Retrospective Foresight

I'm closing in on my 5th week of marathon training.  It's been an amazing journey thus far, complete with six-day-a-week runs, a love affair with a cookbook and a near daily reunion with my yoga mat.  The demands of my life schedule paired with this training is slowly affecting my shut eye time: the frequency of my less than 5 hours/night is increasing.  Thursday was a prime example of a less than stellar slumber, but I got up anyway at the crack of dawn to hit the road for about 5 miles.  At some point in the course, I hopped over the nearest curb to follow the sidewalk for a bit.  I immediately thought of my spicy grandmother, Frieda, yelling after me.

Pick up your feet, Love.

I could hear her voice echo in my childhood psyche.  She lived in North Jersey down the block from the Lyndhurst train station on Court Avenue.  The sidewalks grew uneven over time due to increasingly large tree roots; years of use contributed to the crumbling edges.  Pick up your feet, Love.  I focused on the squares of pavement quickly turning over in harmony with my pace.  I paid special attention to the placement of my feet to ensure a safe landing each time.  I repeated that command over and over, until I was reminded of another directive.

Speak clearly and distinctly.  

I repeated that over and over, envisioning her face, picking up the Jersey accent.  I smirked upon realizing this pair of mantras fit the training perfectly.  My plan to run a well executed marathon is in development.  The plan is clear, precise.  All I need to do is pick up my feet and the rest will follow.

Court Avenue, Lyndhurst, NJ
Map Data: Google, Sanborn