Against the Clock: A Slow Stride in a Fast World

Nicholas J. Colao Memorial Field in Depew Park is a great spot for running and working out. It has recently been renovated and now features a Pickleball Court.

Oh man, to be 25 again—or even younger. That thought nags at you as your feet hit the track, your body struggling to reclaim the strength it lost over the coldest winter you’ve ever endured. A season spent mostly immobile, where even brief outings ended early because the chill seeped into your bones before you could settle in. The dedication and commitment needed to brave that cold—to push through it—had eluded you then.

But today, something shifts. A spark of motivation ignites as you watch a young runner tearing across the field with effortless speed. Like many Ecuadorians, he’s short but powerfully built—his toned legs carrying him with precision, his thick calves cutting through the wind. He’s striking, especially with the way his jet-black hair lifts as he runs, a streak of motion against the muted backdrop of morning. The kid moves with such ease, managing almost two laps to your one, a pace that makes the rest of you feel sluggish in comparison.

Then, almost as if sensing the unevenness, he changes direction, reversing his path. A small mercy—it allows you all a closer look, his lean frame passing by, his focused expression carved into concentration.

Running, even at this slower pace, is changing me. I may not move like a 25-year-old anymore, but I can feel the progress, the slow rebuilding of what winter tried to strip away. And for the first time in a long while, I’ve returned to writing—to PaintedPeople. The fog is lifting.