I Have An Admirer!

Last Saturday, I got up early to run my 12 miles before a scheduled golf outing with my neighbors.  As I was nearing the completion of my first 4 mile loop, a white Cadillac slowly passed by.  And as it did, an old man leaned out of the driver's window and said, "I admire you, young man."  I was a little shocked to have anyone speaking to me and I was even more shocked to be complimented by a passerby.  Now this old timer could have been making a bit of a pass at me, like old man Herbert up at the top, but I highly doubt it.  But the question of why this guy admired me kept me in a quandary for nearly the rest of the run.

Does he admire me because I am still physically able to run, something he may be unable to do in his advanced age?  Maybe.  But I think he could totally run if he took his time and started slowly.  Louis Zamperini, Olympic athlete, WWII POW, and the subject of the wildly popular book "Unbroken" (if you haven't read this book, you really should), was still running 6 minute miles into his 60's.  I have to work my ass off to run a sub-7 minute mile and I am only 34!  I certainly would like to continue to run well into my retirement and often use Zamperini as an example of what the human body is capable of enduring.

Maybe this guy admired me for being up early on a Saturday just to go for a run?  I hope so.  My Saturday runs usually have me finishing up around 7:30am.  At this time on the weekend, I have seen next to no one out on the streets or even in their yards.  It often saddens me that more people are not out enjoying the morning, going for a ride or a run, or just sitting on thier porch taking in some fresh morning air.  I worry that some people are sleeping away their lives or wasting their energy and time watching movies or chatting online late into the evening.  I worry even more that too many people are making dangerous choices with their health and lives; choices that will actually end up costing the rest of us a lot of money in health care costs as the incidence of preventable diseases increases.

The truth is I don't have the slightest idea why this guy admired me.  I am glad that he said something because it made me feel good to be admired.  And if he really was hitting on me, that's not so bad either; everybody like to feel attractive, even to 80 year old men.