As I made my way to the subway this morning without a line of sweat beading my upper lip for the first time since April (eat your heart out, boys), I was left in utter disbelief at how quickly this summer has passed me by. It seems just yesterday I was trading in my spandex pants and fleece-lined gloves for my summer running wardrobe of short shorts and singlets. With August coming precipitously close to a close, I can’t help but wonder where the heck this summer went.
Oh, that’s right. It went everywhere.
It went to five Major League Baseball games in five different cities (if you consider the Bronx and Queens different cities, which I most certainly do.)
It went 257.6 miles on foot since June 1 as I ramped up mileage ahead of my first-ever marathon. The vast majority of these miles were logged on the Central Park loop, but a few dozen transpired in such far-flung locales as San Francisco, the Hamptons and this little remote oasis I’ll call Prospect Park. You’ve probably never heard of it. I sure hadn’t.
It went to rooftop bars and communal beer gardens, scandalous Texas tractor festivals and family-friendly burlesque shows. It went on first dates and second dates and the occasional something better. It went on fishing trips and brewery tours, outdoor concerts and IMAX films, lobster bakes and softball games, and, oh yeah, to Rio De Janeiro.
Most importantly, this summer went to show me I have some of the very best friends around: the kinds of friends who drop everything when you need them, whether that’s in the form of a late-night phone call from Baltimore, Boston or the Bay Area; a pint of soup or an Arnold Palmer on a particularly heartbreaking afternoon; a patient listener when my thoughts are on auto-repeat and a date to the latest Hollywood blockbuster when I’d rather not think at all.
So while the days may be shortening with each passing week, I’m not going to mourn the fact that this summer flew by faster than Rep. Todd Akin’s career prospects. Where did my summer go, you ask?
It went above and beyond my wildest expectations.
Thanks, everyone.
But enough about me. How was yours?
Riled Up Runner 