Running

The photo has nothing to do with the text in this post. Why? I hear you ask. Why do you do things like that? Well, the answer is, I have some photos that I don't need to post about, and I have a few things I might like to say that I have no photos to go with. Such as this one, about running. I have no photos pf myself running, nor do I ever ever ever need to have such a photo taken.

At home, I run on a treadmill. New Hampshire mornings are cool in the summer, and dark in early fall. The street we live on has no running path or even sidewalk, and cars travel faster than they should along the curvy road. Besides that, I am supposed to be looking after the boys. If Steve is here, that's one thing, but he isn't always, and even if he is, he is technically working... Blah blah blah, I have a ton of reasons.

Anyway, in France, I ran outdoors. I was nervous about this, because when we started visiting the area, no one ran at all. If you went out for a short jog, people would stare at you as if you were fleeing a crime scene. It just wasn't done.

But things change.

There is a bike path along the beach - well, the beach road, which isn't always right next to the beach, but still. And it was almost always busy. People ran, walked, rode bikes, pushed baby strollers, everything. At all times of the day, even at noon, those crazy running-at-noon in the heat folk.

Running outdoors is very, very different from running on a treadmill. Obviously, you say. But what I'm referring to is the social aspect. You pass people and you nod your head at them. You smile at the old man walking his dog, and he smiles at you as you pass him again on the way home. You laugh when the guy running in front of you reaches his target and abruptly turns around for his way back. Once a runner actually tried to High-Five me as we passed each other, but I was tired and taken by surprise, so the effect was more like he reached out and pushed me off balance... I'm not really very graceful...

I loved running outdoors so much, and I miss it. But here it is cold in the mornings, and dark. And soon there will be wet snow on the ground. And so, no outdoors for me. Treadmill. Which is much more boring. No one sees me if I slow down, but there is no fudging my time, either. I'll just have to pretend I'm on the beach when I'm really in the basement.