Frontrunner...

I get alot of thinking done when I run & believe me when I tell you, it's quite therapeutic in so many ways. If only I could somehow figure a way to write as I run. Sometimes I take specific notice of the various obstacles I encounter along my route.

While completing today's route I battled potholes, stoplights, a few distractions, fatigue & exhaustion before experiencing the ultimate exhilaration of crossing the finish line. But today I thought of how my jog route somewhat parallels life & people in general.

Potholes...

When taking to the streets for a run, I've gotta watch out for uneven portions of the pavement, sidewalks & so-fourth. They're not difficult to avoid, but if I'm not aware, they can cause damage & inflict serious pain.

Certain people are potholes - you know the nuisances who re-surface in your life from time to time & just as quickly as they show, they disappear again? Ummm, yea... try & avoid those altogether nowadays.

Stop-Lights...

Sometimes right when I get into a good groove, a stop-light interrupts my flow & on-the-spot adjustments must be made to avoid the danger of negligent/aggressive drivers. For purposes of this post, I'll associate stop-lights with my haters.

No runner enjoys the idea of compensating for the loss of time during a run, it's unproductive. The secret seems to be keeping my head on a swivel & perfectly timing my approaches towards intersections, then I can gracefully glide thru the bull-shit... I try & employ similar methodology when dealing with those aforementioned haters - Oh I see y'all lookin' witcha lookin-asses, lol.

Distractions...

Sometimes various things along the route capture my attention & I momentarily lose focus, I HATE that. Things like dogs (or really, it's their absent-minded owners), music playlist errors, 'cougars' & wardrobe malfunctions all are examples of things that take my mind off the pace I've set for myself & at times, I've gotta mentally slap myself just to regain the focus, lol.

I've got 1 or 2 people that come to mind who would fit the description above. Somehow I allow 'em to remain wirelessly connected to my life, when all the while I know any time spent with such company is, in reality, a waste of my time. More importantly, it prevents what might otherwise be a meaningful encounter with someone else. I'm still working on this one, maybe I require a few 'actual' slaps in such cases, lol...

Fatigue/Exhaustion...

-Fatigue comes into play about halfway thru, so I dial it back a bit to ensure I complete the 2.8 mile route without walking. Adrenaline carries me thru much of my run, but somewhere near the 2 mile mark, I can feel my body losing form. The whole 'mind telling your body that its not tired' bit has always fascinated me, so its here I like to use a few tricks I've picked up to help battle exhaustion long enough to get to the finish.

-Perhaps I'd be better served to employ a similar approach when my social relationships begin to fatigue. When dealing with women in general, the initial excitement of someone new gets me thru the 1st few months or so, but when things aren't progressing as smoothly as I'd like, again, I feel myself losing form. In life, I haven't always finished the run though & I realize that. But now, I've gotten my cardio levels where they need to be & I'm ready for whatever.

Finally, the Finish Line...

Typically upon approaching the final 0.3 miles of my route, a sense of relief & excitement overcomes me. It's at this point, the RunKeeper app installed on my cell phone fades the headphone music level & spits out 1 last update of my current pace & distance traveled stats. I'm never satisfied with this info, so I give it a final push in an attempt to salvage a better mile-split average before finishing the route.

In the great race of life, there doesn't really seem to be a finish line, per se. People change their minds, circumstances/situations evolve & yes, people DO fall out of love. In essence, I guess most are never satisfied with their current stats. But that's a good thing in my mind as complacency often signifies the lack of drive & determination. The lack of a visible finish line can't stop me from littering the route with plenty of conquests & achievements along the way... & it won't.