running route

Know what I hate?  Treadmills.  I can't run on them, let alone make them start.  They're really confusing. I mostly dislike them because no matter how fast or long you run, you don't go anywhere.  So unsatisfying. I'm not a natural runner, but when I'm in decent shape I can go on runs that actually get me places.  Running AND moving outdoors > running and NOT moving indoors.

Running can get kind of boring after a few minutes, so look up from the cement sidewalk and pay attention to all the stuff around you.  Believe me, it can be entertaining.

 Some places are more interesting than others, and I'd say running near BYU campus is fairly amusing.  I start my usual run going uphill.  It kind of sucks because from the start I'm already tired. 

The plus?

 This view.

Ok, so I took this picture from my dorm, but it's not like I'm gonna whip out my camera mid-run.

After about the first five minutes of my run today I approached a younger father going on a walk with a stroller.  As I got closer I noticed he had one of those backpack things that hold your kids.  You know, one of these:

The dad didn't have a beard though.


So I guess that wasn't exactly strange, but he was just going on a walk, not hiking.  Then I noticed that he had another toddler sitting on top of the stroller.  I didn't understand why the kid was sitting there, since he could sit in the actual SEAT of the stroller.  Then I took a quick peek in the stroller while I ran past.  I saw ANOTHER kid in the stroller.  That was one determined dad.  Mind you, this was on BYU campus, I wasn't totally surprised.

A couple miles into my run I passed a class of kindergartners that were on a field trip or something.  They were standing outside a construction site  and were all waving and saying hi to the workers.  So cute.

By the last couple miles of my run I was near downtown Provo, so there's lots of things to look at.  I didn't see the homeless man today, but the BYU girls cross country team ran past me.  That was pretty embarrassing.  I was running uphill again and it was near the end of my run, so I wasn't exactly full of energy, and they were probably starting their run and going downhill.  Basically I felt like a fat loser. 

Don't worry, my self confidence was boosted shortly after.  I ran by a bus stop with about four or five guys waiting there.  Either my pasty white legs were really attractive, or they had been deprived of seeing any skin during the winter, because they totally had the eyes for me.  Whatever, I was wearing running shorts, not a bathing suit.

Eh, so nothing amazing happened on my run today, but it was still way better than running in the smelly gym on a treadmill.  Plus, I got an awesome tan line on my thighs. 

Moral of the story:  Treadmills suck.