As a local attorney took a noontime walk through the neighborhood of my youth the other day, I couldn’t help but lament the inconsistency of my own dedication to personal fitness.

So much so that a moment later, as I popped into the car to do a couple of errands, I stopped him briefly to ask about his walking regimen and whine about my own lack of exercise.

And those feelings only became compounded an hour or so later, when still in the car I noticed him walking again – only this time from his downtown office to the local courthouse.

Seems he had me beat on a couple of counts, after all – he was getting the exercise, and I was burning the $3.78 per gallon of gasoline.

The solution on this end isn’t overly complicated. A person like myself merely needs to make a good, brisk walk a high priority, and manage time in a way to make that possible.

This Sunday morning, the game plan here is to cover the 26th annual Sugarloaf Marathon and 15K road races.

Some 400 or more early risers will leave the starting line at Cathedral Pines Campground in Eustis for the marathon or some 16.9 miles farther down State Route 27 for the 15-kilometer race, already having committed their energy, mental focus, physical being and sheer time to preparing for this race and running in general.

Another lawyer, Chris Almy has been part of that community for many years, finding a big place for distance running amid the other major responsibilities in his life, primarily family and his job as district attorney of Penobscot and Piscataquis counties.

One key to handling such a balancing act successfully is time management.

“You basically have to develop a calendar and an idea of what you want to run so you can get the mileage in,” he said. “You ask yourself, ‘how many miles do I want to run,’ and that’s going to dictate how much time you have to dedicate to it.”

So many of the competitors at the Sugarloaf races this year will have sacrificed early mornings, lunch breaks and twilight hours to pounding the pavement, both on pristine spring days and through the slush and cold of winter.

The pursuit of a healthful lifestyle fits within the goals of that athletic activity varies from runner to runner amid other factors such as competition and the camaraderie that engulfs all who join the running community.

And it’s not a totally unfamiliar community to this decrepit old soul.

Cross country grew to become an anticipated autumn activity during the high school years – though the introduction to the sport admittedly was somewhat forced, the result of the varsity basketball coach also being the varsity cross country coach.

That was followed by several years of occasional mid-pack dalliances on the road racing circuit in central Maine, though unfortunately the race T-shirts that still have their places in a drawer at home don’t have quite the same loose fit they once did.

So it’s with that background that frustration occasionally heightens at the seeming lack of time available for exercise more than a couple of times a week.

And no doubt that frustration will be relived Sunday while chatting with some of the most dedicated athletes in the Northeast and Canadian Maritimes.

But I already have a plan for burning it off – when there’s a break in the action, I think I’ll take a walk.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045