Monday, December 31, 2007

Imagination running wild


Thought I heard the strains of banjo strumming coming through the woods as I ran down a dark and lonely road in southern Missouri yesterday.

Maybe it was just my imagination.

But the run definitely had a bit of a Deliverance vibe. Although I was trying to keep a moderate to slow pace during my continued somewhat-pathetic attempt at base training, wild thoughts about what might be lurking in the Ozarks woods caused me to pick up the pace a bit.

My, what a fun holiday visit to the in-laws.
Now, now, now I am just kidding. It's a fine region filled with wonderful people. There are even pockets of sophistication. Springfield, for example, is home to one of the well-stocked and best wine shops in the entire region. But I did snap the photo up above on our trip home. My twisted imagination ran wild as I thought about the wedding celebrations that would involve guests picking gifts from the list of a bride who registered at the local hunting and fishing supplies store.

Actually, we did have a good time during the visit. But by the time Sunday morning rolled around, I definitely needed to get out for a run.

Kind of freaked my father in-law out when he heard the front door creaking open just after 6 in the morning. I apologized for the disturbance, but said I was heading out to get in some miles. Yes, it was still dark. I promised I would be OK.

I returned after 7 miles and, very thankfully, no Ned Beatty-like incidents.

One thing I had hoped to do in the past few weeks was reflect on my running in 2007 and then set some goals and target races for the coming year. That hasn’t happened yet, but I do hope to make it happen today or tomorrow.

1 comment:

Topher said...

Happy New Year! I have relatives in the Ozarks, too, and the kind that between the whole clan have an entire set of teeth. I'm sure the women-folk spend just as much time at the Bass Pro as the men - never can have enough jerky seasoning mixes, you know.