This morning I ran with the Sac State Track Team. Impressive, huh? Forget the fact those 20 year old gazelles were shoving past me, shouting "outta the way old lady... you're slowing me down". Yeah, well....
They didn't really say that, but I DID run with them... all of about 20 feet, as I forced myself to jog uphill to the next sign, despite my thundering heart and gasping breath. OK... I was WALKING the hill, and they showed up like a herd of wildebeests, flying up and down the hill like there was no tomorrow.
You see, Fair Oaks is home to the steepest hill in the area. It runs down Pennsylvania to the parking lot at the Sunrise Bridge. Track teams from the local colleges and high schools torture train their teams there most early mornings. You'll see their young lithe bodies sprinting up the hill, then back down, then up the hill again. The slave driver coach stands on the side with a whip stop watch yelling threats shouting encouragements. Meanwhile I have managed to walk down and up a few times, maybe once breaking out into a lope - just to say I did it. I pretend the shouts of encouragement are for me. Hell yeah, I can do a 20 second split!.... ...right up to the next No Parking sign.
On my last trip down the hill, I stroll out to the Sunrise Bridge to see my duck friends and check out the flow of the American River. Then it's up the hill again for the last time.
Just once I want to pass one of those Sac State squirts on the hill, and yell "Outta my way, buster". Yeah... we'll see if that ever happens.
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