What's best in life?

"People ask why I run. I say, "If you have to ask, you will never understand". It is something only those select few know. Those who put themselves through pain, but know, deep down, how good it really feels."
-Erin Leonard

A musician walked up to our water station and looked about our little stand situated underneath beautiful monterey pines. He nodded and smiled and sucked on a cigarette looking at our table. A cluttered table with water, gatorade, pumpking bread, pretzels and oatmeal cookies. The sun shone brightly down on him forcing him to squint. Unlike other passer byers asking what the set up was for or making small talk he stood there stoically watching the waves crash behind us at Lover's Point; the wind carrying his cigarette smoke behind him.

We stood there looking at this man waiting for him to say something. Kendra shifted in her shoes growing increasingly uncomfortable with our visitor. Janine continued to sit in her chair with her foot and leg raised. To look at the stranger she would be looking into the sun. The stranger stood by me and asked me what's up while I noticed his soft guitar case on his back.

The stranger then asked me, "What's best in life?" That's easy, running. He smiled and was a little stunned. "Janine, what's best in life," I asked. She smiled up at me and gave the same reply, running.

"Running. Hmm...endorphines and..."

"The trill of running, runner's high, crossing that finish line, there's nothing like it in the world," I said. "What's best in life for you?" I guess no one had asked that before so he pondered for a while looking down at the ground. "Human release," he says with a sly smile.

The conversation goes on for a while (asking for some gatorade, giving Jesse a donation, and find out his name is Jason) until he found out Janine's injury, Jesse's knees, and my injury, the gimp squad at the water-aid station. "Running doesn't like it's best in life for me. You're all injured. Can I play a little something for you all?"

Before he finished playing I walked away to snap photos of our returning runners. All were tired and in need of water from the beating sun. "Almost done, you're almost there! The water station is around the corner!" Words of comfort to some but not all; nevertheless they all smile at the water station.

Photos

1.) Jason the stranger playing a tune for us as he watches the surfers.

2.) A view from Lover's Point.

3.) Tonirose happily running her last three miles.