Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Running: Paying Attention

This morning I did four miles of what passes for speed work in my universe. Normally, I am just lost somewhere in between the ozone and my ipod paying virtually no attention to my surroundings. But today, I was more tuned in. Running south to the North Avenue beach, I actually noticed and waved to a bunch of Jordan's former classmates who were out for a pre-season cross-country training run. I passed the new soccer field by the Latin school with a pre-season field hockey session going strong. Then it seemed like senior citizen day with a variety of healthy old folks out for runs and walks. I particularly liked the serene handsome older lady jogging in an 1980s teeshirt reading "Who Gives a S&%T what Frankie Says?".

I began to focus in more on my surroundings as I circled the new boardwalk nature walk around the South Pond and through the Lincoln Park Zoo with the sleepy lions, restless cheetahs, and serene giraffes out for their morning routines. Continuing north I took a short nature trail around the east side of the North Pond and found dozens of ducks and geese on the grass on both sides. Jogged in place at the spot by the North Pond with the best view of the park and downtown where they shoot all the picture postcards for the tourists. Then home past the gold leaf statue of Alexander Hamilton and the unnaturally buff and half naked statue of Goethe. It was one of the few times I wish I ran with a phone with a camera a la Ted.

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