Africa time American holidays are funny in Africa baby Gonzo beachin' it up beat dook beef jerky is delicious birthday love bizzle bluegrass bucket list by popular request call me nurse Call out Connie carolina girls really are the best in the world carrboro is for townies chapel thrill crack in your coffee culture shock D.C. darn it why is there still glitter everywhere Debbie Downer came to town delicious grubbing derby DUSON eve excited anyway fan club flashback friday FOFP friendiversary G and G gettin' lucky in Kentucky gone to carolina in my mind good books Haiti Happy Holidays hash heart carolina i am a tar heel i heart mountains I'm a child of the Disney generation I'm coming home in review in roy we trust insufficient gratitude jet set across America KCMC keeping it local Kelly G-love kilimanjaro kvetch Liles make me smile love Louisville Love NC Lulu making new memories with old friends Materuni waterfalls meg and bex music makes my ears smile my dad is superman new2lou Obama pediatric nurse practitioner playing outside post secret red river gorge resource-limited medicine ridiculously unprepared safari njema school of life Shakori sharing the love shout outs skipping town soap box song of the week sorry i'm not sorry stand up for what's right Sunday Funday swahili kidogo Tanzania Tekoa the dirty D the life of a twenty something time to put my big girl pants on tobacco road townie love TZ pics unc bball is a dynasty UofL viral video woo hoo it's my birthday xoxo zebras

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Red light, green light

Not your typical schoolyard game.  It's my new game for running in the city.  I'll explain it but first let me start with the basic rules of running.  In case you didn't know, I'm a pretty serious runner (please note I did not say talented runner).  I have 3 rules that I abide by:
1. No music.  It distracts you from the whole running process.  I use running as my quiet time to work out the problems/joys/questions/stresses of my day.
2. Don't stop.  Just an overlap from my days on the track team.
3. Never turn on your heel to go home.  I always make a loop in some way because I'm afraid that stopping and turning in the opposite direction seems like a wimpy move for a jogger who couldn't keep going.  I always leave my house without knowing which direction I will go that day and make up the route as I go.

Being in the city with the nation's worst traffic has presented new obstacles, especially when I have Lulu ready to run in front of a car because she doesn't understand traffic signals yet (we're working on "Don't walk" and "Walk sign").  So I have devised a way to keep with my rules and not be trapped by the ever-present red light.

START
-Leave the house with Lulu in tow.  She picks left or right out of the gate.
-Whenever there is a red light, you have to change directions to follow the green light.
-Every good American knows that yellow lights are for speeding up, not slowing down.  Therefore, walk sign timers ticking with 10 seconds or less require a sprint pace to make the yellow light.
-Crosswalks/stop signs on side streets are the ample opportunity to cross sides of the street.
-Try not to get lost.
FINISH

Every day is different and I feel that I get to know a place much better on foot.  I feel pretty comfortable in my Dupont neighborhood.  As the fall comes and endurance kicks in, I'm looking forward to exploring the other neighborhoods in the area.

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