God I loathe the battery place hill I grumbled to myself. Of all the times Ive run on the riverwalk I always try to save gas in the tank for this special stinger of a hill as I am convinced it wants to demolish me. Today was no exception. On my way out on the riverwalk I passed this gentlemen. Ive seen him before. He is an elderly man, looking to be perhaps in his late 60s. He walks the area frequently. Always leaning to the left a little bit, sometimes grabbing onto the hand rails, sometimes not, and always with a look of determination on his face. For some reason, I usually see him in the battery place area of the path. I wonder who he is I thought to myself today as I passed by him, waving with smile as he nodded back. I kept on with my run, my curiosity setting in. On my way back into town I was struggling. It was hot, I was tired, and damn it, battery place hill was bearing down on me. I wonder if the elderly guy is still out here? I wanted to find out more about him, step outside my comfort zone, make a new friend on the running path and let him know he has an admirer. My pace picked up a little, I rounded the path near the tennis courts and there he was.....leaning to the left a little, and also conquering the first part of the hill I had been dreading. I took out my earbuds, and wiped the sweat off my hands. I came up behind him, reached out to his shoulder and said do you know I always see you walking here and I wanted to say hello. He at first looked surprised as he didnt see me from behind, then giving me the once-over, a smile crept across his face. Im Paul. Nice to meet you. Whats your name? Danielle. Nice to meet you. We started walking together chatting. Ya know Paul, Ive been seeing you out here almost every weekend I run here. How long have you been walking down here?. I was expecting an answer somewhere along the lines of a few years. Ive been walking downtown in Chattanooga now for about 14 years and try to come down here and walk from downtown to the rowing center about 5 days a week. I was stunned. Really?! Yep, I was walking down here before they built the glass bridge and made a lot of this path. Why do you like to walk down here? I have a few medical conditions and Im allergic to medicines so I come down here and walk to help me keep some of those things in check. At this time a huge grin is creeping upon my face. Do you mind if I ask how many years youve been on this green earth? 80 years. I was in the presence of a lifelong athlete. Humbling. We exchanged a few more pleasantries and we shook hands. I told him I hoped that we would cross paths again and with that I was back into the run feeling the high and inspiration of meeting someone whos history and experience of the area as well as his desire to be healthy despite the challenges he faced lifting my spirits for the day. Wow! 80 years young I thought to myself. Paul, I could only hope to follow in your footsteps. Thank you for the inspiration today. Chattanooga Sports Institute and Center for Health
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 18:17:22 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015