Photorunning

One of my friends used to go photowalking and blog about it.  Well, now that my runs are getting shorter as I get closer to the marathon, I figured I would add some fun to my run yesterday.  Besides ... it was Thanksgiving and I went for a late run after getting the turkey in the oven.  I ran my favorite 9-miler ... "The Big Square" ... out through a bunch of farmland and a small town.  Love that run!

I start out through my neighborhood and then out by a waterpark and a baseball field.  This is the most boring part of the run because I run it all of the time.

Then I get to the fun part of the run.  I usually only see 1 or 2 cars the whole next 4 miles or so.  To get there, you gotta go over the tracks and down a gravel road.

And keep running ... about another mile and you'll be in the square!

It was about this time I saw my shadow and couldn't stop singing Me And My Shadow!  So I had to take a picture of that.  :)

Then I pass the big hill and cross over Highway 360 (yes ... I took that second picture standing in the middle of a highway.  See - I told you there were no cars on this run.  I think you can see one in the distance but I didn't get run over!)

Ahhhhh!  The Biq Square!  Love, love, love it!  Four miles of farmland and open road!

Can run forever here!!!!

Time for something to eat!  I've been running about 45 minutes.  Orange GU Chomps are always a great choice!!

And here we have some of the sights of The Big Square:  A tiny pool that I have no idea why it's there.  No house around, some drilling place (there is actually a person or two here sometimes), a field, a cool farmhouse, my favorite dog (he always comes to say hi!), farm equipment, another field, the hospital in the distance, and more farm equipment.

Oh look ... found my shadow again!  Must have run the whole square!

On the way out of the square, I pass this tree with a cross on it.  Behind the tree is another cross on the ground with balloons and flowers on it.  This is way out in the middle of nowhere so I guess someone must have hit that tree and died.  Sad.

Now it's time to head for the little town of Britton.  Nothin' here but about 60 houses, a cemetery, some horses (I actually pet the one I took a picture of - there's not even a fence, he's just tied up), a church , an old gin mill and an old bank building (more on that in a second).

The bank building is actually really cool.  I was planning on stopping and taking a good picture of it.  But in the window, there's a sign that says "Camera are watching U.  No tresspass.  No pitcher.  Pay first.  $5.00"  Sign cracks me up!  And I have ignored it many times.  HOWEVER ... since it was Thanksgiving, there were people outside the house next to the bank.  Lots of them!  Sittin out in the yard.  And I didn't wanna git in truble fer takin a pitcher, ya know?!  So I just snapped it while I ran past.  They probably don't even know that them new cell phones have cameras in them!!  ;)

And now on to the home stretch.  Just a mile to go.  Gotta cross over the railroad tracks.  Don't know why but I really like this picture.

Then I pass the dome house and finally see the back of my house.

And I run to the front of my house and then have a quick walk around the block to cool down.

Another run in the books!  Went 9 miles total.  With a pathetic time of 1:33:58.  LOL!  But I had fun and took over 50 pictures along the way so that had to have taken 5 or 10 minutes because I stopped a lot!  But now I need to get serious again.  Just over 2 weeks before the marathon.  But, honestly, I think I'm ready.  Not much more training I can do.  Bring it!!!