Run Little Rabbit Run

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything. Actually, I haven’t posted since Super Bowl Sunday and I’m sorry about that. You see it’s been crazy busy around here. I know that’s not an excuse for not getting outside. In fact, one might say finding time to get out when you’re busy is good for the mind but sadly it just didn’t happen. Even with this wildly nice weather I haven’t gotten out much but today I had no excuse. This morning I was feeling kind of pent up from the lack of activity so I weighed my choices between running and hiking and in the end it just seemed like a running kind of day. The wind was brisk, the sun was out, and the air was just cold enough to energize me but not enough to freeze me. So I bundled up and left the house. 

Even though running isn't truly as "outdoorsy" as hiking it can still be used to sharpen your nature skills. If you're runner then you know that when you run  it's easy to lose your focus. If you can't breathe or if your brain starts to worrying about all the other stuff you have to do your run starts to fall apart. I cure this problem by working on toning my nature skills. It helps to keep me focused on the run and off that awful cramp in my side. So you might be asking how do would you hone your natural skills while running? First off you set your pace and you make sure you're comfortable with the area you're running in. If you're scared or panicky at a new place then just focus on your run and worry about the natural world later. When you have your pace worked out you can play “name that sound” game with the animals in the park. I tune into the world around me and I try to use any sounds I hear to pick up on animal noises and bird calls as I run by. It sharpens my senses and keeps my brain busy as I run. If you're a fairly steady running you can also use the noises to help you find the animals visually find as you run by.  

Find a place were you feel safe running is key to using trying this outdoor exercise. When we went apartment hunting I fell in love with my current place. Not because of the building or the layout but because we live in walking distance of the Blacklick Woods. It’s one of the smaller metro-parks in the area but it has a river, a lake or two, and some nice trails. It’s a wonderful old park and it’s often populated with families, walkers, hikers, and joggers, which creates a sense of busyness. I enjoy that kind of society when I’m jogging. It’s a good feeling to see another runner coming around the bend. It generates a shared feeling of community because you can see someone else who is “feeling the pain”. We exchange a smile of sympathy, maybe a nod and even on a good day a high-five or two.

Blacklick Woods contains as much animal life as you would expect from a 643-acre park. Deer, songbirds, foxes, rabbits, waterfowl, rodents, and an abundance of aquatic life are all around the park. This makes for crazy fun runs for a person who finds joy in seeing wildlife. In fact, I often stop and check out the surrounding during a run. I know that’s not good for my heart or for my exercise routine but I get distracted by squirrels. The park has six miles of trails, which for a mildly fit runner like myself is enough trail for a pleasant “Friday Morning Fun Run”. The park is a great place for hiking, jogging, biking, and of course birding; it’s also connected to a golf course if you’re into that kind of thing. The only downside is the fact that the trails don’t allow dogs.

I have a related question to ask all of you. When you run or jog, assuming you do those things, do you listen to music? Do you tune in or tune out? Personally I do a mix of both. I turn on my Pandora, set it to Kings of Leon radio, and I run without earbuds in. Personally I enjoy hearing music, it keeps me running in time to the beat. Sometime a song comes on the radio that inspires my run, something that resonated with my day or “speaks to me”.  One song might encourage me to pick up my pace or another might remind me to slow down when I’m pushing myself to hard. I’d like to hear from any of my readers on what artist you listen to when you run or if you just tune into the natural area around you. Thanks for reading. 

Blacklick Woods