Day 27

As I mentioned yesterday, my last walk was on Wednesday, November 30. 

On Thursday, I’d spent most of the day preparing for my presentation at the legal conference, so it wasn’t until about 4:30 that I hit the road for Horseshoe Bay. I pretty much drove through, only stopping once at Hruska’s Bakery in Ellinger for their world-class cheeseburger, but it was still very late when I got to the hotel.

After I unpacked, I had an impulse to exercise, but I’d forgotten to pack workout gear and it just seemed too outre to do hotel room calisthenics in my underwear.

The next day, I gave the speech, had lunch with my friend Dave, and headed home. Lisa and I had gotten a reservation at a nice place in Pearland for dinner with the kids and I just made it home in time for the meal.  Literally thousands of calories later, I was in no condition to exercise (or do anything else).

Another fine meal with the family

The next morning was basketball for two hours with my buddies. Not full court, but still a pretty good workout, especially when I’m chasing our maniac shooter Brock or having to box out the relentless Jim, the only guy on the floor my size.

But still no walk. Too pooped.

Which brings us to today. I’d mentioned yesterday my intention to walk 8 miles, and that semi-commitment was hanging over me all day. I did all of the usual procrastinating (laundry, house cleaning, catching up on work, making crab cakes, watching football) and it was approaching 5:00. Do or die time.

I didn’t want to die, so I did. 

The walk was kind of a slog. I was wearing my Saucony runners and my left pinky toe was having none of it, getting more and more irritated with me as the distance grew. Both of my feet were getting just generally sore as well. It could be my weight, plus yesterday’s basketball, that was wearing out my feet, but I really think it was these old shoes that were the problem.  And since my Hokas seem to be a bust, I think I’m just going to have to try to find some new walkers.

Anyway, instead of obsessing over the throbbing pain, I tried to focus on the audiobook I was listening to, but the book hit a natural stopping point at about seven miles, so I switched to a music playlist I put together many years ago when I ran the half-marathon, and it was just what I needed.

First, I had Mick Jagger and Peter Tosh singing “(You Gotta Walk) Don’t Look Back,” which is my favorite Mick solo song - he really nails his part of the vocal and seems to be a fanboy about singing with one of the original Wailers - and the lyric was on point for me at seven miles:

So if you just put your hand in mine,

We're gonna leave all our troubles behind.

Keep on walking and don't look back.

Forget about the past now.

Don't look back, baby.

So I did - I kept on walking and didn’t look back.

Then it was Randy Newman singing “Feels Like Home,” which was a beautiful moment, because I was on my street and could see my house and I knew Lisa was inside, waiting for me:

A window breaks

Down a long dark street

And a siren wails in the night

That's alright

'Cause I have you here with me

And I can almost see

Through the dark there's a light

If you knew

How much this moment means to me

And how long I've waited for your touch

If you knew

How happy you're making me

Oh, I never thought I'd love anyone

So much

Feels like home to me

Feels like home to me

Feels like I'm all the way back where I come from

It’s a beautiful sentimental song, and I stood in the front yard, listening to the yearning vocal and feeling, for the first time in a while, really content. And when the last piano chord in the song faded out, I went inside.

8.14 miles.