But, I sure know where I've been. Hell and back I think it was. But that was before Tuesday. Nothin' to do with the run, really. The point is, I started out knowing only that I was headed north. Would I stay on Seminary Street all the way to the Seminary Square shopping center by U.S. 34 at the north edge of town? Or would I veer off and take another route? As I approached Losey Street I thought I'd keep running north. As fate would have it, the light was red and I decided in an instant to not wait for the change.
Turning right, I ran for Farnham Street and the bridge over the BNSF tracks. A little hill would be good for the legs as the Bix looms. That bridge, in its modern, concrete configuration, doesn't have the grade it once did. No obstacle there.
Turning right, I ran for Farnham Street and the bridge over the BNSF tracks. A little hill would be good for the legs as the Bix looms. That bridge, in its modern, concrete configuration, doesn't have the grade it once did. No obstacle there.
 |
| Where the rubber meets the road... |
On south toward the other end of town and Fifth Street. Near the intersection of Farnham and Fifth I came upon the first noteworthy find of the day -- a condom. No, I did not pick it up. No, I did not even examine it closely. My first thought, though, was that a used condom was a good sign. After all, Knox County has been plagued with unenviable STD and teen pregnancy rates for a number of years. And while there have been occasional reductions in those alarming rates, the fact remains that too many kids are doing the nasty without thinking about the possible consequences. And with the STD rates we've seen around here, I'd say "the nasty" is an appropriate euphemism, as it were, for S-E-X.
Anyway, further contemplation of this odd discovery on the pavement left me in doubt. The thing looked pretty rolled-up, like perhaps fresh out of the wrapper and unused. So maybe my optimism was merely wishful thinking. Either way, it was just another piece of litter. And that really has no up side.
I continued on, pondering the probability of Galesburg's youth coming around to the notion of "safe sex." And spare me the diatribes about abstinence. I'm with you. I agree that we should encourage abstinence and it is indeed the only 100 percent effective method of birth control and nearly 100 percent at STD prevention, but reality calls for pragmatism not Pollyannism.
On west I headed down Fifth Street, past H.T. Custer Park to Seminary Street, then back north again. I was considering a further westward jog over the W.C. Jackson (Fourth Street) Bridge, but it was not yet a certainty. That bridge has a bit more of an incline. It was starting to get hotter. I had work to do. At the Fourth Street intersection I paused momentarily ... again, in an instant the decision was made to do it. Left. Westward ho!
Anyway, further contemplation of this odd discovery on the pavement left me in doubt. The thing looked pretty rolled-up, like perhaps fresh out of the wrapper and unused. So maybe my optimism was merely wishful thinking. Either way, it was just another piece of litter. And that really has no up side.
I continued on, pondering the probability of Galesburg's youth coming around to the notion of "safe sex." And spare me the diatribes about abstinence. I'm with you. I agree that we should encourage abstinence and it is indeed the only 100 percent effective method of birth control and nearly 100 percent at STD prevention, but reality calls for pragmatism not Pollyannism.
On west I headed down Fifth Street, past H.T. Custer Park to Seminary Street, then back north again. I was considering a further westward jog over the W.C. Jackson (Fourth Street) Bridge, but it was not yet a certainty. That bridge has a bit more of an incline. It was starting to get hotter. I had work to do. At the Fourth Street intersection I paused momentarily ... again, in an instant the decision was made to do it. Left. Westward ho!
A couple blocks of flat and I was on the hill. I remembered my youngest daughter's words, echoing her cross country coach Rodney Blue, "knees high!" But that only got me so far. About 20 yards from the crest I slowed to a walk. I know, it's sad. The Bix is gonna be a bite.
Once at the plateau, I picked up the pace again, stopping briefly to photograph trains -- some sitting in, some chugging through the yards. Then on I ran. Across the bridge. Down the western side. Another decision: Do I continue a couple blocks to Academy Street or do I turn north on Cedar and cut through the Knox College campus?
Once at the plateau, I picked up the pace again, stopping briefly to photograph trains -- some sitting in, some chugging through the yards. Then on I ran. Across the bridge. Down the western side. Another decision: Do I continue a couple blocks to Academy Street or do I turn north on Cedar and cut through the Knox College campus?
I guess I wimped out. Knox presented the shorter route. A slight detour to bypass construction and I was through and on city streets again. A few short blocks (OK, what a silly phrase; they were normal small-town blocks) and I was home.
As sometimes happens, the best finds of the day came after the run on my bike. Back up Seminary Street I picked up a small plastic cutting board, blackened and scarred by tires and gravel, and a CD, which turns out to have about a dozen songs on it by various hip-hop artists. Not my bag, baby, but it's something.
The lesson today: We don't always know where we're headed; sometimes we just have to see where the road leads and where out feet decide to trod.
Today's Stats
Temp: 75 degrees F (85 by end)
Distance: 5.5 miles
Treasure: 13 cans; 1 spoon (later lost); 1 cruddy CD; 2 small bolts; 1 plastic cutting board (small); 1 CD-R in good condition (contents: several hip-hop songs).
As sometimes happens, the best finds of the day came after the run on my bike. Back up Seminary Street I picked up a small plastic cutting board, blackened and scarred by tires and gravel, and a CD, which turns out to have about a dozen songs on it by various hip-hop artists. Not my bag, baby, but it's something.
The lesson today: We don't always know where we're headed; sometimes we just have to see where the road leads and where out feet decide to trod.
Today's Stats
Temp: 75 degrees F (85 by end)
Distance: 5.5 miles
Treasure: 13 cans; 1 spoon (later lost); 1 cruddy CD; 2 small bolts; 1 plastic cutting board (small); 1 CD-R in good condition (contents: several hip-hop songs).
iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Take On Me - A-Ha
Scuse Me? - The Rogues
How Far We've Come - Matchbox Twenty
There's No Other Way - Blur
Polythene Pam - The Beatles
If I Fell - The Beatles
God Bless America (Pat MacDonald Must Die) - James McMurtry
The Woman He Loves - Alabama
Walter's Walk - Led Zeppelin
Woodstock - Joni Mitchell
Old Dan Tucker - Bruce Springsteen
Hear You Me - Jimmy Eat World
Givin' The Dog a Bone - AC/DC
She's a Beauty - The Tubes
I Don't Want Your Love - Duran Duran
Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
Jack and Diane - John Mellencamp
Take On Me - A-Ha
Scuse Me? - The Rogues
How Far We've Come - Matchbox Twenty
There's No Other Way - Blur
Polythene Pam - The Beatles
If I Fell - The Beatles
God Bless America (Pat MacDonald Must Die) - James McMurtry
The Woman He Loves - Alabama
Walter's Walk - Led Zeppelin
Woodstock - Joni Mitchell
Old Dan Tucker - Bruce Springsteen
Hear You Me - Jimmy Eat World
Givin' The Dog a Bone - AC/DC
She's a Beauty - The Tubes
I Don't Want Your Love - Duran Duran
Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
Jack and Diane - John Mellencamp
Missed you out at Lake Storey this a.m. Sounds like you had a nice run!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Got off schedule this week; shoulda got up this morning anyway. Back in a week. See ya then.
ReplyDelete