David Horn

Period 1

3/27/00

The Run

Last summer, with nothing to do and energy to burn, on the off chance that my friend Gordy may not have been thinking straight, I asked him to run with me. You see, Gordy has never really enjoyed the athletic side of life. He once told me, "My idea of exercise is running from the computer to the fridge." So you can imagine my surprise when he agreed to go running with me.

It all started last summer when Gordy and I were talking and he told me that he was looking for something "athletic" to do. Since I was already going running, I decided to invite him along. We met at his house and decided to run around his neighborhood. I knew it was a bad sign when his running shoes were destroyed, not from use, but from sitting in his closet for so long.

I decided to let him set the pace and I was surprised how fast he chose to start. I was even more surprised he kept the pace up for a quarter mile or so. After the first quarter mile Gordy began to slow down, but he stuck with it and refused to give up. After taking a few breaks we decided to circle around a school we were close to and head home. Gordy soon learned this would be easier said than done.

After he and I made it around the school we came to a chain-linked fence. I, fresh from summer football workouts, was feeling fine, and barely winded, Gordy; however, was not. As Gordy approached the fence his face resembled the Hun's approaching the Great China Wall. Using the fence to support his exhausted body for a few minutes, he began his slow accent over the fence. Once reaching the summit of this personal battle he through himself over and nearly collapsed on the sidewalk.

To my amazement he still refused to surrender to the pain. After another brief brake we continues on our trek to his house. We had finally made it to the halfway point of our run; however, this did little to comfort Gordy's aching limbs. The house was still a considerable distance away, but once again, despite all odds, he trudged on.

Finally after a few more minutes of off and on running, he finally submitted to the pain and exhaustion. With frustration in his eyes, he solemnly stated, "Just go ahead". I reluctantly did as he said; deep inside I wanted to see him make it all the way. I sprinted the rest of the way to his house, where I got my car and went and picked up my worn-out friend. As I approached him on the street, his face lit up and he cracked a smile. I could tell he was ecstatic that his first long-distance run in over ten years had ended.

Once the moment had passed, it became very humorous to us, as well as our friends. Gordy has gone back to his usually exercise program of running to the fridge and back, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Anytime my confidence level in my athletic ability begins to sag, I just remember the time I went running with Gordy, and the feeling passes.