A Walk and a Run in the Rain

I took my gal Kaya for a walk today. It's wet outside but I needed it. On some days,the treadmill just doesn't work for me. The wife wasn't too happy about it but the dog loved it. We're both walking and sometimes running with a big grin on our faces. It felt good!

As I said before it's a good time to do some thinking, praying and remembering.

I saw a guy walking his Husky on the other side of Broadway. We gave each other that old Whittier wave that we're famous for. No, not that one ,the other one, the friendly one,the one with all our fingers!!

When I saw the Husky it brought to mind the Husky we had when I was a boy, about my grandson Jack's age. His name was Duke. I can still remember him, believe it or not. For whatever reason, and this I do not remember, my father gave him away. I do know he missed him and every so often him and I would go visit him. Then one day that ended.

I was trying to beat the rain but to tell you the truth (and don't mention it to my wife and kids) but I was hoping for some good rain. I love running in the rain. It's something I haven't done in years and I'm glad i did it today. back when I was boxing we ran, rain or shine.

My father loved being outside when it rained. Sometimes he would go out without a shirt. It would give my mother fits. He did that up to the time he caught pneumonia. Some times, when it was raining I would catch him staring out the window. He probably missed being out in the rain.

At the halfway point it started to come down. Thank you God! Not a downpour but a light rain. It felt good.

I was wet when I got home, so was the dog but we didn't mind. The wife wasn't too happy though. "Are you crazy?? You just got over a cold!!".

"Yes, yes I am, I'm crazy!!"

When a Boxer Runs

Whenever I'm out walking or running I can't help but think about boxing. It's just impossible for me, whether I'm on the treadmill or out doing roadwork.

Old habits die hard. I still keep my chin down and I still keep my mouth shut and breathe through my nose. The arms and hands are up, not a full on stance but up a little. A fist, but as if I'm holding an egg. Relaxed but ready.

Boxers don't run to win races, boxers run to win fights, so the goal, the objective is different. The stride is shorter and the sense of timing different as well. Endurance is key.

I can almost always tell, when I see a young kid running down the road, if he is a fighter or not, the gait is different, more than a jog but less then a full on run, though there are moments when a fighter does run hard. It's just a general sense of the way a fighter carries himself. I just know it when I see it.