My husband, Greg, is a sub 1:30 half marathoner and 3:17 marathoner, and that takes some training mileage to accomplish. As a result, he’s my ultimate guide for amazingly scenic running routes in our area. I can ask him for any distance from 4 – 12 miles and he rattles off suggestions that take me past rivers, lakes, and gorgeous foliage. I can give him elevation preferences, loop vs. out and back requests, and discuss traffic patterns based on when I’m running. He pretty much runs this town. And any town within a 15 mile radius.
Anyway – he recently shared a running route he discovered through one of our neighbors, who is an avid cyclist. It includes a winding road that’s evidently renowned in the cycling circles as a destination ride, one so beautiful, quiet and scenic that cyclists actively seek it out.
This is how I discovered that I am in love with a bunch of bikers.
I’m running along this peaceful, windy road before 6 a.m. The sky is starting to brighten, but it’s still muted, and you can feel the earliness in the air. Trees on either side occasionally give way to views of the Charles River. There’s not a car on the road, and only birds are awake enough to disturb the silence.
And then I hear a whirring noise, and from behind me on the other side of the road a large group of male cyclists whoosh by, leaned over their bikes, a beautiful show of muscular legs and spandex. The way they lean forward, showcasing their strong arms, their rapidly pedaling legs, the silent camaraderie of the group… it’s all so appealing.
In that moment, I go from a feeling of peaceful solitude to a feeling of joyful observation.
They have brightened my world without intruding into my seclusion. I am still alone, running slowly on the other side, at a pace so different we don’t even greet one another.
I just observe… and in those brief moments before they round the corner, out of sight, it feels like the world is perfect.
I am surrounded by beauty and stillness, witness to a group of people motivated enough to get out of bed before 5 and seek each other’s companionship for some scenic miles.
I am in one of the most beautiful towns in New England, one of the most beautiful areas in the world, at a time when no cars are on the road, the sky is just getting brighter, and cyclist after cyclist is whooshing by making me feel like the world is comprised only of athletic, motivated men… which reminds me that my own is home getting ready to feed our beautiful boys breakfast so I can have these gorgeous miles.
If I ever complain that my husband spends so much time running, I must remember how much I love having a gorgeous, athletic husband who, like these cyclists, gets up early to exercise with friends and never stays out late to drink with them. (And I should also remember the sacrifices he makes for MY running!)
Cyclists… I love you. You make the world feel perfect.
Or maybe you just remind me that sometimes mine is 🙂
Do you have a place and time where the world feels perfect?
very very cool I want to run there
YES. You really do. They’re gorgeous. I mean, it’s gorgeous.
Your writing is a trip! I’m surprised how much we have in common. Especially the hunky cyclists. 😉 But the half marathons and New England as well. I’m a Southerner now, but I still get to run once a year in NH. Beautiful NH!!
I’m jealous of you southerners in the winter (I went to Emory University and remember the gorgeous, year round outdoor weather well) but NOT in the summer when it’s so crazy hot down there!!! Are there a lot of cyclists in the south? I feel like Massachusetts has a huge cycling community, bigger than where I grew up in Maine. I love seeing the groups of them going by, not just because they look great, but because it looks like they’re having such a great time working out together and seeing the scenery, too! If I didn’t think I’d get hit by a car I would love to take up cycling.