Be warned. There will be a quiz.
As I was running the other day, I started thinking about how I, as a runner, take great pride and ownership over the routes that I run and the roads that I run on. If you read the blog, you know that I am obsessive about creating new routes that not only take me to see new things, but also help in my pursuit of coverage.
But when I'm not looking for new paths, I'm plying the same roads. It occurred to me, that at 5am, 6am, when I'm hitting those same paths over and over again, I feel like I own the streets. They belong to me. I mapped the route, I named it, and I run it, so it's mine. Which is ridiculous, because: a) I share Delhi's roads with upwards of 20 million people and b) I always see other people on "my" roads.
Quiz Question 1: Do the other runners out there feel this way?
I know that Scott has the "Scott White 5 Miler" and Evan has "His Nehru Park Loop." Both are eponymously named and each of those guys would hesitate to run other variations. I also know that I have created and named dozens of routes since 2012.
That's why I buckled the other day when Melissa suggested we run "Quiet Neighborhood." That route is not called "Quiet Neighborhood," it's called the "Peacock 4 Miler." I designed the route in April of 2012. It took the name after repeated runs consistently yielded the viewing of peacocks in the same spot.
Here's a screenshot of the route:
Obviously I was crushed. It destroyed my concept of ownership. Does Kira own this route? Do I need to change the name of my run? Then I really got thinking. Did someone before her run this route every Tuesday? Is new thinking derivative? Is ownership of ideas possible? Is everything just a repackage of something else? I was stymied. So I went back and ran it again, this time alone.
This is what I heard.
Anyone out there have any thoughts on this? Leave the answers to the quiz questions in the comments!
As I was running the other day, I started thinking about how I, as a runner, take great pride and ownership over the routes that I run and the roads that I run on. If you read the blog, you know that I am obsessive about creating new routes that not only take me to see new things, but also help in my pursuit of coverage.
But when I'm not looking for new paths, I'm plying the same roads. It occurred to me, that at 5am, 6am, when I'm hitting those same paths over and over again, I feel like I own the streets. They belong to me. I mapped the route, I named it, and I run it, so it's mine. Which is ridiculous, because: a) I share Delhi's roads with upwards of 20 million people and b) I always see other people on "my" roads.
Quiz Question 1: Do the other runners out there feel this way?
I know that Scott has the "Scott White 5 Miler" and Evan has "His Nehru Park Loop." Both are eponymously named and each of those guys would hesitate to run other variations. I also know that I have created and named dozens of routes since 2012.
That's why I buckled the other day when Melissa suggested we run "Quiet Neighborhood." That route is not called "Quiet Neighborhood," it's called the "Peacock 4 Miler." I designed the route in April of 2012. It took the name after repeated runs consistently yielded the viewing of peacocks in the same spot.
Here's a screenshot of the route:
And here's a screenshot of a very similar route, made in 2011 called "Quiet Neighborhood."
Obviously I was crushed. It destroyed my concept of ownership. Does Kira own this route? Do I need to change the name of my run? Then I really got thinking. Did someone before her run this route every Tuesday? Is new thinking derivative? Is ownership of ideas possible? Is everything just a repackage of something else? I was stymied. So I went back and ran it again, this time alone.
This is what I heard.
It was haunting. I stopped running. I turned off my music. I took out my phone and shot these videos to try to share the experience with you. It took several minutes, but I finally found one of the instigators. 40 feet up a tree, was the unmistakable silhouette of a peacock.
Quiz Question 2: So tell me, how quiet was this neighborhood?
Anyone out there have any thoughts on this? Leave the answers to the quiz questions in the comments!
RUN STATS (Feb 24):
Distance - 3.73 miles
Time - 37:49
Soundtrack - Random Playlist
RUN STATS (Mar 3):
Distance - 4.13 miles
Time - 34:22 (peacock break not included)
Soundtrack - Cacophonous Peacocks!
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