I’m not a terribly big fan of running outside. Blinding sun, cat calls, stray dogs, and hills–the treadmill can be a savior for those who only wish to be outdoorsy, like me. (Seriously, I got too incidentally tan this last summer. Yuck!) And, safety is a concern, too. Luckily there’s no way any of the creepies in my ‘hood can run faster than I can. Whew! But at the park with those crazy hills? Well, running in the park makes me think of that terrible episode of Little House on the Prairie where a man in a mask creeped out of the woods and assaulted that girl whose father thought her a harlot because of the bountiful bosom he forced her to bind…then Albert took responsibility for her baby over Pa’s dead body…
Anyway, yeah, so because of safety concerns, I’ve been thinking about getting a dog to run with. When I shared these thoughts with my mom–86 the Little House drama–she did say she doesn’t like me going out there, and that she’s a firm believer in treadmills.
I can’t imagine never going out there to experience my world, but there are things I won’t do. Flying is one of those things. When I gave up flying, I was told that I shouldn’t let fear stop me from living. I haven’t resumed flying for the newer fear of being that guy in Alanis Morrisette’s Ironic, but giving up running seems…impossible. I love it. I don’t do it as much as I’d like, but I can’t not run for longer than 2 weeks. I NEED it.
Apples to Oranges
I like running like my mom likes smoking, but I have to hand it to her–she’s far more dedicated to her nicotine addiction than I am to the road. Mom likes to unwind in the middle of her workday by having a yogurt and a few smokes in her car in a random parking lot. For safety, if something looks weird, she will drive away, much like I will turn and run away from creepy white vans without lettering, a beefcake wandering in the park without purpose…or, a spider spinning a web near my treadmill. (See why I need a dog? Damn spiders.)
Is chain smoking safer than running outdoors? Whether I get a stab in the park or a blood clot to the heart, I have a 100% chance of experiencing death. Does risk even matter?
I think I’ll keep on running, consider that dog, and make plans for a faraway vacation–far enough away from now, just in case.
