The Longest Mile

Distance	Time	Route	Pace
10-13?	2+ hours	Home to Bird Rock (Pebble Beach) to Lovers Point	10-11 min. miles

One of the things that's so appealing about running is its simplicity. When grappling with life's other complications, in an age where even television plot-lines feature Pyncheonian permutations of character and story, the trance-like comfort of putting one foot in front of the other is intoxicating.

So it was that last night, in the face of a general feeling of unease about the many facets of life in the postmodern age, I went out for a run of undetermined length. Since the marathon, I haven't run for more than an hour at once, and there was a good chance that this run would be quite a bit longer than that.

Hoping for zen-like clarity, I stripped myself of all but the necessarry gear. No fanny pack, no water or Gu, no ipod, no cell phone: just a house key, shorts, shirt, shoes and socks, and went out the door around 7:15 p.m. as the sun was turning yellow in the sky. The first 40 minutes was hard, the rest was pretty easy. Highlights included the crashing of the waves the thunk of pavement and wood board and the crunching of dirt, sand and gravel under foot.

For two hours, peace. For two hours, clarity. For two hours, my mind focused mostly on breathing and running. And when it was done, what insights had I gained? What truth to guide my life? None, except the knowledge that I can still run a half marathon.