Oh, the places I go...

           I spend a good deal of time on the Trinity River. I live on the Trinity, I work across the street from the Trinity, and I do most of my training along its copious amounts of running and cycling paths. Most of the time I spend actually near the river is training an trying to stay focused, and the Trinity is so perfect because it allows me to step back from working hard and see things differently. I do my hardest workouts at Trinity park, and no matter how seriously I try to take myself, I get a little dose of humility and child-like wonder seeing the mini choo-choo train chug by. Most of the races I volunteer at for work start at the duck pond, another one of my favorite parts of the river. It's pretty difficult to feel angry or sad when ducks are frolicking about around the runners, acknowledging only the ones who brought the gaggle something to snack on. The best part of the river I get to see when I go running at about dusk from my apartment, the skyline of downtown all lit up against its reflection on the river. There's something calming about seeing the skyline so still and the river so quiet, but thinking about how much hustle and bustle is out of sight. If nothing else, the river is an absolutely wonderful place to get in a healthy amount of people-watching. I love it for the same reason I love selling running shoes: everybody has a reason to get out and walk/run/ride/etc. When I see that 60-year-old man practically hobbling down the river in short running shorts and a sweatband, all I can think about is what goal he's looking to achieve like running his 50th marathon or maybe just staying healthy enough to play with his grandkids. Everybody on the river has a story, and so does every duck pond, dam, and mini train.