I am not a fan of exercise, and I don't think I ever have been. However, I enjoy my health, so I try to exercise on a minor level. Just enough to defend my arteries from the outrageous amount of cheese I eat. Every once in a while -normally on a pretty day- I will get motivated enough to go on what I hope will be a long run.
Of course, I can't run in my neighborhood, because that's where I do my basic, 10-15 minute cardio, and treadmills are super boring for the long-haul. I will randomly pick a park with a long trail, make a good running playlist, and drive to my destination.
Until this point, I have remained happily unaware of my severe concentration issues.
The run begins. My thought process feels almost normal.
This is a good song, I love Muse!
I really hope that this run is awesome.
I feel awesome! Like...Han Solo awesome!
Star Wars is so good! I wonder how they run in space.
Being in space would be terrifying.
I don't ever want to go to space ever because I would be asphyxiated and die a tragic death and get all my blood vacuumed out of my system and -
Maybe I shouldn't think about space anymore. Keep it simple.
It's such a lovely day!
The thought pattern may vary, but the end result is always the same. About five minutes into the run, I try to focus externally, on how glorious the day is. I turn my gaze to my surroundings, and am filled with the majesty that a pretty setting brings. I run with the smile that only comes when you feel prepared for a zombie outbreak.
Another minute or three passes, and my over-stimulation catches up with me.
That tree is pretty!
Oooh! A weeping willow! I love those!
Flowwwwwwweerrrrrrssssss!
More treeeeeeeeeees!
Nature!
AHHHH GEESE!
Here, I stop running completely to stare at the flock of geese, or whatever other animal I have come across. I will stare at the animals for long moments, trying to be as quiet as I can, and mentally abandoning whatever rhythm I had. At this point I should give up, because I will never get it back.
But, no. I eventually snap myself out of my nature-induced trance and hit the trail once more, because I am committed!
Half a minute later finds me staring at a tree.
When did leaves get so interesting?
They have veins! They're green! They're sucking up sun rays!
I should maybe start running again.
I finally re-start running, but it's not the same. I can't help but want to observe the nature that I so very much love to be in. Very rarely - if I'm smart - I abandon my run completely at this juncture, find a bench, and just sit. More often I try to salvage my run. I try to regain focus by kicking up my music volume a notch. This is the wrong time to do so, because I'm all hyped up, but unable to re-find a nice rhythm.
When I am frustrated in not finding my rhythm, I give up and run to the rhythm of the song, which quickly escalates into abandoning my form for a more preferable limb-tossing half-run, half-dance. Of course, half-dancing can only be satisfying for so long, and soon enough I have stopped my run again completely to look like a complete goober on the trail.
Or, even worse...
I have completely lost any semblance to what my original goal was, and have started to channel my inner Celine Dion. I walk back to my car, singing and looking for a flock of geese.
