Sunday on the Path with Dog

This afternoon the weather was too nice not to go running, so T-Dog and I decided we'd gear up and get out there. We invited a Darling Daughter to ride her bike with us, and DD accepted, so we had the pleasure of her company as well. The route we chose was Wood Street out to the end and back. It's a beautiful road with plenty of roller coaster-like rises and dips and a well-maintained sidewalk. Some of the trees are in their full autumn glory, although I don't think we've reached peak yet. I took this picture when we got back. It looks like Tasha is admiring the tree, although in actuality she's either avoiding the camera or trying to spot something she's caught a whiff of.

Got your ears on?

I never use an MP3 player when I run ... or when I walk for that matter. I know some people who can't run without one, but I like to be unencumbered by cords and headphones or earbuds. I don't really need an external source of music anyway, since there is always something playing in my head. Today it was the Mexican Hat Dance. On other days I've had the theme from "Felix the Cat," "I Love the Nightlife," or the jingle from the Magic 106.7 ad on a continuous loop. No, it doesn't drive me crazy, and whenever one tune loses its appeal I just think of something else until it takes over. Some songs get played more than others. For example, "Running up that Hill" by Kate Bush is often the soundtrack when I'm, oh, running up a hill.

The other reason I don't use an MP3 player is that I like to use all my senses (the useful ones anyway) when running with a greyhound in a busy environment. It's hard enough keeping us both out of traffic and trouble without being unable to hear cars, mean dogs, kids on bikes, and all that. But I do get a kick out of surprising people (mostly walkers) who are electronically deaf to the world and can't hear us approach. This morning, we came upon just such a person as we crossed the Mass Ave bridge over 128. We weren't trying to be sneaky, and goodness knows between Tasha's jingling tags and my heavy footfall and breathing we're hard to ignore. But this woman had an MP3 player on and thus nearly had a heart attack as we glided by her on the narrow sidewalk. Heads up everyone! Pay attention!

Today we ran through the Minute Man park. Such a lovely route! I took a picture of Tasha after her bio-break near the pond at the visitors' center. You can see the reflection of the beautiful orange tree in the water behind T-Dog. I wish the colorful leaves didn't have to be followed by biting cold, but we will enjoy the fall while it lasts!