A Diary of My Running

For the last six months I have spent most days of the week waking up and running. I give myself 20 minutes for some water and stretching and schedule my run to be back an hour prior to work. I have two running routes: the 13k out-and-back to the east end of the island and the western 8k loop (this loop also has a cutoff road that allows it to double as a 6k route).

The 13k is easily my most worn route. It passes through Asa, a small village of 40 people on the east side of Zamami, and then winds another 5k past a northerly observatory to some faraway beaches. The 8k begins immediately with a non-stop climb to the highest point on the island at 420' above sea level. This road then wraps around the high ridges and observatories to the West and makes for a stunningly beautiful (when it's light..) run.

I run when it's dark. The level of darkness depends on cloud cover, but usually I can safely guide my route by the white guard rails or a stripe on the edge of the road. The darkest nights still have enough ambient light for the white to faintly glow. When the clouds are few I can see lights from the surrounding islands and even Naha (25 miles away).

[What it looks like when I run]

Something really unique to my 13k route is a huge cat population that survives at the end of the road. And the couple who drive out pre-dawn every day to feed them. I ran the route a few times in daylight in August so I knew of all the cats, but imagine my surprise when a light came along the road during my first early run! (The end of the road is 5k - 3.2 miles - past Asa, so as far from people as is possible on Zamami.) I thought my death was imminent. But it's become a ritual to pass each other every morning, miles away from anything.

Do you remember this commercial about cat herding? As the feeding guy nears the road's end it resembles scenes from that commercial. His car's glow from the lights reveal dozens of cats that slow him down because they crowd the road. I have to be really careful with my steps, both when he and I near each other and when I'm alone. The cats come from the surrounding forest and congregate on the road for feeding time. I have only kicked two cats. The white ones stand out and the black cats often move when my foot is only inches away, giving me vertigo.

The funny thing about this feeding guy and his wife is that I have no idea who they are! I've passed them probably 50 times and I don't know what they look like or even where they live. We've never passed each other on the first half of the road - only in the distant reaches. Our relationship is like one you develop with someone driving at the same speed on an interstate for a couple hours. Then somebody has to exit...