A fixture

J. lives down the street and our paths often cross in the neighborhood or at races. We finally had J. over for coffee a few weeks ago. He told us he’s been running since 1985. Before that he played soccer, but senior soccer involved too high a risk of injury. As soon as J. switched over to running he was hooked; cause he was good. He runs most races held in a 50 miles radius, often racing twice a week and usually placing well. He has definite opinions on many things; long distance running (marathons aren’t good for you, except maybe for the pros), race strategy (keep your opponents in sight, but if they go out to fast, don’t try to follow), prizes (cash, or even a nice cured ham, is much better than a trophy that will just collect dust on your mantel), experience (there’s a lot to learn from past mistakes, don’t repeat them next time around). I’m sure we’ll see J. at this Friday’s 10K.

Gotta run…