Remember that silly saying, "Don't step on a crack or you'll fall and break your back"? Running on cracked, raised or otherwise uneven side walks will make you rethink just how not silly that little rhyme really is. For me, Running on the unexpected is not unlike real life. It reminds me to focus on what's right in front of me, rather than what is behind or up ahead. Being in the here and now, embracing one moment before searching for the next is not something I'm generally good at - ever- but during yesterdays spur of the moment (thank you coffee high) run, I found myself thinking so intensely about it that it hardly felt at all like my head and legs were connected. Those are really my favorite kinds of runs. I found myself understanding that it was important to focus on and really take in what's in front of you.. otherwise you might miss something, or you might really fall and break your back.
Even though I haven't lived in Buffalo long, I have already been diswayed from local street running (unless the woman comes out for a late night run, but that doesn't happen too often); good streets bleed into bad ones without any warning, perhaps the creepiest of creepers I have ever encountered, due to poor side walks sometimes a run feels more like a game of hopscotch, and lastly? It's hard to clock accurate milage in my training log. At least if I run the local park, I know that milage inside and out (maybe even backwards and forwards), but I go there religiously out of habit - and comfort. So yesterday I chose to be sporadic, and when I finished it felt so good to know that I pushed myself through a comfort zone. I just might do it again today. I feel like a real runner again, I'm glad that believing I was anything but proved to be some sick and twisted, dark clouded phase. When I'm at peace with my sport, Im at peace with myself.
Im learning to laugh at myself, and trust me, with some of the stuff I pull, I could either sink or swim without that trait. Prime example; I've been putting off getting new glasses for about a year now (In my language, "I'll do it soon" really means "I'll do it when my eye balls finally fall out and crawl there themselves.") so when I thought I saw one of the guys from my running club I didn't hesitate (mistake number one!) to yell out, "hey stranger!" only to realize as I got closer that neither this guy or myself had any idea who the other was. Awesome. I had two choices, commit to my act or literally run in the other direction. So what do I do? Pause my run briefly to pet the dog and tell him I haven't seen him around for a while. (mistake number two, the guy I thought he was doesn't even have a dog!) Mr. stranger didn't think I was insane, and if he did, I'd stop him on the street again just to thank him for not being obvious. I laughed about it for a good mile. Maybe I can use my lack of vision as a way to make friends... hmmmm.. Speaking of..
We had her formal last night and even though Im always anxious about trading my running shoes in for high heels, I have to admit that it felt good to have make up plastered to my face rather than sweat. I get so wrapped up in my athlete persona that its nice to be reminded that you're even just a little bit more than that. Of corse I couldn't leave my "inner runner" at home, and actually found some really awesome people on conversations built around it. I even met another runner! All in all, I'd say it was a fulfilling day. =)
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