running season

Last year I set what I thought was a crazy goal to run 1,000 km before the end of 2011.  When I reached that one about a month early I immediately started wondering if I could do more.  This year I set my goal at 1,500 km.  Ridiculous.  But thanks to an equally ridiculous streak of running every day since last spring, much to my wife's dismay, I met that goal on Sunday. 

I've only had to run in the rain a handful of times.  I saw a reeeeally close bolt of lightning once and had to duck inside for a while.  I was almost trampled by deer a few times and I almost needed to be revived after just missing stepping on a snake.  I ran early in the morning on some days and at dusk on others.  When G had surgery I got up early and ran before driving us to the hospital, then drove her home the next day, got her safely upstairs and put on my running shoes.  There may or may not have even been an ER visit where we were released and as we headed home she said "Well I guess you'll have to run before we eat dinner."  I did.

Here's something I never thought I would say....I love to run.  It's great.  Don't get me wrong, it hurts and it's difficult and you may have noticed that I'm no spring chicken, but I look forward to running.  There have been days this year when I've ran and my mind has raced faster than my legs trying to figure out solutions to huge problems.  Some laps were spent thinking up ways to make sculpture projects better.  Some were spent developing and rehearsing slide presentations.  Some laps were devoted to grading and going over projects in my head.  There are some runs where my mind goes silent and I think of absolutely nothing for 20 minutes.  But no matter what my head does when I run and no matter how numb my legs may be afterwards, I'm always a better human being when I'm done. 


If you're wondering how the bug problem worked out....none of the remedies, repellents, or voodoo spells worked great.  Deet did nothing but make my lips swell.  I tried Logan's suggestion of rubbing a dryer sheet on my skin and even tucking one in the waist of my shorts.  This didn't keep them from sticking to me and biting me, but I did get fewer bites than with the deet and I had the added bonus of smelling like "spring rain" for a few weeks. Now the cold temperatures and wind seem to have carried the plague away.  So thanks to those of you who made suggestions.