Running with Ron-Ron

(Names have been changed to protect the innocent.)

Last week, our neighbor next door of 24 years asked me if I'd been doing much running. My response, "Uhhhhh, no." I thought to myself---oh dear, where is this going. It turned into an invite to go running with him out on some mountain trails in a nearby hiking area.

I am 26 years old and I am not embarrassed to admit that my 53 year old neighbor showed me up. Pahhhhh! As soon as we got out of the truck we took off running on the trails and I was just trying to keep up. I was huffing and puffing up the trails and I tried desperately to keep no more than 6 feet behind him. I thought I was going to die! There I was gasping for breath, my body was hot, my heartbeat was bulging out the side of my neck and every time I tried to get a drink of water while running the water either sloshed onto my shirt or up my nose. It was NOT pretty. I even wound up choking at one point due to my intake of water up the nose. I remember him asking me over his shoulder if I was okay. Ummm, ya............never better, hahaha! Picture me with a water bottle in one hand and the other hand trying to yank a tissue out of my pocket to wipe my nose from drippy water, ALL while running down a desert trail. I was like a pretzel in motion.

Thankfully the running only lasted for about 10-15 minutes. Blessings from heaven! Then the pace was set to a brisk hiking mode.

We tried to run one more time towards the end of the trail but I had to stop after a few minutes and slow it back down to a walking pace. As my left shoulder began killing me with pain, I was thinking I was in the early stages of dying from a heart attack. The vision of the desert sun glistening off the rooftops of cars in the parking lot had never been sweeter. Before leaving we rested underneath the ramada. My face was red, his was not. My water was completely gone, his was barely touched. I was sweaty, he looked dry. You've got to be kidding me!

I felt bad for slowing my neighbor down despite the fact that he said it was NOT a problem, but he's definitely a hardcore runner and I AM NOT. I just can't run up those mountains, especially when it's hot outside.

Bring on the flat surface jogging areas, please. And while you're at it, bring me my cane. My hips are killing me today. Pahhhhhh! Maybe I should have held on to that piece of mail from the Scooter Store.