Running: California Runs > Suburban Runs

Gorgeous.  Photocred to my mom on this one!

There's a reason why I don't have as many weird trains of thought while I run in scenic places (i.e. on vacation, on the Chicago Lakeshore path, etc), and I discovered why.  The things I see keep these weird musings at bay.  If you're like me, running is "me time".  I separate myself from the busy-ness and stresses of my life/day, and I am truly alone with my thoughts when I go for long runs by myself.  This is especially the case when I run in the suburbs.  This week was a fallback week, so I did 10 miles by myself on a 5 mile loop in the suburbs.  This trail is newly installed in my neighborhood, but I still got so bored that these things came to mind.  Hopefully, I'm not alone/embarrassing myself here, but, hey, I have a point to prove.  Comparing the photos I took in Cali to what I thought about while running solo on a loop in my local suburb and how the scenic route is ALWAYS better. 

First, I'll share my photos from Cali.  I ran in every city that we visited: Sausalito, Napa, and Carmel.  My ultimate goal was to run across to Golden Gate Bridge, and I was lucky enough to share that experience with my dad on Father's Day.

<3 Happy Father's Day!!!

Go, Dad, go!

I'm such a loser. hahaha

Carmel hill running

Finally, my long run in Napa (wine or camelback water...tough choice)

 The running in Cali was incredibly hilly.  All of my runs took forever, but I came home with a faster pace overall, which is a nice souvenir(;  The hardest run was probably our first across the bridge.  From our hotel, the first mile was a HUGE incline.  Then, the bridge itself had on and off inclines.  We covered 6 miles that day and felt like champs.  When I did recovery yoga later that night, everything was cracking and creaking (gross).  That was a sign that yoga was a good choice...


And now, without further ado, here are some of the odd thoughts I had during my long run yesterday in the suburbs...(don't judge me.) 

Trust me, when you get this bored in the heat for over 2 hours, you're going to think about some weird stuff.

-At this pace, I wouldn't have made it past page 2 in The Maze Runner.  Grievers would have gotten me at this pace. (Can you guess what series I'm reading?)
-Dear LORD, Timbaland is a genius.  How does he get his hands into every song imaginable?
-Remembering finding a Ludacris CD in Emma's brother's old car during our carpools during high school and blasting it in the morning (Shout out to Emma and Mike!)
-If I had to choose my death, would it be by drowning in frozen yogurt or peanut butter? Tough choice...
-Which ugly rapper would I date based on merit alone? (Lil Jon? I can do his voice really well; our communication as a couple would be really great).
-Thank God I put sunscreen on today (esp. ears!- thanks Aunt Mary, I never forget because of you!)
-Would MJ be my friend despite my awkward attempts to sing like him every time his songs come on? (Carley, help me on this one.)
-How can I learn the dance routine to this song in the least awkward manner possible?
-Would jimmy johns deliver to this trail/drive me home?
-What time period do I belong in since I clearly don't fit in here? (Please, don't let it be the 80's.)
-Is anyone noticing I've been lip syncing this whole time? (On a scale of 1-10 how much do I care?)
-I just disrupted a mob of white butterflies. I named the solo monarch Tony Soprano.  (I've been binge watching The Sopranos to, you know, learn more about my culture.-My dad hates it when I say that, lol)
-Less hills, more cowbell please.


Where is the prettiest place you've ran in/traveled to and run?  Do you have weird thoughts when you get bored during your long runs? Comment below, and make me feel better.