Sunday, November 18, 2012

Runner's Rants, Raves, and Rambles

I am getting to the point in the year where I don't want to run outside much anymore because it is dark and cold when I can run, so I have been doing lots of treadmill running and taking advantage of "warmer" late morning and mid-afternoon runs on the weekends. I've had some time to think, try new things, and people watch, so it's time again for Runner's Rants, Raves, and Rambles.

Rants: I hate running on a treadmill in general really because I'm not really going anywhere, and I have a stupid clock ticking away in my face. I've tried covering up the display, but that annoys me even more, so now I just let it taunt me while trying to distract myself with people watching.

For some reason, I am both intrigued and perplexed by the high number of muscle head men I see walking on treadmills these days. A lot of those guys skip cardio, so it's good that they are doing it, but I just think to myself, why aren't they at least jogging? I feel like they should be able to, and I wonder what's the point. Don't get me wrong, I think walking is great, and everyone should do whatever they can. Plus, I know that not everyone likes running, but it just seems strange to me.

I am thoroughly annoyed though by the middle aged women who set it to the highest incline, grab a hold of the machine and "walk" uphill for the entire time. If you are a person who does that, please explain the rationale to me. I just really don't get it, and for some reason, it really annoys me to see people do that. So just let me in on the secret.

Rave: I had never really thought of listening to anything other than music or the background noise of the roads while I run until I saw the AT&T commercial with Ryan Hall listening to audiobooks. That got me thinking. I then read a tip in RW about switching up your workout by listening to a podcast or audiobook instead of music. I decided to try it out, and I have found NPR podcasts of Tell Me More, This American Life, and Fresh Air to be great soundtracks for both treadmill and road running.

Ramble: I tried out a new route today, and I encountered an animal that I have not yet encountered on a run. I ended up, somewhat accidentally, running through a giant flock of Canada Geese. I hear  Canada Geese is the correct term even though I often hear people call them Canadian Geese. Anywho, they started hissing at me, and I had to tiptoe around thousands of piles of poop, so all in all, I think I will try to avoid them in the future, but the small lake that is rather like a pond was a nice backdrop for a late Sunday morning run. I was also able to get some hills, which will hopefully come in handy for the 5k I am doing next weekend that promises to be fairly hilly.

4 comments:

  1. Canada Geese is proper AP style, says your not-practicing-at-the-moment journo friend.

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  2. Try RadioLab podcasts! So good, you won't even know you're running.

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    Replies
    1. I will get on that, my friend. Also, I found your cat.

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