Today, I decided to avoid suburbia.
Maybe one of the best parts of where I run is that fact that everyone waves when they drive by. Farmers have allowed me to re-load water, and the sheriff drives by checking on me when I'm going long, even offering a ride home when I had 2 flats on one ride. When I run in suburbia, the courtesies are gone, and I have to be on high alert for drivers that don't stop at stoplights/signs, drivers distracted by screaming kids in the back seat in the rush to get somewhere fast etc.
My run was short today. The mornings are so cool now, and my runs have become my favorite way to start the day. Today, I left later than normal. The sun was already up and overhead.
I was running into the sun, staring out into rolling hills that I still have a love/hate relationship with. If you live in the city, I don't think you can understand how quiet it is in places like this. I'm not talking about driving up to the mountains to go camping.
I'm talking about being a solitary person running along dirt roads with nothing but open land for as far as you can see.
The road was empty. In the distance I could hear something coming. I knew it was a big something. As I saw the truck coming up over the hill, I stepped off the road to give him as much clearance as I could. It was a truck pulling a trailer filled with horses. He slowed down quite a bit so I wouldn't get sprayed with cloud of dust.
When I looked up to watch him pass, I realized he'd reached up to the brim of his cowboy hat and gave me a big good morning wave.
I couldn't help but smile and wave back, very happy that I took the path I did today.
