The Evolution of a Runner - Part III

After college, I moved to Ann Arbor and found myself with a lot of free time on my hands. I got home from work around 4, which left me with a good 6 hours to fill before bedtime. But, no, this is not when I took up running. I took up watching movies. A lot of movies. I could often catch the last matinee-price movie at the big new theater near my apartment if I went straight there after work. I also rented several movies a week, trying to work my way through the AFI 100.

This new hobby, coupled with sitting at a desk all day when my body had been used to walking all over campus, left me feeling very lethargic. So, when the weather started to warm up (I had moved to Michigan in the beginning of January 1998, so this was maybe April) I decided I was going to take up running. I went to Foot Locker and bought a pair of very snazzy Nike's with purple and lime green trim (which was the only factor in my footwear decision.) I also bought a matching t-shirt and shorts. And I started running a couple miles now and then. It was a great way to get to know the back roads around my neighborhood.

I had run some very small number of times (1-3?) when I started new employee orientation. And I sat next to this guy, who it turned out also lived in Ann Arbor. He asked me if I ran. I answered with an enthusiastic "Yes!" Things could have turned out badly had he been a hard core runner. Fortunately for me, he was a runner of approximately my caliber. Now, neither of us can remember whether we actually went running together. I'm pretty sure we did. It was a convenient excuse to get together after work without committing to real dates. But apparently it didn't take us long to realize neither of us was really a runner and there were many other things we enjoyed doing together.

We may have run on occasion over the next four years. It's kind of hazy now. I know we spent a lot more time playing Guns N Roses pinball at Pinball Pete's (an amazing arcade), eating and drinking at the many various bars and restaurants around AA and falling in love.