Why I Run

Not today, but after a run last week.

Running is all about contradiction for me. Not that I want it to be, it just is. I run, but declare I am not a runner (sometimes I waffle on that). Running takes discipline. But like a couple of my lady friends who run, I do it to offset my lack of discipline in matters of food and drink. 

That’s not the only reason I run, though. It’s a time to think. A time not to think. Running is pain. And yet it overcomes pain, releases stress and the encumbrances of life. Today I wondered as I pounded down Broad Street why forget is the opposite of remember. If you want to not remember someone or something, shouldn’t that be dismember? Imagine it. “Forget you” becomes “dismember you.” Hmmm. Then again, forget is apt. It is returning to the point before you “got” something or someone. When I no longer want to “get you” I’ll forget you.

See, it’s thinking and it’s not thinking. Right?

Today I remembered my knee brace thingy. It’s a strap with a piece of rubber cord in the middle that goes under the patella to stabilize that ligament or whatever it is that comes off the kneecap. Hmmm. Good ol’ Google. That appears to be the ACL. Maybe I should be more careful about it then. Anyway, the support helped and my knee felt better during and after the run. Until about two minutes ago. Stretch… (Nope, not the ACL. Google Images search reveals it to be the patellar tendon.)

So there you have it. Be disciplined in one area so you can slack in another. Think but don’t overdo it. Today’s lessons to ponder.

Today's Stats

Temp: 58 degrees F

Distance: 4.5 miles

Weekly Total: 7.5 miles

Treasure: Nada.

iPod Playlist (On Shuffle):

I Don’t Wanna – The Call

Only the Good Die Young – Billy Joel

Sometimes You Can’tMake It On Your Own – U2

Downside Up (Live) – Peter Gabriel

Wait Until Tomorrow (Live) – John Mayer

Just What I Needed – The Cars

Mohammend’s Radio(Live) – Warren Zevon

Wrapped Around Your Finger – The Police

More Than This – Roxy Music

A Kind of Magic – Queen

Very Special Love - Alabama

Pushing Boundaries

The alarm roared. I ignored. On snooze for two cycles before I realized what was happening. How is that? How do you hit the snooze button twice before you ever realize the alarm has sounded?

But I managed to get up at 5:20 for the weekly Fun Run at Lake Storey with the gang from Go Outside and Play Running Co. Alas, it was a dark and stormy morning. Pre-dawn dimness was enhanced by steady rain and flashes of lightning. I don’t mind a run in the rain. In fact, I miss it. I haven’t run in the rain in ages. But I wasn’t about to bike all the way to the lake, run 5 miles, then bike home. Top it off with lightning and it just struck me as a bad idea. Call me a wuss. I’ve been called worse.

Back to bed I went. The streets could wait. When I did finally rise just before 9 I decided it would be a good day to choose a different route. Treasure hunting has been poor lately and a change of scenery might help. If nothing else it would be nice to not see Walmart.

Head east, young man. Yeah, I prefer the West, but I’ve not really headed east – ever. At least not on a run. I mean, I have run that direction for a few blocks in the course of a loop, but my thoughts soon turned to running right on out of town. Crossing borders, pushing boundaries. Dare I venture into another community? East Galesburg, here I come!

Storm clouds filled the skies yet, threatening more rain sometime today. We still need it, though I’m already hearing complaints about mowing from homeowners who’ve had relief from the rigors of yard work all summer. Stormy skies are amazing. They rival a gorgeous sunset or brilliant sunrise with a unique beauty brimming with power and threat. I think, though, the overlooked beauty is the sunrise. Maybe it’s because so few of us bother to wake so early. I captured some beautiful sunrise images on a trip to Yellowstone back in 2001. The rest of my family chose to sleep in. I’ve never heard them express regret for missing that sunrise over Yellowstone Lake, but I relish the experience.

Anyway, there was no visible sunrise to revel in today, so I settled for mottled clouds and a cool morning run into new territory. Along the way I did come up with a few minor treasures. Nothing special landed in my path, but a couple cloths/towels that will wash up to become cleaning rags, a spoon that could see service (we’ll see how it cleans up) and a trucker-style ballcap – you know the kind, foam front, plastic mesh back. This one bears the Winegard logo. Google tells me Winegard manufactures satellite antennas for RVs, HDTV antennas, trucking antennas and antennas for a variety of other uses. The hat likely will end up on the freebie table in the lobby of Swing Leisure Apartments. I’ll keep watch for it on somebody’s head in the weeks to come.

Today's Stats

Temp: 66 degrees F

Distance: 4.9 miles

Treasure: 1 spoon; 1 green washcloth; 1 checked kitchen towel; 1 trucker’s ballcap (Winegard, white front, red mesh); 27 cans.  

iPod Playlist (On Shuffle):

The Red Strokes – Garth Brooks

Give Me Back My Wig (live) – Luther Allison

Over the Hills and Far Away (live) – Led Zeppelin

Broken Bed – James McMurtry

Theme from Alamo Bay – Ry Cooder

Luther Played Guitar – Stan Ridgway

Tin Man– The Avett Brothers

Like No Other Night - .38 Special

For the Love of a Princess – James Horner (“Braveheart” soundtrack)

Burning Down theHouse – Talking Heads

Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own – U2

Shine (Re-Mix) – Newsboys

Willie McBride – The Don’t Be Brothers

Dance Hall Days – Wang Chung