Last Place Runner

I’m still not really on a structured schedule. I thought I would love that, and maybe I will one day. But it’s difficult right now.

We were supposed to get a little snow and ice yesterday, but the day started out warm. I applied for two jobs, saw my husband off to work, and then decided I should probably get out of the house.

The great thing about where we live is that the cities are working together to make trails connecting one to the next. We have miles and miles of trails, bike trails, and greenways just where I live. So I decided to do one of my favorite routes, starting at the dog park.

The mural along the North Bentonville Trail.

I walked from Bentonville to Bella Vista and back on paved trails. I love it because there’s plenty to see and there’s usually a few people biking, walking, running, or just meandering. I did a bunch of walking and a little meandering yesterday.

The trail goes under several major roadways, which is kind of fun to run under with semi trucks roaring overhead. The tunnels are always cool and damp. And dark. And not the kind of place my mother would want me to go alone.

The first pedestrian tunnel going from the dog park toward the lake.

The lake has a disc golf course and, weirdly enough, four really old headstones right off the path.

Old graves near a disc golf course

Then you disappear into the woods with the lake on one side and limestone bluffs on the other. And a handy old staircase. Early one morning, my friend Amber and I saw a very strange man on that side of the lake trail. Amber was certain it was Dracula, returning to his crypt after a night out. She vowed she would never be on that trail alone. But I have been a hundred times on my own and have never seen anything scarier than a lap dog in a sweater.

Stairs to Dracula’s house.

I went without my GPS again. Wearing it tends to make me too worried about pace. My Fitbit just keeps up with my mileage and I don’t worry about going slow. And yesterday I got to stop and chat to a few people along the way. I probably wouldn’t have if time was ticking away on my running watch.

The nearer I got to my car, the colder it got. And not just because I’d trekked 5 miles from one town to the next. I couldn’t warm up even after I got home and my muscles were tired, so I took a nice hot bath with epsom salts.

My husband came home early from work. He took a nap while I fed the dogs and got dinner ready. I got an email response from one of the jobs I’d applied for that morning. I was totally expecting it to be a “thanks but no thanks” kind of thing, but it wasn’t! They wanted to schedule an interview! So I have an interview next Friday. That definitely lifted my spirits!

Then it did start with the freezing rain and snow. It wasn’t enough to interfere with anyone’s day or cancel school or anything. I cleaned house for a couple of hours this morning, then I decided to go to Crystal Bridges. A new exhibit opens in a couple of weeks, but they had some stuff I hadn’t seen yet. I am so sorry for not getting the artists’ names. But here are a few of my favorites from my trip to the museum today.

Mosh pit oil painting.

Running box fans and sombreros.

Crochet owl, part of a bigger piece that covers the entrance to the gallery. Fun!

The museum didn’t take as long as I thought it would. Maybe because something about all that old art just really creeped me out. I’d never been to the museum (any museum) alone, and the experience made me really uncomfortable. And I’m not the kind of person who is uncomfortable doing anything on my own. There was a piece of art in one gallery that was making a whirring, tornado-y sound and something about it just gave me the heebie-jeebies. I also get the dry heaves when I see abandoned houses with the front door open. Who knows? I’m not trying to say I’m not crazy.

My husband has class tonight until 10, so I’m going to have to fill all these hours somehow. I haven’t been able to attend any of my beekeeper meetings in several months, so I think I’ll go to our meeting tonight. Then there’s just tomorrow and my first week of not working will be over. I have a writing assignment to do for my interview next week, so I plan to spend lots of time researching their company and their competitors to try to get the tone just right. Or, as most people call it, spend all week dicking around on the internet.