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March 26, 2006
Deep Thoughts
Do you remember back when Saturday Night Live was actually good? In those days, my favorite part of the show was "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey." My friends and I would laugh endlessly about the random stuff that this Jack Handey could pull out, all while wearing a pink cardigan and khakis. Really hilarious stuff. Now I know I'm not the only runner out there who has observed the gamut of random thoughts that progress through one's mind when out there running. Some of it is so ridiculous that it should belong to Jack Handey. Today while running, I thought about the following, and it makes me think that perhaps I need a running partner to talk to instead:
Does my quad hurt? Can I feel it? Right there, that step, was that a twinge? Should I have stretched better before I started? I think I'm okay. Really, I don't feel anything. Wait a minute. Nope, I don't feel aything.
Hey, that's an elk skeleton coming out of the melting snow! How long has that been there, right next to this trail I always run on? How did it die? Who killed it? Is the killer watching me right now? What's that noise? Oh, just the wind. I'm still going to look over my shoulder ever 30 seconds, though. Just in case.
What are these prints on the trail? So weird, like a webbed foot almost. And that gooey poo? It almost looks like geese have been here. Hey, there are geese here! I Move on geese. See that river down there? That's yours, this trail is mine. You geese are mean, you chase people, you bite runners, and you poo everywhere. I'll sick my dog on you if you're not careful.
Am I feeling my quad yet? No, no quad, but what's that feeling in my hip?
Damn iPod, it froze again! One day it works perfect, another day it freezes up. What gives? This is exactly why I hardly ever run with it. And, I was just getting into Tom Petty. Now I'm going to be humming "Wildflowers" for the next 6 miles.
Wind, wind, wind! Is it always windy in the spring? I hate the wind. Someone, do something, make it stop. No, I don't hate the wind. The wind is awesome when it's 90 degrees outside. The wind is not awesome in this moment, though. Okay, chica, just suck it up and run.
Quad chec-kin? Still good to go. The hip thing, nada. But my toe, ooh my toe? A toe cramp!
It's like a cornucopia of nature out here! I'm so lucky that I've seen deer, elk, bison, geese, ravens, magpies, pronghorn, and a bald eagle all in an hour and a half out here. Where else does this happen? I should write an article for National Geographic or something.
Oh look, a bald eagle! That's so moving, and patriotic, and inspiring, and... Where are these thoughts coming from? I am not moved to patriotic thoughts by a bird, am I? That's ridiculous. But this bird, it just flew right by the moment began to feel like I was, perhaps, "suffering." And now I'm not "suffering" anymore. Coincidence? Just run, Meghan.
Hey, my quad is still good, hip good, toe good. Anything else I can think about obsessively for the last 10 minutes of my run? Nah, just run.
I think I'll buy some ice, and take an ice bath. But it's so cold out. But it would be a good way to end the week. But I'm cold. Hey, there's a river down there! I can soak my feet in the river for free, and without having to dunk myself in an ice bath! What a compromise! Why haven't I thought of this in the LAST 10 MONTHS of living here?
I ran about 12 miles on a combination of trails and gravel roads. I ran the last 2 miles at half-marathon effort. There aren't any real mile marker designations, just the approximations in my head. I think I ran the last 2 miles too fast, though, being all inspired by the bald eagle and stuff. I tried to take it easy and slow my long run pace down a bit, but I don't think I actually accomplished this. The few times I checked in with my watch, I was passing landmarks at my usual times for a long run.
Posted by Meghan at March 26, 2006 6:41 PM
Comments
Hilarious running train of thought! Now I know I am not the only one who when running goes from having a brilliant epiphany to thinking about something as gross as goose poop in the span of a few running strides.
Posted by: Adam at March 28, 2006 1:13 PM