On Friday, I spent the whole day, sun up to sun down,
running.
And it was one of my
best birthdays ever.
I got this little idea from a Dean Karnazes book I read last November. (both the Kyoo mom and the Gregbeau want me to stop reading those...).The idea was to go on a running adventure. Leave my normal routes and plans behind. Pay no attention to the time or how long I'd been running or when I needed to stop. Just set out the door with a water bottle, cell phone, credit card, and some cash, and see where my feet and the day would take me.
A runabout, if you will.
Most people thought I was crazy when I told them that's how I was going to spend my birthday, and honestly I thought I was a little crazy too. But once I've set my mind to something, it's hard for me to give it up. I told myself that if the weather was bad, I'd call it off. But January has been a beautiful month to be a runner in San Antonio and the 27th was no exception.
So, shortly before 7am, I set out the door with a peanut butter rice crispy in hand, jogged to my complex gate, and decided to turn left.
Starting out, I really wasn't sure how long I'd make it or where I'd go. I just wanted to run as long as I was still enjoying the day, and then call the Gregman if I got bored or tired or found myself in a sketch part of town.
Cool beans.
It was seriously the best. I ran around with this stupid grin on my face the whole day.
I ran along Wurzbach for a while and watched the cars race by with everyone rushing off to work. Coffee in one hand. Glances to the cell phone in the dash. Some honking. Probably thinking about getting through just one more day of work.
I was thinking about my freezing hands. The beautiful sun rising above the trees. My feet slowly plodding along on the pavement. What was over the next hill.
I found a new park. And jogged along some of its trails.
Then there was a jaunt through a quiet little neighborhood. I decided I could live there. And even picked out my house.
It's not for sale yet.
And this isn't it.
I ran past a Shipley's Donuts. But I wasn't craving donuts after the binge at work last week. So I didn't stop. I kept trucking along, this time down Bitters. There are some really nice neighborhoods off Bitters! After exploring them for a while, I decided I could live there too.
Eventually I started to get hungry. So I stopped at a Valero Cornerstore. And do you know what was calling my name?
A Big Red Icee. That's what.
So I filled up, grabbed a couple pop tarts, and set back out on the road.
What would you think if you saw a girl running down the street sipping on an Icee?
I think I made a person's day or two.
And I was wearing my adventure bracelet. Forgot to mention that. It's not an adventure unless I have my adventure bracelet on. I don it for weekend camping excursions, vacations, and sometimes trips to the grocery store. Basically any time I need a reminder to loosen up and explore!
Also, did you know there's a shortage of sidewalks in San Antonio? I do. I ran down a few ditches, on lots of gravel and mud, and thru fields of dead grass. Should have wore my trail shoes!
I also should have wore a hat. I realized this, saw a Walgreens, and trotted inside.
"Two questions. Where's your restroom and do you sell hats?"
I bought the cheapest, most ridiculous hat they had in stock. And some gum. That Icee had left my teeth rotting and it was bothering me.
At some point during the morning, I decided to meet the Gregman for lunch.
We coordinated on the phone and stopped at a Subway close to his work. I sat down for about 20 minutes to eat with him. It was delicious.
Confession, I also had him drive me about a quarter mile across 1604. Safety, ok!
He dropped me off at a stoplight and I got back into stride with half of a sandwich wrapped up in my hand for later.
It's a good thing I had that too, because I ended up running along Evans road. And Evans road goes on for ages. With no stores.
It was a beautiful, relatively quiet road to run along with a nice shoulder and even a few trees. I loved it. But I was running out of water and had long-ago devoured the rest of my sandwich when I finally came to "civilization" again. Another Walgreens!
I dashed inside for water in/water out and a candy bar and Oreo's. Just listening to the cravings!
And back to smiles after hours of "drought". (with my cool hat).
It was shortly after this point in the afternoon when I started to hit my "wall" for the day. My feet were kind of tired and my mind was a little shot. I was still enjoying the day, but I'd kind of had it with running. I'll admit it, I walked a few times. And sat down at a crosswalk or two whilst waiting to cross.
But the weather was beautiful. In the upper 60s and sunny. So just being outside was exactly what I wanted.
I kept moving forward, whether that was running or walking, talked to the Kyoo mom for a bit on my phone, and just watched the scenery pass.
School was letting out so I ran with a couple middle-schoolers on their way home. They probably thought I smelled funny.
They didn't know I'd been running since probably before they woke up that morning.
Perspective.
I found myself running just below the temple. And there was this cool little alley off the street. And I was tired of being on my feet again. So I just sat down and played with rocks for a few minutes while singing primary songs.
It was quite therapeutic, I assure you.
A couple miles later, it was time for another water in/water out stop. And another Icee. Dr. Pepper this time. Maybe I wanted the caffeine?
(i probably would have downed 10 Icees if I'd passed enough gas stations). (no lie). (i don't know why i've never tried those on long runs before). (but they are amazingly refreshing).
This is kind of how I felt at this point.
Sadly, the caffeine didn't pull me out of my afternoon lull. At least not right away. About 10 minutes later, I saw this fence post that looked heavenly, stopped, and leaned up against it.
And then stared at my feet for the next 20 minutes and watched the cars roll by.
It was like I was a kid again without a care in the world.
Especially when I hit a giggle fit. EVERYTHING was funny. Boy passing on his skateboard? Funny. Two cars passing at the same time? Hilarious. Greg calling me? Gut-busting.
It sounds so stupid now but I was just giddy and laughing. Runner's high!
Or the caffeine hit.
Either way, the last couple hours of the evening passed quickly. The sun was setting and I was getting my second wind.
Traffic was stalled on 1604 so I was the one racing past this time! Muahahaha...suckers. I was surprised how strong I felt after almost an entire day on my feet. I was pushing forward with a lot of strength and covering more ground than I had since earlier in the morning.
Probably because the end was finally in sight. The Gregman was on his way over and I knew I was going to get picked up soon.
But I savored every last minute of that day.
And this stunning sunset.
It didn't seem like that long ago when I had set out and watched it rise. It's really kind of cool to see a day go by like that.
The Gregman eventually pulled up beside me, rolled down his window, and asked me how much for an hour. I gave him a big grin and hopped inside.
Success!
The day was exactly what I had wanted. I ran, which is one of my favorite hobbies. I was outside, which is one of my favorite places to be. I got to think and reflect, which is one of my favorite things to do. And I got to explore, which really makes life exciting.
So many good memories from my quarter-century celebration!
How cool are these legs? Pretty cool. They carried me over 40 miles on Friday. (i KNOW). (i thought i'd get further too). (but it was a pretty leisurely day).
I saw San Antonio on the backs of my two feet and I'll never look at this city the same again.
Adventure is everywhere. Get creative and make it.
I love running.
Have a great day :-)
