Wild 20 Run

August 9th

You're out of bed at sunrise. Slip into your favorite hi-tech, sweat-wicking combo. Wriggle your feet into your trusty Asics. Drive the usual route to your usual running trail and park in the usual spot.

You know every rise and fall of this trail, every crook and bend and dip.  It's....comfortable, reliable, predictable. It's boring, even. But you file that into the "mental training" category.

Then...out of the blue....you decide to take a random right. And then an unscripted left. You're on a new road, in  a new neighborhood. This is new territory.

That street looks interesting-- turn!  This one has a nice downhill --fine, keep going straight....or don't!  It doesn't really matter today.

You have only a vague notion of where you are, and no idea of where you're headed. But that's the point. This is wild runnin'!  And you love the randomness of it. To heck with the familiar, today you're going rogue!

Your pace ticks up a notch and the giddiness kicks in as you savor the newness. Pretty soon you're in a different neighborhood, on a shady lane, running by pastel-colored Victorian charmers. You've got 20 on your schedule and it doesn't matter how you get there, just that you get it done.

Around the next bend is an Amish farmer's market..

... tables covered with crates of fruits and veggies, buckets filled with sunflowers and daffodils.

 

You hear the ting, ting, ting of a railroad crossing and realize there's a commuter train station across the street.

How lucky is this? You could hop on the next train, ride to the next stop, get off and run back! Take this wild runnin' thing to a new level!

 Yeah, you're that crazy, but maybe leave that one for another day. Time to head back to the car to refuel. Hmmm.....that's if you can find your way back!