As seen on the run

I like nothing more than a good LSD. Me, alone with my thoughts and my music. I actually enjoy running alone--even long distances. I entertain myself by listening to my music and being observant. I've seen some pretty interesting things on my runs. I learn a lot about my neighbors just by running by their homes on a daily basis--you get to know their patterns and routines. One of my routes takes me along a stretch of a busy suburban arterial road and I see stuff people throw out of their car windows. You'd be surprised what is laying on the ground. But in the winter, the snow covers everything up and there isn't as much to look at. So I have to find other ways to entertain myself.

About 2 miles into my 10 miler today, I saw this guy ahead of me: 

As I ran down the path, Chevron Man came into view. Like a beacon in the distance, his jacket signaling me to approach.

Hey guy..the 80's called..they want your jacket back....

What an ugly jacket, I thought to myself. Must get ahead of him...my competitive juices flowing. I kept telling myself to slow down, this is just a training run. But Chevron Man was there for the taking. A guy wearing something like that can't be a serious runner, right? Those stripes were just inviting me to race, his arms flapping like a checkered flag. As I approached, Chevron Man turned around. I've had a few weird incidents on this path, so I understood why he might be a little nervous. No worries, Chevron Man, it's just little old competitive me....And I passed him, giving him the runner's nod and a friendly good morning. Eat my dust--or in this case, snow--Chevron Man. Nice jacket.

What's wrong with me? It isn't like I'm a fashion plate: 

Just me and my thoughts.

I was moving pretty well, I thought, and the path and roads were pretty clear:

A few miles into my run, I realized that the app I've been using to keep track of my miles, routes, and times, Map My Run, wasn't calling out my miles to me. I stopped to check and found that the app had quit. When I opened it up, my miles appeared, most likely because of the GPS. But my splits were hilarious. Mile 2 was logged at 3:22 pace! Holy Moley.

Thankfully this will keep me honest:

Actually it read 7 when I approached...

Frustrated, I restarted the app and kept going. Which I had to do multiple times this morning. Here's the summary it gave me: 

If only I could have those 6:28 splits!

Overall, it was a decent run. I didn't like having to stop and restart that app so many times. I'm just going to chalk it up to the cold weather. I think I am the only runner in the world who doesn't run with a Garmin. I also forgot to wear my watch, so I have no idea how long I ran. At least the distance is accurate. Oh well. Hopefully once it warms up again, if it ever warms up again, the app will work properly.

Speaking of that spring, towards the end of my run, I had a somber moment as I saw a dead robin on the path. It doesn't seem appropriate to share a picture of it. I thought about how that came to be. Did the bird not migrate south for the winter? Did he come back too soon, thinking it was time? The path runs under those electric towers, so most likely he flew into a wire. I felt kind of sad, seeing that. And as it began to snow again, I headed towards home, legs numb, face numb. Cursing the cold.

Another long run in the books.

What do you think about when you run alone? Or do you run with a friend?

Do you use a Garmin to track your runs? Or an app on your phone? Any recommendations either way?