I went out this afternoon for my 6 mile run. I’ve been working on a take-home midterm all day yesterday and this morning. The more I mess with it the worse I think it is getting. So the walk was a good break. I ran the first mile, but it seemed like too much work! Plus the fact that a diet consisting totally of homemade oatmeal raisin cookies does not a runner make. So I walked the rest of the 6 miles. It was sprinkling a bit as I began. I enjoyed the colored trees, and the bright leaves on the dirt road. Even the oak leaves that had fallen on the road and were covered in mud sort of reminded me of chocolate in a pretty sort of way. I was trying to avoide getting my feet covered in clay. This was the inaugural mud bath for my shoes. But I gave up after awhile. The cars flying by me were surrounded in a damp clay mist, and soon I was too. During mile three it started to rain a little more. I stopped enjoying the musical sound of droplets hitting the puddles and leaves. I started considering why I was 3 miles away from home on a dirt road getting increasingly wet and muddy. Oh yea, that 1/2 marathon thing next weekend. I tried running some again. Gave it up. I guess whatever happens next week will happen regardless of this particular ill fated run. One run will not make up for the multitude of midweek shorter runs I didn’t do. Again. I turned around at 3 miles and headed back home. The sky was turning black. The rain was in my face. I noticed the rusted red of a metal silo against the gray of the metal barn and the black of the sky. Pretty, but intimidating as well. The red oaks and the yellow maples were gleaming in the rain. I stopped and picked up three particularly beautiful leaves from the road. The rain increased. Maybe running would be a good thing. I ran some of each mile back. I stopped at the lama farm where the 8 lamas were in the front pasture. They all rushed u to the fence as I went by. They were SO cute! I guess lamas don’t mind being out in the rain. I talked to them for awhile, then told them I had to go as I was standing in the rain covered in mud with half a mile left to go. Back in my own sub on a paved road I was walking and noticing trees, particularly a really pretty crab apple tree full of bright red fruit. Of course about that time I stepped in a puddle that went over the top of my shoe. I think I stepped in ths same puddle a previous year while looking at the same tree. Slow learner. So anyway, enough rambling. I walked 6. Got wet. Got muddy. But was still happy! Guess I’ll never be a city girld. I thought I had worked out my essay problem for the midterm on the walk. But when I got home it just got muddier (like me) as I worked on it. So I will try again tonight. There’s still time.