Today I said my goodbye to the Schuylkill river by taking a long walk along the river trail.
I walked past the art museum.
I walked past the mark for my usual 6 miles run.
I walked past the geese and ducks and birds that survived the winter with me.
I walked past the cemetery where I wondered how many people have died without knowing they were capable of running a half marathon.
I walked up north till I get lost and didn’t know where the trail was.
I walked down south till the construction point ended the trail temporarily.
I walked through the point where I cursed the universe during my first (stupid) half marathon.
I walked till my fitbit died out of battery.
I walked till my feet hurt and my legs hurt and I didn’t want to walk anymore.
I walked from 7:30 am to 3 pm. I walked a little more than 26 miles.
I had finished my first marathon along the river, and I didn’t want that to be the last one.
Problem is, I hadn’t ran a single mile in the past month, so I figured running a full marathon is beyond my capability at this point, but figured I might be able to walk it. I can walk a mile in about 17 min, so a total of 7.5 h will do.
It was hard and stupid, but it felt like the right thing to do.
The last hour was brutal, with Philly’s 95 F (35C) summer heat. But knowing that it’ll be the last time I am close to Schuylkill (at least for a while) helped me pushing on.
Dear Schuylkill,
I may soon forget how to spell your weird ass name, but I want to thank you for the beautiful water and skies and the sceneries of Philadelphia.
Thank you for the walks and runs and the good times with friends along the trail.
Thank you for listening to my problems.
Thank you for the sunburn today.
Thank you for being there as I ran through the darkest days of my life.
Goodbye. I will miss you dearly.
Remember when you went crazy and flooded half of center city? Good time.
