I had a Driveway Moment tonight (for you non-NPR junkies out there: driveway moments), coming home from a run in Audobon Park with 3 friends from work. I stopped running after one loop (about 1.75 miles; plus the walk back to my car I probably was moving for about 2 miles) when the other three kept running because my shin splints have come back and it SUCKS.

I started to feel the creeping pain that warms my outer calves with a tingling, uncomfortable sensation about a month ago during a spinning class while standing in second position but I ignored it at the time. When I ride my road bike I don't do any standing up really (New Orleans tends to be pretty flat) so I don't feel any pain thankfully. And in the past few weeks I had been ok when running -- but tonight, since I was pushing it and really running so that I kept up with the three guys, I inflammed the shin splints and had to stop before my legs physically rebelled and collapsed like matchsticks refusing to defy gravity any longer. By the time I had limped far enough away from other people I stopped clenching my eyes and let the tears that seemed to come from a part of me I didn't control - I don't cry over things like this! I refuse to submit to my own physical weaknesses! - roll down my cheeks. It was sort of satisfying to feel the hot wetness distract me from the still numbing pain shooting up my legs.

On my slow, gimpy walk back to M's house I noticed that the left rear door of a suburban mom's SUV was open, with a jacket hanging over a child's carseat. I paused for a minute in front of the house, considered continuing walking by but turned, walked up to the palatial, stately house and rang the doorbell. Behind the giant wooden door I could hear a father instructing his young son the proper, safe way to open the door when you didn't know who was outside. When the big slab of a now dead tree finally swung open, it revealed a beautiful New Orleans style home glowing with the warmth of a happy family pitter-pattering around on real hardwood floors. The father's greatful expression was enough for me to know I did the right thing by stopping, but as I walked away the mother's voice carried from inside the house, "Make sure you check the car to see if anything's stolen."

I felt like I had been slapped in the face. Granted, she wasn't necessarily talking about the person at the door (she didn't see who rang) but the fact that here was a neighborly person doing the polite thing and the first thing that comes to the woman's mind is to check for robbers. So much for thinking the best of people and letting them prove you wrong.

But I made it to M's, hobbled up the stairs to retrieve my keys, and cursed my stupid shins the whole way home. The worst part is that I think the only way for the pain to go away is to rest my legs, ice them, and wait for some time to pass before straining them again with running.

I realized on my miserable drive home (when my shins hurt, it's like a malicious, vengeful warlord is using a rusty razorblade to slowly shave away microns-thick slices of the outer portions of my lower legs) that, besides the King Cake bakery B recommended today closing one hour prior to my arrival at the store, I tend to be much happier and in a generally better mood when I'm at work than when I'm not. And while I suppose I'm fortunate for that, it seems a litle backwards and makes me feel a little lamey-mclamesters.

Meh.

Right, so my driveway moment. Terry Gross was interviewing Senator Biden (Dem.) on Fresh Air and I was heartened to think that the next presidential race might include two people who I have grown to respect and enjoy listening to, Biden and McCain. Both are eloquent, show their concern for a country too defined by parties and not issues, and recognize the importance of things I think are important (hehe, a clearly necessary defining characteristic of a candidate I like)

You can check out the great interview here. Did you know Biden's first wife and baby daughter were killed in a car crash right before he took the oath of office when he was first elected Senator in the early seventies?