Running Into Danger

Running is one of my hobbies. I wouldn’t say that I love it to an obsession and subscribe to Runner’s Magazine, but I like it enough to make time for it on a regular basis. I enjoy my time pushing TJ, as I did Samantha, in the baby jogger. I also like Lisa by my side long enough for me to get stretched out and take off from her a mile after we've left home. And, yes, I enter races from time to time.

I like to run.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, running on my base is difficult because there are very few long, smooth stretches of road inside the base. The pock marked, moon crater surface is killer on ankles, knees, and thighs. So it was a delight for me to take a trip off of the base to a place where every road was paved.

I spent four days at a power plant where the military unit actually lives on the plant grounds. Unfortunately, the “road” wasn’t “paved with gold” and a whole new set of risks presented themselves to me. So here, with a little editing, is the conversation that went on in my head for my first run at the power plant.

“Ah, what a great morning to run! And on pavement! Man, these Soldiers have it good. I wonder why more of them aren’t out enjoying this?”

Two minutes into the run…

“Oops, look out, there’s a two story tall, fifteen ton, MRAP pulling out from its parking spot. He can’t see me so I better run wide around him or I’ll become a stain on the road! There’s another pulling out. And another.”

Five minutes into the run…

“Hey, what’s that smell? Okay, the port-a-pottie sucker trucks, but what’s that other smell, like petroleum? Oh, that’s right, the power plant burns oil to generate electricity. Good thing those plumes are high up in the sky and blowing the other way.”

Six minutes later…

“Oh, I get it, the road goes in a big circle and now I’m running underneath them. Breathe shallow.”

On the back stretch now…

“What’s that buzzing sound? It sounds like 85,371 angry bees. Ah, high tension wires. Man, they’re only forty feet off the ground and they don’t sound like they are insulated. My sweat can't complete the circuit. Right?"

Home stretch…

“I wonder why those pipes are hissing? What’s that over there? I wonder if that glows in the dark? I wonder if I'm gonna glow in the dark?"

“Ah, the end of the run. Look at that time, 16:38! Not bad. I can’t wait to do this again tomorrow!”