the sound of thoughts

Ever since my ipod met an untimely demise a few months ago, I have been running without any music to keep me company. And let’s say it has led to a lot of thinking time between the heavy breathing and thoughts of quitting. Today, it has led to some conclusions:

1. Dogs run at you until they can no longer see you. (Some call it protecting their home. Others call it annoying. I find it endearing.) Cats, squirrels and bunnies run from you. (I may or may not have seen all these animals in just today’s run). And horses stare at you. (They are either thinking you are crazy for running or are jealous of your freedom. Either way, they are judging you.)

2. Always run through mother’s nature obstacle course. While there is a higher chance of hurting yourself, jumping over flower bushes and trekking through sand makes the journey that much more interesting. And it probably puts on a show for the cars driving past you and maybe you make their day when you stumble and almost fall on your face. (Yes, almost. I caught myself).

3. Speaking of cars, don’t try and compete with the cars and get frustrated they are beating you up the street. They have more horsepower than the one horse that judged you earlier. They are supposed to beat you.

4. While running down a steep slope leads to high impact on the body, it does help you pick up speed while trying to navigate the obstacle course. It may also lead to the stumbling I talked about earlier.

5. Ending with an upward climb up a hill is never a smart idea. Living at the top of a long-ish driveway does not help this matter.

6. Thinking about anything serious only leads to depressing to do lists and anxious thoughts about moving. In this instance, maybe the music is missed.

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