Warming Up

Beautiful, old oak trees draped in Spanish moss, a lily pond, trails galore… How could I not have known about this park?
 
Granted, I’m not from the area, but still…
 
And I’m not huffing and puffing yet. Of course, we’re pacing ourselves, almost but not quite walking. Still…
 
Seven of us, all beginners. Everyone but me has been on a few long runs. Candace, our leader, has run this exact same trail once before. She’s still a beginner, too, though. Shooting a sideways peek. How old is she? Definitely in her forties, at least. She’s not a lean, Zen-like runner, full of serene confidence. She’s more like, well, like what she is, a middle-aged, middle-sized baseball mom who needs time for herself. She has just enough aggressive determination to see her through.
 
To see all of us through…
 
Go, Candace!
 
The sandy path turns, suddenly long and straight, lake on one side, woods on the other. Birds are chirping. A small flock of egrets are clustered along the bank.
 
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Candace gestures around us. “It’s what I love about runs like this. The peace of it.”
 
“Yeah, but…” Okay, so I’m puffing a little. “We’d enjoy it just as much or more if we were walking or riding bikes.”
 
She grins, pulling her cap down lower. “You think so? Get ready, girl. I think we’ve warmed up enough.”
 
Warmed up?