I went for a 7.2 mile run this morning. Before you think "you're insane," just know that I wasn't sure I could do this either. After I injured my foot right before Christmas, I took a week off to recoup and then started back on really short distances (2-3 miles at a time). In any case, taking that time off killed my endurance. So, I've been trying to work back up to the point where I could run 6.2 miles (a 10K) with one or no stops. I did the 6.2 miles last weekend, so this weekend I wanted to prove to myself I could do longer. 7.2 miles went okay, with a couple stops to restretch and catch my breath (damn leg). However, 7.2 miles takes a bit over a hour for me, so I've got a lot of time to think about things (I don't listen to music while I'm out running along the roads because I'm terrified a car will pummel me to smithereens sometime because I didn't notice it).
While I run, I tend to have a song stuck in my head and then a ton of random thoughts. Today, I remember wondering what it would be like to be a circus performer that rides on horses (I run by a ton of horse ranches). Then, there was a portion on yellow sidewalk, so I thought about which character I'd prefer to be from The Wizard of Oz (the lion, rawr). My worst mile, where I was tired, going uphill, and had the wind in my face, resulted in me imagining myself in a music video for an Adam Lambert song. Yeah, I know, bizarre. However, the two things I think about most when I'm out running is 1) how easy it is to get out and just do something to get your body moving and in shape, and 2) how bizarre some people driving are and how some folks keep their homes/yards.
First, how hard is it to get out and just do something for your body? It really does feel good to do physical activity, even if it's just 20 minutes. Sex lasts about 20 minutes, right? You know how good you feel after that, right? Think about that good feeling but without the naked part and you've got exercise (I suppose you could exercise naked but I'm not sure most people at an aerobics class or along the street would appreciate it). 20 minutes a couple times a week of even just walking the dog could help so much. I honestly wonder why people that just sit at home and do nothing, day in day out, can live with themselves. You're killing yourself through inactivity! Get out there and do something!!!!
Second, people are terrible drivers, do terrible things while driving, decorate their homes bizarrely, and have some of the strangest yards I've ever seen. I ran by a house (mansion, really) today that had a gorgeous, probably 5000+ sq ft floor plan with immaculate bushes, trees, and landscaping. Truly a gem. Then I saw the 10-15 junk cars all parked along the side, in various states of disrepair and missing parts. It made me wonder what the heck kind of people lived inside. That goes for houses that have 568265 wind chimes on the front, a mailbox with a skull and cross bones painted on it, and homes that have mounds of dog poop in the backyards (the scent is oh-so fantastic). Drivers, I've noticed, tend to either be so distracted by various things that they don't see me, or they notice me, wave, and then I notice how odd they are. I've seen people smoking, drinking, putting on make up, eating, talking on the phone, with a Labrador in their lap, leaning over the passenger side, looking out the rear windshield, doing their hair, using their feet to drive, with a large rifle-like gun in their lap, wearing giant sombreros, and even dressed like a bishop driving around (though the bishop might actually be a bishop, as it was near a giant Catholic church). People that wave at me tend to be old, missing teeth, wearing mismatched clothing, and/or all of the above. Also, for all those people out there that don't get over when a runner is about six inches from the side of your car? Screw you.
So, running on my brain. That's all. Tomorrow will be a swimming day to help save my joints, so here's hoping my next run on Monday (with the girls) will yield something even more fun to blog about.
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