The Lonesome Road

Posted by Mark

When I jog, I jog through Emigrant Lake County Park.  I do it because it's right next to my house, it's off the busy highway and there is always a lot of opportunity for human interaction.  It gets downright busy up there during the summer months. Boaters are boating, picnickers are picnicking, campers are camping and the water slide and playground are always teeming with activity.  When I run through the park during the peak season people are everywhere and they are always very friendly.  They wave at me and say hi and even sometimes a bored kid or two will jog a long beside me just looking for something to do.  Frankly, I enjoy the interaction.   It makes the run more interesting and is somewhat motivating.

As we move into fall, however, the crowds have been slowly diminishing.  In fact, when I ran today the place was practically a ghost town.  They closed the RV park off to campers for the season and the lake is so low it's next to impossible to launch a boat.   Fall has definitely arrived.  The trees are beginning to change colors and the air temperature has gotten markedly cooler.  The days are getting shorter and foul weather is just around the corner.

So here comes the test of my committment. As the ease of summer exercise wanes and the threat of chilly winter workouts waxes, will I be able to keep up the routine?  When I wake up in the morning to sub-zero temperatures, can I overcome the temptation to curl up in front of a warm fire and sip on a 1000 calorie cup of hot chocolate instead of putting on my shoes?  I know nobody will be out there to greet me. Nobody else will be working out and nobody will care if I do it or if I don't.  I will be all alone on the lonesome road.