When I was running at Blackwell in my early 20's I wore basketball shoes and never had a problem, although they seemed a bit heavy.
As my Chicago runs increased beyond 30 minutes, I began to develop large blisters on both of my heels. I could not get rid of them, and they began to grow in length as each run progressed.
Summer had arrived, and other than my blisters, I felt great. I was working at the beautiful Monadnock building, I had met some photography friends in the darkroom, and I was starting to look and feel fit.
Steffen and I went for a Saturday run on a particularly hot afternoon. When we finished I stopped to jump in the lake. When I removed my shoes Steffen noticed my blisters and told me how gross they looked. I laughed, and told her they felt worse than they looked.
As we walked to the Lakeview neighborhood together, she told me that if I wore a good pair of running shoes, the blisters would disappear.
I was skeptical, I believed it was because my feet had gotten soft from no running, and the blisters would eventually lessen as my feet's skin became stronger.
Steffen ended up convincing me that the shoes were to blame, so after changing and showering, we walked to a local running store. Steffen told me Asics was a good brand, so I asked the sales clerk for them and he brought out a few pair. They felt light and comfortable, but the price was $100. I noticed that the cheapest Asics was $75, so I decided to blow my budget again and get the $100 shoes.
I can still remember my first run with Asics - it felt like I was dancing on a cloud, running had become too easy, I was cheating!
Steffen was right, too, within 1 week my blisters disappeared and my fitness level rose because I was now able to run faster and longer because I no longer stepped in pain.
On a hot July Sunday Steffen called and asked me to run over to her place for lunch. She was staying at her ex-boyfriend Darrin's high rise condo off Michigan ave, so I would have to run about 6 miles to get there.
No problem, I told her. I laced up my Asics and took off running into the hot city - Belmont harbor, Lincoln Park, Diversey Harbor, North Ave Beach....
...Oak Street Beach, then using the Michigan Ave. underpass to get into the Gold Coast neighborhood, into the elevator, up 67 flights, and knocking on the door, relaxing in the cool shadows of the hallway.
Darrin was out of the state so Steffen was living there until he returned. She didn't have a place to live currently, and was struggling with money because she was a full time photography student at Columbia College.
Steffen took me to the Columbia College darkroom once because she needed my help with one of her projects. The portrait of her I posted in the last entry was made after we finished up a day in the Columbia Darkrooms. We crossed Michigan Ave, it was a cool autumn day, and we sat in Grant Park to rest. She was wearing a sunflower hat, and it inspired me to make a portrait of her sitting on the bench next to some black men.
When Steffen let me into Darrin's studio, I felt a sense of relief and euphoria - The odors from the food put a smile on my face, and she had the air conditioning cranked high. I was covered in sweat, and soon got a sweet chill that put me into one of the best moods I have ever been in.
I can't remember what the food was, but I do remember that it was an even better meal than the one she made at my apartment. I have never had a better meal before or since. I savored each bite, it was truly a work of art.
When we finished eating Steffen wanted to sunbathe on the roof of the condo. As she changed into her bikini I walked over to the large window and looked out on Lake Michigan. What a view, up 67 stories and looking at all that blue. This was turning out to be quite a day.
We took the elevator to the top floor, and I saw there was a pool on the roof. There were a few people swimming and tanning. Steffen got into a lounge chair and asked me to rub lotion on her back and shoulders.
I had never rubbed lotion on someone before, so I studied the bottle to find out how much I should use. Steffen was laying on her stomach, and she turned her head towards me, wondering what I was doing. She laughed when she saw me looking perplexed, reading the label on the yellow and white tube, "Jim, come on! You remind me of my friend David, you two are just alike."
I sometimes find myself in situations where everyone appears to know what they are doing, while I am feeling lost and confused, and unable to hide the feeling, everyone turns to watch the poor sap who isn't in on the secret.
"I've never done this before", I told her.
She took the tube from me, "here, I'll show you what to do. Take your shirt off."
"umm, I don't need that stuff, look....", I said. Pulling my shirt off I showed her I was tan, and not burned.
"well, just squirt some gel into your palm and rub it into my back!"
She turned her head away and I watched her untie the string of her bikini.
"She must think I really am an angel, or gay", I thought.
Trying to remain composed, I looked up at the sky, which seemed no closer to us even though we were so high up.
I rubbed the lotion into her back, massaging it at the same time. It felt good to touch her taut back muscles.
The sickly sweet smell of the lotion made me think of the beach, and I started to become restless. Even though I had run 6 miles to the condo, I wanted to keep running in the afternoon heat. I was back to being in great shape, and was loving it.
The sweat was beading on my brow, and the sun was bright as I watched the swimmers and sunbathers.
"Hey, let's go for a run after this", I suggested.
"Yeah, listen to you, your addicted to endorphins! I can't believe what kind of shape your in. When I met you you were so skinny."
She was right, I had come a long way in half a year, and was getting better at photography, too.
After 30 minutes we returned to Darrin's apartment, the cool gray shadows of the hallway seeming darker than they actually were because our eyes had been bleached from the glare of the sun.
Steffen changed into her running gear and we took off running down Michigan Ave.
I normally didn't go further than North Ave beach, so this was a new route for me. We turned east and ran to Navy Pier, which at that time still had derelict ships moored to the dock.
We then turned south and ran along the path which led to Grant Park.
The path was concrete and ugly, but it twisted and turned its way around Lake Shore Drive, allowing strange and unusual vistas to open and close. The sun was intense, and it was sapping my strength. I felt strong, though, and happy.
We went up a ramp and ran on a long bridge, and now in shade, I looked down to the grassy park and saw small distant trees throwing down violet shadows. The lake shimmered a hot blue, and white sailing boats were bobbing on the small waves.
When we got near the Shedd Aquarium we saw a small park with a beach. People were packed together, there was no place to move, but I told Steffen I wanted to jump in the water.
We weaved our way across the sand and I threw my shirt down, removed my shoes, and waded into the cool water.
As I stood waist deep, I looked at all the people. The red, blue and yellow colors blended together so that all objects appeared gray. The heat settled on my skin, the cold water beading on my legs. Steffen stood in the sand, smiling at me.
There wasn't much to think or do now, just stand in the water, and merge into the jagged shadows.
Worked on this picture yesterday evening :
Remembering Summer
Al Hammond Jr. :
2 comments:
Sorry to keep commenting on your blog. I hope you don't mind. I gotta tell you I think you're a talented writer/photographer/runner and who knows what else. Thanks for sharing your talents on this blog.
I need to know if these stories are works you've previously worked on or if they're new. You have a sharp recall of details for things that took place fifteen, twenty years ago. Your stories read so well.
Anyway, Asics are the only shoes I use currently. When I ran years ago I went through some trial and error with shoes and finally settled on Asics because they seemed so comfortable right out of the box. Turns out they have a reputation for that sort of thing. I worry though that I'm missing something by not using other brands of shoes. Eventually I'll have to try out some trainers and maybe even racers in a couple of years. I worry about blowing 100 dollars on a pair of shoes that won't work, so I'll probably stick with Asics.
Thanks again, these stories are cool. You should try publishing a collection of your stories or something.
Have a good one.
Thanks for the comments, JD.
At least I know someone is stopping by here every now and again :)
I have no idea where these stories are coming from. Lately when I go out for my run I have been getting odd ideas of writing about people who have meant something to me.
I have no idea how they are going to turn out. I sit down and just start writing my memories. I would have loved to do this 10 years ago when my memories were fresher, but I did not have the writing ability then. Maybe I still don't.
I seem to be hitting my own style these days with writing, though. I blew through these story segments in less than 1 hour each in the last couple of days. It just flowed and felt really good to remember everything like that. It was hard to leave some things out, I could have written a lot more about Steffen.
This morning when I was at Brookens gym I thought I could write at least 8-10 more stories about people I have known in the past. I think I am going to do it, because I get a better sense of what they meant to me when I see it written down.
I don't expect these stories to have any meaning or interest for anyone, but they do for me, and that is what is important.
Congrats on your 60 mile week! You are rocking the winter months.
I wore only Asics until last year, when I finally decided to try something different. Now I have gone crazy and have 5 pair of new shoes in my closet, none being Asics :)
See you on the FRB!
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