SATURDAY MORNING I RAN MY FIRST EVER 18-MILER, and to my surprise I felt good all the way up to mile 16. Having someone else to run with near my pace really helped, especially with the final few miles. That said, I did pay the price; my IT bands finally forgave me this morning. So I was able to hop on the TriCross and hit the road for an hour-long sunset ride after work.

I started out on the main roads around the area, which wasn’t much fun due to traffic. And as I headed back east, the setting sun behind me cast really long shadows ahead for everything on the road. You know those scary movies where a shadow looms up suddenly behind the next guy to get the chop? That was what it felt like whenever a car came up from behind me. Freaky. So I got off the main road and into a subdivision behind Meijer, which also happened to be where we ran when I was in the Running 101 class. Seems like yesterday, but it was long ago…[1] well, okay, January of 2010. Very hard to believe it’s been over a year and a half since I trod those streets with Mandi and the rest of the group.

How far I’ve come since my “long run” was 3 miles. But it seems like almost no time has passed since 2010, or even 2005, when I started Aikido. I know I’m stronger and have much better endurance, and yet I don’t really “feel” any different. Although I’m pretty sore on Saturday afternoons and Sundays right now. Hopefully that will improve as well.

Funny, but I recently corresponded with my friend Michel in France, and it also reminded me of 2005, when our families “exchanged daughters” for a few weeks. That, too, seems like just yesterday. Hence the title of the post.

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[1] I don’t know why, but Bob Seger often plays in my head during a long ride. On my way up north in July, “Main Street” looped for a long time. “Against the Wind” is another habitual ride tune.