Running

  Back at Anderson College, I ran a lot.  I built up my legs and lungs to where I could run up to six miles.  That is not marathon shape, but I just liked to run.  My stamina was great.  Now, if anyone wants to compare me to "Forrest Gump", don't.  One of the things I liked to do was to run from campus to the main highway through Anderson to see my possible girlfriend drive from her job toward her home.  That was about 2 miles each way.  We got closer later on.

 Every Saturday, I would play tennis with a fellow student.  It was not unusual for us to play for three hours or up to six sets.  I would usually win, but mostly it was just fun.  I was in fantastic shape.  On Sunday nights, I would sit in the bleachers at the baseball field to meditate.  Then, I would run across the field back to my dorm.  I wasn't very good in organized sports, but I did love to run.

One day in P. E. class, our teacher wanted us to run the 100-yard dash and be timed.  When my turn came up, the teacher said "Go", and a student used a stopwatch.  I ran and was timed at 9.3 seconds.  That was world-class speed.  That was Olympic speed.  Unfortunately, it didn't count.  There was a strong wind at my back, and they said the wind was pushing me along.  Maybe it did, but I flew like the wind that day.  

 Later on, at Presbyterian College, I had to run up four flights of stairs to my dorm room.  The elevator never worked.  I was able to do it, because of being in shape.  My thighs were really muscular.  I rode a bicycle all over Laurens County.  Between walking, running and cycling, I was in the best shape of my life.  

 Then, I got a car after graduation.  All of that physical exercise sort of went away.  Even though I still walked a lot, I was never in that kind of shape again.