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| Crystal Springs Reservoir along Sawyer Camp trail |
I revisited an "old friend" this week. The Sawyer Camp Trail along the crystal springs reservoir in San Mateo. This trail and I have been in relationship for over 25 years. I know it's every nook, cranny and mile-marker. In the old days, long before my knees and back became issues - this was the place I came to run - and run - and run. God how I loved to run here. And I mean run, not jog. Through the seasons, rain or shine - early evening after work during my corporate days, then with more flexibility once I started my coaching business.
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| Very recent "memorial" bench installed |
It's a beautiful place to be but since my running career is long over now (first the knees and now the back) and we've moved a few towns away - I don't visit it that often anymore. I think this was the first time I'd been there this year. That's going to have to change.
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| Love that view |
In the old days - I used to love running out beyond the one mile marker where most of the strollers (adults and baby) cluster - to where it felt the trail was more my own - except for the occasional biker, roller blader, or fellow runner. If a runner was ahead - they became my target to pass. Or if behind ....you can probably guess the rest. It became a habit to go to the 3.5 mile point to visit the Jepson Laurel (now the oldest laurel in California), grab a well needed drink from the water fountain (unfortunately no longer there) and stretch/rest up for the 3.5 mile run back. 5 - 7 miles was what I usually ran.
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| A (not so flattering) pic of the Jepson Laurel - over 600 years old - and oldest Laurel in California |
It's hard when the mind is willing - wanting even - and the body is not capable of fulfilling. My back, knock on the nearest oak tree, is feeling better. Less chronic pain - more situational now. But running - and all the ensuing disc compression that would result - is not an option. I'm not stupid. I want to preserve what I have. Avoid the knife. Feel no pain.
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| This was here long before cell phones were - I find it rather funny now. |
So as I set off on the trail - after having been gone for so long - I felt conflicted. How long of a walk did I want to take? Would the experience be diminished in comparison to the memory of all of those satisfying runs from the past? I'll admit I felt a bit sad as I started out. I felt the loss of running which I had loved so much. I felt the loss of my youth.
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| At the 3.5 mile mark |
But I was outside, on a trail I know and love, surrounded by the California countryside which I also know and love....and I started noticing what parts of my old running memories I was experiencing while walking. (I decided pretty early on that I was going for the Jepson Laurel - for a 7 mile round trip.)
Every twist and turn of the trail was the same, as was the crunch of gravel under my feet, the occasional wildlife (hawks, ducks, deer, all sorts of birds, and what I think was a blue heron and a dead lizard), and the smell of California (you have to live here and/or run/walk its hills to know what I'm talking about). Just like the old days, I tapped each half mile marker as I passed, and found myself noodling away - lost in thought- like I used to while running. I just had more time to think. And more time to soak in my surroundings. I walked as fast as my back allowed - coming upon each half mile marker much faster than I thought I would - and even passed/ or kept from passing some fellow walkers. Fun!
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So while some things have changed, some things will never change, and new experiences and memories can always be created - even with old friends like this trail is to me.
What from your past will you repurpose?
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