Runners: Open Thread

When I first started running, I may have been a little self-conscious, but I don’t remember having the petrifying fear of “being seen” that it seems like a lot of new runners get, especially ones of size. (Which I most certainly was.) I was pretty lucky in that I have access to a fairly secluded bike trail, so I don’t have to run into many other people if I don’t want to, but I didn’t use the trail exclusively; I recall that my first runs were all neighborhood runs, in fact. I guess I had other things to concern me than what other people were thinking – such as from where I was going to find my next breath. Thought I would die, I did.

Well, if I wasn’t self-conscious then, I know I’m not now. This morning’s run had me heading up the middle of a crowded street lined with people, many of whom with nothing else to look at besides…me.

Let me backtrack. It’s Independence Day, had you heard? We weren’t sure until the eleventh hour whether we were going to take advantage of our town’s traditional Parade of Epic Proportions, due to dour weather forecasts, and I was more than a little nervous about my scheduled 12-miler; I don’t like to run outside in thunderstorms, and it wasn’t as though the gym would be open to let me use a treadmill. I set my alarm for four AM, which was the earliest I could stomach doing it with the lowest chance of rain (still high, but better than later). When I woke, though, the percent chance of rain had been downgraded by a lot! I threw on clothes, grabbed the lawn chairs and tossed them into the van, and sped downtown to the parade route, where I was among the earliest crowds of folks reserving their spots. (Scored a patch of lawn just outside our church – yay for convenient bathroom access and concessions that would benefit our youth!)

Then I ran. It was a lovely run, nice and easy, and I sort of zoned out, since I didn’t have the running club to keep me company. By around 6, though, I was on the last leg and headed back to the car…and the crowds had increased in spades. I was running down a road lined with herds of folks in lawn chairs and on blankets, all “squatting” to make sure they had good viewing access. I could have ducked onto a side street, but traffic was starting to get dicey along those, as more spectators were attempting to jockey their vehicles as close to the parade as possible. So I kept running where the car traffic was minimal, but that meant that all those spot-savers were waking up for the day with coffee in hand and bleary eyes on the strange, sweaty girl running past. Why, hello thar, folks. I’ll be your pre-parade entertainment for the morning.

I only got a few cheers, though, and if anybody said anything else, I have my iPod to thank for keeping me oblivious.

Fireworks tonight! (Assuming the newer threats of funnel clouds either fizzle out or don’t pan out, of course.) Traffic out of that is always a hoot; I may wear running shoes and “race” Eric home, just to amuse myself.