Why I am not a Roadie

Sadly, I am surrounded by roads.

They are paved gateways into an asphalt hell.

Am I...
Dramatic? Maybe.
Having a pity party? Surely.

Are roads...
Destructive? Absolutely.
Boring? Yawn.

Now, I could launch into a rant about why I hate running on the roads but I would rather explain the beauty in everything else. I don't dare deny that there are roads with incredible views, but because my sanity and all my senses are tied to my feet I have to be careful where I tread. To my soles (and my soul), roads are jarring, painful, and hostile.

Be dwarfed
by something other
than a sky scraper

Trail Running. A must for any roadie regular. Take in a scent other than gasoline and smog. Hear something other than your own breathing, car engines, and your ipod. Let colors other than beige, neon, black, and red show you a new path.  

More exists
than just chrome
water fountains

Even running a road with hills means you are still on a piece of flat pavement. Finding a challenge is finding a place you have to adapt to. Just like challenging you mind and your heart keeps you healthy, challenging your feet keeps them stronger and faster. Since I have moved to San Antonio I have felt my feet grow tired. They are tired of looking for the challenge of dirt. As plain as dirt is, trails are something you have to work on. And I miss the work. Plus, mileage melts away when you have trail loops and adventures. I once saw 6 indigo buntings in the Nature Park on one single 1200 meter loop. Those vibrant birds can make any run seem short. Yes. I am a bird nerd too.

Even feet
can bring you
new perspective

Just in case you think I am going CRR on you, or getting too "Green" about my running, imagine something with me for a second. If you work in a cubicle all day, when you are off work you find someplace else to go after the day is done. If you work at Sonic all day, you eat somewhere other than Sonic (and fastfood for that matter) for dinner. If you help coach on the roads, you miss running everywhere else.

I will always find ways to make things relative, just like I will always miss what I don't have. If it were not for the exceptional company that I have here on the roads of San Antonio, my feet would have protested the change to roads with much more anguish than they did.

While I am tolerating the roads and staying thankful for the amazing weather here, I have decided that no part of me wants to be a roadster for long. But for now, I am just happy to have somewhere to keep running...and something to miss.

Top 10 Reasons Why I Miss Trail Running:
10. I miss being able to fall, faceplant, and trip with out worrying about what kind of chemicals and crap I will get into my cuts and bruises, plus plenty of teammates from DePauw to pick you back up
9. It is much easier to hear your conversations with each other when all you have to compete with are bird songs and breezes
8. There is nothing like realizing that stick in your path is actually a live snake to get your adrenaline pumping
7. I would much rather be clipped by a tree branch than a car
6. Puddle running and mud are so much more fun in the middle of the woods
5. There is nothing like a fresh coat of snow in the middle of the woods to make you feel incredibly instinctual and so very humbly alone
4. It is much easier to find a quick pit stop mid run, just watch out for the stinging nettle!
3. The air is full of... nothing! You can take a deep breath without worrying about what the smog count for the day is
2. Your feet will love love love you
1. It is where I feel at home. Sole to Soul.
Trying to love the road, long and far.

PS- If you believe that you will melt if you step off of the roads, try easing into something different by running on the track. That will do one of two things: make you insane enough to try trail running because almost no one likes to go in circles, or learn the rhythm that makes track running so addicting. Just try something softer for once! Give your legs a break!