 |
| Running in the rain. © Colleen Yorke. 2020. |
We measure the passing of time by annual changes in seasons or birthdays of our children. And unless we are philosophers, scientists or poets, we may find that time - something that is so apparent to us and so pertinent to our every experience in life - is difficult to explain. In a way time exists only in our minds, even though its effects are perceived throughout the universe.
So, if time flows, and there is no one there to experience it, is there still time? Yes, of course. There is still time. But it is all relative. Einstein explained this effect in his theory of relativity – the faster an object moves, the slower time runs, until at the speed of light, time comes to a stop.
On Monday, May 9, planet Mercury appears
to cross the disk of the sun in the course of seven and a half hours — an event
known as a transit — which happens only about 13 times per century. Some us
certainly will be watching. Others will
be too busy to notice.
In the running world, time means
something else. Whether we like it or not, we are acutely aware of our
pace ("our time") and we proudly post when we "PR". I run with a phone, and track my sole prints through Los Angeles' neighborhoods and coast trails.
The phone serves as the gatekeeper of time, as an eye, and window to the
world. On longer runs, the phone often dies, and the data is not always recoverable. For this reason, many of us have switched to wrist watches. The special gadgets track and pace us through the miles –
all of them – and safely upload the run to be shared when we am done. We may still be seen running with phones but we are listening to music now.
