Ringing in a New Day

July 5, 1983, Tuesday

I gathered up my belongings and prepared to walk the two boys to school before beginning my run. The priest gave me the privilege of hitting the big temple bell, a ritual that takes place at daybreak and at sundown. From the top of the mountain, the sound of the bell rings loud and clear, telling everyone in town that the day has begun, or that it is time to go home. "Gong!...Gong!...Gong!" I asked the boys to help me as we swung the wooden pole into the bell. It was quite exhilarating. I know I won't have much of an opportunity to do that again. Not unless I become a priest at a temple.

After we finished our bell duty, we said good-bye to the priest and headed down the road to school. The boys were relatively quiet, but very respectful. We talked about school, sports and the importance of finding out what it is that we enjoy doing. Before long, we reached the school. I shook hands with the boys and started my 60km run to Miyazu.

I encountered a little rain, but it was cloudy most of the day. I had my backpack with me all day again. When I reached the town of Mineyama, a passing motorist offered me a ride. I thanked the gentleman, but turned down the offer. Nice guy. It never ceases to amaze me how many kind people there are in this world. They show up when you least expect it.

My back and feet were hurting quite a bit on the run today, mainly from carrying my heavy pack. The feet I don't mind so much, but pain in the back is really hard to handle. I hope this is not going to lead to any serious injury.

Note: Although it is oftentimes difficult to identify the direct cause of lingering back pain, I believe that the back problems I encountered in later years stemmed from this 1983 experience. I had learned in 1999 to somewhat ease the discomfort by doing some yoga after each run, but 23 years later a similar pain still comes and goes.