The world looks different when I'm running.
Normally, a bright a sunny day is welcoming and beautiful, but when you're in the throes of a seven-miler, the sun (especially in a Texas drought) becomes your enemy. Gorgeous, scenic hills and valleys become treacherous uphills and going-to-be-uphills-on-the-way-back. Lovely songbirds become potential attackers.
But it's not all bad. A stray sprinkler can be an oasis. Stoplights can act as forced rest breaks. And random acts of irritation can actually be quite inspirational. This last one actually happened to me today. As I was heading up Half-Mile Hill at the end of my workout, I was starting to lose steam. Refusing to let myself walk, I'd slowed to a rather trudging pace to make it up this last major incline, and just when I thought I might give up, someone honked at me.
I assume it was at me, because there was simply no one else around at the time. It was just me and this car on the access road along Mopac. They were going down the hill as I was going up, and the driver gave a quick punch on the horn. I immediately responded with a triumphant fist raise.
Truly, I have no idea why I reacted so well. Normally, when I hear someone honking their horn, particularly if I'm in my own car, it irritates me to no end, but for some reason, I took this particular blast to be encouragement. Perhaps the person in the car knew me, or maybe they just know what it feels like to climb a killer hill as the temperature climbs with you. Whatever the reason, that little car gave me just the boost I needed to finish my run with strength today.
And for that, I thank them.
Saturday's Run:
78-82 Degrees, Partly Cloudy
7.3 Miles
52 Minutes, 4 Seconds
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