The kids are alright

This year, I’ve been on a new morning routine aimed at maximizing any potential of me finding happiness in the day.After a decade loathing the chipper motherfuckers who show up to the office saying things like “conquer the morning, conquer the day,” I’ve decided to join the morning workout cult.

I mean a big part of it is more out of necessity and just because I can now. When you’re working West Coast hours your meetings start as early as 7am and end as late as 6pm as you support the APAC team. Now that I’m on EST and working on a Product team, meetings rarely start before 10am.

There’s the other reality too of being remote in a world where companies are forcing RTO. I have that extra hour back in the morning to do something with so any less would be me not recognizing the big L tech workers are taking.

Last but not least, the city plays a role in this too. The only chance you have of running in NYC summers is when the sun is low in the sky and the after work, young professionals descend on Blink Fitness like 2000s Black Friday shoppers fighting over a Best Buy plasma tv.

After running the NYC marathon last year, my workout goals have completely shifted towards just trying to feel good and be pain free as I get older. Mobility and maintenance is on my mind. Muscular and skeletal harmony instead of hoping to be jacked.

The morning routine I cycle throughout the weekdays tries to maximize for things I know which make me feel good both psychically and mentally while also helping me sleep at night.

Monday

Run a lap around the park, look at some trees even if they’re hibernating in the winter. Go to the weight room after and do 2 or 3 compound lifts. Go home and stretch.

Tuesday

Go to the YMCA pool and swim for 30 minutes. Try to work on form over intensity and to get even 1% more comfortable in the water. Sit in the dry sauna for 20 minutes and chop it up with the old dudes.

Wednesday

Have a slow morning and journal before starting work. Set some intentions for the day.

Thurs and Friday

Rinse and Repeat Monday and Tuesday

On a brisk Thursday, I enter the park from my usual spot. It’s been a couple of years now of running the same loop, but honestly the scenery still keeps me entertained. The uphills and downhills feel easier now since I anticipate them every time and I’ll look around for the odd swan walking on thin ice or a dog in an oversized puffer.

As I’m rounding my first corner, a guy wearing white button down, and black pants runs up next to me and asks “Hey excuse me, do you know how many miles a loop of this park is?”

“Uh it’s about like 3.3 or 3.4 if you do a full loop” I stumble out between Bruce Springsteen yelling about some cornfield through my AirPods.

“Oh ok because I’m trying to run a half marathon today” he grins back with his chest out.

“Oh nice. How many miles do you think you’re in?”

At this point I take one AirPod out just to make sure I’m hearing him right. “Nah I’m good, man.” I laugh. “Got some work and some other things to do today, but sounds like a fun adventure you’re on.”

We get to talking about long distance running as the young buck is curious about best practices and advice I have for finishing his self imposed half marathon. I mean, I think I took a liking to this kid because here he was trying to challenge himself to do something with practically no training at all. That’s some anime level conviction he’s got.

As he’s pacing with me around the second corner of the park, I give him some tips on the importance of hydrating, not over running since he’s never run this much distance, and how he probably needs to stop at a bodega every hour to get something like a banana to eat. Kind of crazy how you finish your first marathon, blink, and now you’re spouting gospel to the youths about how to distance run like you been doing it before Strava existed.

He keeps asking me questions back about process and I start wondering if I’m overcomplicating him with all the knowledge. I mean he seems limber enough that if he actually got hurt, he’d probably be able to bounce back pretty quick—but would hate to see someone so enthusiastic do something to injure themselves.

He asks me to join him on his half marathon another time where I set my boundaries. Which according to my partner, that’s a pretty rare occurrence for me so keep that in mind. “Nah, I’m good! Good luck though.”

We’ve probably gone about a mile at this point where it dawns on me that it’s 10am on a Thursday.

“Hey how old are you?” I ask.

“15,” he replies. Which makes sense given his stringiness.

“So are you in school now or is school taking a break or something.”

He skips a beat. “Well I should be in class, but I don’t really care for school so wanted to do this instead.”

“Ah gotcha.” I reply, not really in the mood to son someone.

“Yeah I mean my dad wants me to finish high school, but I don’t think I’ll need to. I’ll just probably end up starting a business like he did. What do you do for work?”

I guess my friends have always told me that I have a gift for being disarming. Whether it’s naked dudes in the YMCA sauna telling me their intrusive thoughts or middle aged women colleagues choosing to share details about their affair with me, it just happens. I see it more of an affliction than anything and the way I egg people on to tell me more is but an attempt at coping with information I really shouldn’t have.

In any case, I tell him about my tech job. Give him some perspective on how I grew up in a very academic environment I also used to roll my eyes at, but now see as a super important opportunity which gave me some options to do things with my life and live in the city I wanted to.

I don’t know if it was me getting high on my own runner’s fumes or what, but I needed to get something off my chest since I knew the kid was now hanging onto my every word.

“Hey man, I know school can suck. And you probably don’t care much for it right now since you’re out here trying to run a half marathon instead. But if there’s any advice I would give you is to just try to at least finish it and grit through for the next few years. You’ll never know when in the future you’ll want to have your GED. I think your future self would not regret the time and effort you spent on that.”

Now he shuts up to flip over what I’ve said and flip it back over again.

“Yeah, well I don’t think it’s really going to matter as much for me because I’m probably going to go to Israel next year!”

“Israel?” I nod slowly. “Oh cool, is that like for birthright or some type of program or something?”

“Well my parents really don’t want me to go, but I’m really trying to convince them to let me join the army over there. My dad wasn’t sure about it, but does think it might help straighten me out a bit.”

Pause. I’m dumbfounded.

How did I just go from encouraging this kid to at least get a passing grade in his courses to now hearing his plans on joining the IDF.

“Oh man, I don’t know if right now is the best time to join the Israeli Army” is all I can half heartedly squeak out.

“Oh yeah! It’s absolute war over there” he gleams.

With that, I’m officially speechless and happier than a Finance bro after a cold plunge to see the exit of the park I take on the way back home.

“Alright this is me. Good luck with the half!”

He asks me one more time if I wanted to run with him, but to no avail. I wish him luck and ran my confused ass home.

It goes without saying that there’s so many different lives happening all at the same time in this city. I don’t know when I became a sage to the kids either. Some situations you’ll never really be able to grasp so its best to keep it moving.