A Not-So-Long Day

I headed out yesterday late to take a fairly long run. The heat was bugging me, so I walked a bit. I kept moving, running until it became too unpleasant, then walking until I got my head right. At one point, I saw an older man ahead of me doing the run walk thing. As I passed, I said, "You make us kids feel bad." He looked up and we both grinned simultaneously in recognition. It was Albert, the shoe repair guy.

If you want a vision of Albert, picture Burgess Meredith as the trainer in the Rocky films. He wears glasses with a librarian's leash on them. There's a wire from some bridgework across several of his teeth, and he's tough as nails.

He is actually not a shoe repair guy anymore, he retired about 2 years ago, closing up his shop. I had only seen him once since then, and it was very shortly after the closing. Anyway, Albert will turn 89 this summer. He covers 3-5 miles daily and does 25 pushups when he's done. (He used to do 100, and when I teased him, he acknowledged it was a concession to aging.) We headed back to his car, then headed out a short ways together, then he headed back, while I aimed for home.

It was a real pleasure to see Albert, and he sets an example I hope to be able to come close to emulating as I age.