Saying My Goodbyes

We didn’t take many summer family trips when I was a kid. Maybe that’s why whenever we did, it was always a big deal to me. Out of the four of us, I’d be the first to get packed, the first to get up on getaway day, and the first to load up the car. And while waiting impatiently for everyone else to pack their gear and themselves into the trusty old caravan, I’d run around the street from one end to the other, saying goodbye to the neighbors, squirrels, trees and everything else in between, telling them how I’d miss them when I’m gone.

I had similar sentiments this afternoon as I took my last trip around Central Park before the marathon. I bid farewell to the reservoir, the Fred Labow statue, the Engineering Gate and other signature ornaments that decorated my training grounds for the past 6 months. I said my goodbyes because the person who will be running here in the future will not be me. He will not be an insecure slowpoke who doubts his training and questions his ability to run a good race. He will not wonder if he is good enough to qualify, good enough to beat 33 seconds, good enough to achieve the goal that has eluded him since the last time he attempted the distance one year ago. In his place, will be a confident, successful, and triumphant BQ marathoner who no longer has to worry if he’s good enough. He came, he ran, and he conquered, and that, for the rest of his running career should be enough. So for now, I abid adieu to Central Park, in all its splendor and glory. I promise that the man who’s coming back will not be me.