Music in My Head

July 1, 1983, Friday

I woke up feeling good this morning after getting plenty of undisturbed rest last night. After meeting with the mayor, I started my run this morning at 9:30am on another very hot day with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius. It was a scenic 50km route to the town of Yura with the ocean in view much of the way.

It's great running alone, allowing me to think about things and to let my mind wander, while at the same time monitoring my body. I found myself singing The Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road" in my head while I covered the black asphalt roads today. I've never been a big fan of The Beatles and I don't remember where I last heard that song. But it just kept playing over and over in my head--

"The long and winding road
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before
It always leads me here
Lead me to your door..."

All I know is that this music playing in my head gives me the energy to continue with the running, almost like a gentle shove on my back to allow me to cruise along with less effort. It is a bit strange how this is affecting me. The song is just playing over and over like a broken record. I don't think the sun has gotten to my brain just yet, though.

I finished running by 2:30pm and met up with the mayor before checking into my ryokan. I'm staying in a bare-bones Japanese inn tonight. Nothing fancy, just tatami mats and a mattress. No problem, though. I'm still able to rest comfortably with nobody to bother me. This time, I again let the good folks of Yura know that I wanted a little quiet time on my own. I'm glad I did. The rest is so important. I can party every single night and end up in a hospital again, or finish with my mind and body still in decent shape to recover from this journey. I am realizing how much of a strain this is, not only on the body, but also on the mind.