What You Get Is What You Have To Give Away

I'm kind of hanging out feeling like I should be out doing something productive today. Nothing really comes to mind, though. I'm hoping to try a little experiment, getting down to the local forest to run there instead of out on the mean streets of Suffield. I've noticed that there's a difference in where and how, and for that matter with whom, you run. Going it alone over uninteresting terrain is probably most difficult, as there are two factors to consider here- one, you're all alone, no one to talk to, keep up with and/or offer mutual encouragement to. Second, this isn't offset by all the cool and interesting stuff going on around you, as there's nothing except your own imagination to keep you occupied, and you do have to pay at least some attention to the road in front of you. Contrast this with the annual Manchester 5K- I could run two of those and not feel it, because there's so much going on- the streets are lined with people, many cheering, some discussing some strange and interesting topic, some playing music, some drinking beer at 10 in the morning. All very much interesting, so you hardly notice you're running. Actually, this should be the case anyway- generally you fall into pace and just forget about it- your breathing kind of clicks in with your steps, and your mind becomes free to wander. Also in the road race are the vast array of other runners, many wearing bizarre costumes. Again, this occupies your mind much more than your running. The point being, if it interests you, like pretty much anything else in life, it's really much easier, much less of a chore. But when you have to do it and it bores you, it becomes that much more of a burden. Apart from this is the fact that trails are composed of dirt, which is a little easier on your joints than asphalt, the occasional rock or tree root aside.
I can remember running the Laurel Marsh trail, along the Hockanum River. Called Suicide Swamp, after an obscure video game reference, (Twisted Metal 2 and prior to that JetMoto 2, in case you were wondering), this was about 5 miles of really interesting terrain, varying from skunk-cabbage filled swamplands, often marked by planks or bridges spanning the mires, to flat grass along the edges of the swamp, and several steep uphills with tree roots forming tiers or almost stairs. Needless to say, it may not have been the best thing for a timed run, but for a visually and mentally engaging environment, tough to beat. Don't try this at home, but I found you can, with a sufficient amount of momentum, get a good six or seven feet up a tree trunk, then kick off of the tree horizontally and land back on the trail. A silly stunt, but always fun- I saw it in a kung fu movie once, and decided to take the typical guy route and try it myself. Good times!