Back on Track

It’s been a while. Six weeks in fact. And after all that talk Jan.1 about a new beginning, a fresh start. Well, I really have no excuse. Sure, it’s been cold, snowy, icy — the usual winter weather in Illinois. But I’ve run in it before. For some reason, though, this year is different. It’s colder. Snowier. Icier.

And my focus is elsewhere. While I haven’t been running, I have been writing. Would you believe love letters? Nearly 60 of them in the past couple months. She lives all of three miles away so most people think I’m a little nuts for writing. What’s wrong with email, text, Facebook, they wonder. We use that for everyday communication like anyone else. But expressing yourself to the one you love is best done the old-fashioned way. Even with lousy handwriting like mine.

Hold on. I took a break to organize my blog files — recently migrated to a Macbook Pro — and discovered I did run twice in January, the second time around Jan. 12, though I didn’t complete a blog. (See note on distraction and focus above.) Hooray for me. So it was only a one-month hiatus, not six weeks.

Anyway, I wouldn’t qualify this single run as really being back on track, but I came up with the seemingly clever — all right, clichéd — title when I crossed the railroad tracks on Farnham Street near Fifth Street. It seemed a good location for a selfie with the tracks stretching out behind me. Unfortunately I didn’t get the effect I was going for, as I’m pretty inept at self-portraiture. I do know someone who is maybe as bad, but I won’t mention any names. Would that I could capture myself with the skill of my friend Jane Carlson, who makes the most awesome self-portraits for her Facebook profile pics.

So this isn’t the most satisfying or interesting blog. I’m struggling getting back into the swing of it. I need a really good run — one that is not only physically and emotionally uplifting, but also productive in the scavenging. I haven’t found squat in months. Winter used to be so rewarding: gloves, hats, scarves, stuffed toys, frozen foods. I need to find something good … and soon!

Today's Stats (Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014)

Temp: 17 degrees F

Distance: 3.66 miles

Weekly Total: 3.66 miles

Treasure: 2 cans

iPod Playlist (Shuffle):

Radio – Matchbox Twenty

New Deep – John Mayer

The Difficult Kind – Sheryl Crow

Can’tFight This Feeling – REO Speedwagon

I Want to Know What Love Is – Foreigner

Let Her In – John Travolta

City Love (live) – John Mayer

Don’t Ask Me Why – Billy Joel

BlindedBy the Light – Manfred Mann