…. then your life is a shame.  No one says it better than the Counting Crows.  Life is all about enjoying the small pleasantries, staring off into the distance and enjoying everything around you.  This is part of why I enjoy running so much, particularly training for and running Marathons.  Now, for those of you who run on treadmills only, you are truly missing out.  I can’t run on a treadmill… I need the feel of the wind, the smell of fresh cut grass, the sun beating down on me, and something in the distance that I can stare off into…. looking at a clock that is rolling the time second by second and a T.V playing “Flavor of Love” while on a treadmill in between a girl who has a face full of makeup and the most stylish workout clothes on, and Vinny the guido from Staten Island at Gold’s Gym, is not going to cut it. 

Every run I have done, even the ones I hate, have led me to some great scenes that I wouldn’t give up for the world.  There is nothing better than running along the boardwalk at the Jersey Shore and looking out at the beach and ocean, or running through Phoenix and Tempe Arizona while seeing mountains in the distance as you run down the highway, or the Washington Monument and Pentagon as you run through Washington D.C.   During the three marathons I have run, these are the sites I had the pleasure of seeing, as I stared off into the distance with 100 different things going through my mind. … Look at how amazing this is… I am doing really well, check out that pace… My leg is starting to hurt… What do I want to eat when I finish… I wonder what my dog is doing right now…. Where are the people cheering me on… a debate in my head over what my favorite Michael Jackson song is…. Despite all of this tangential thinking though, everything just seems so very clear.

On top of the amazing vistas I have seen running my marathons, I have seen amazing things in New Jersey that I would not have even known existed without my training runs.  My favorite runs have been over the George Washington Bridge looking out onto the water and the view of the city, Columbia Trails in High Bridge where you run along a trail with a river flowing beneath and beautiful signs of nature all around, and the Towpath in Piscatway between the canal and Raritan River. 

For those of you who have not taken to the streets for your daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly work out, you are truly missing out on the most beautiful sights you will lay your eyes on.  I tend to think that things are more beautiful, mainly because I am able to pay more attention to them, when I am running.  Its so easy to get lost in a sunset, the view of the beach, or the sound of the river below.  Now I am not telling everyone that they need to go out and run a marathon (although it wouldn’t be a bad idea), but I am suggesting that you live life, get outside and enjoy the scenery.

• Previous Entry: I’ll slap you with my Chris Brown hand!
• Next Entry: Judge Ito! Have Some of My Burrito!