and run with us, because he didn't want her to be alone, and I believe this was a very good decision. This is not the first time we have had runners in our group lose close ones, and it's good to know that just this act of running with a group, to get outside and work it out a bit, can be so therapeutic.  It has worked for me many times.
 
Family can be described and interpreted in different ways, and it may be a bit early for some of us, but I feel there is a lot of family in RW5.
We all got together for a group hug with Patricia, and it's moments like this when you realize how special this all can be.



have a great week,


Walt