The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Posted on by Posted in Health .

They’ve been staring at me the past few weeks and I can’t make them go away:

Yes, I get it, you haven’t been used much of late, but what do you want me to do? With a full time job, two active young children and this friggin nasty weather, when exactly was I going to run? 
At night? Are you nuts? There are very few street lights around here and my wife and I need our down time to watch bad TV and surf the ‘net.
During lunch at work? Get out of here. I could shower ten times over and still sweat my arse off. It would make for an ugly afternoon and the people around me would press charges.
Early morning? I knew you we’re going there. I’ve done it before and while it painful as all hell, it is a sweet feeling when done. But I’m dragging lately and I don’t know that I can muster the energy to do it. Give it one time you say and I won’t regret it. Alright talking shoes, you’re on.
I got up at 5:45 this morning and I felt like I had just completed a two week bender. I could see out of only one eye and I had a rip roaring headache. I managed to get dressed in my running gear and walked out the back door. As I walked out, I felt like I had stumbled upon a wildlife preserve or maybe Noah’s Ark: 

There were at least 10 deer chomping away in the woods:                     
A school of rabbits were raising a ruckus throughout the yard:  
And thousands of birds were devouring all of the worms that have been brought to the surface with all of the recent rain: 
I immediately felt a rush of energy when I witnessed it all. I love living out in the country here in New Jersey. I grew up in true suburban NJ and had never seen a live deer until I moved out here. There is a smell and vibe that just relaxes you and it feels like a true escape once I get home from work each day.
Anyway, about that run. I do try and run semi regularly and I follow the same path each time. It is borderline creepy and I may just be attacked by some being or animal in the near future, but I love it. It keeps me on my toes and it is a challenge to survive it. 
I immediately head down hill and it looks like a road that leads to nowhere:     

While it may be a bit ominous, it is filled with beautiful scenery along the way:

The trees are loaded with signs about hunting, no trespassing, travel at your own will, beware of killer dogs,etc:

I’m smart enough not to “tread” where I shouldn’t tread and stay on a straight and narrow path:

I try to look only directly in front of me for fear of spotting that banjo playing kid from Deliverance:

Eventually, the road turns to gravel and I know to head back in the direction I came:

I snapped all of these photos from my car and luckily survived and could share them with you. While it is a run into “interesting” territory, I still love it and could never run on a track or somewhere else without this scenery.

When I got back home, I felt phenomenal. I haven’t felt this energized in the morning in quite a while. With our lifestyle right now, things become exceedingly routine and it is a must to break that routine in some way every once in a while. I’m ready to run at least two mornings a week and garden the other three mornings. I can’t wait to feed off of that energy. I even wrote this post before leaving for work.

I rule.

John
   

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19 Responses

  2. Good for you! With 3 kids I fit in my runs anytime and anywhere I can. Early morning? Check. Evening? Check! treadmill during naptime? sure. Today I looped the park w/ the twins in the jogging stroller while Pierce was at preschool. You do whatever you can to make it work 🙂

  3. Run? I have a hard enough time walking, especially after a day in the garden, on my knees, weeding. Cool that you’re into it, though. My son and DIL both run.

    I was going to make a smart ass comment about how good you are with your camera, to take all those great pictures while running, but I see you took them from your car. It looks like you live in a lovely area for running.

  5. You make me feel ashamed I only made it to Curves one time this week. You have a lovely place to run and make those shoes happy.

  9. I love it.. I wish I had that kind of energy in the morning. The best thing I can muster up is taking a walk around my house, examining everything and then down to my veggie garden to see what’s growing and then back in the house, but then again, I must walk a million steps a day at the nursery… that must be why I’ve dropped 7 pounds in the past two months! 🙂

  10. My husband lived in New Jersey and he’s always telling me what a beautiful place it is. Thank you for sharing your run–but I can’t imagine rabbits making a ruckus. LOL.:)

  11. LOL, John!

    Somewhere in Missouri is this sign that can be seen from the road:

    “Do not cross this field unless you can do it in three minutes. Our bull can make it in two.”

    Hugs, Ilene

  13. You make me feel a bit ashamed but, at 66, with such bad arthritis in my shoulders and knees, I don’t run. I have to confess, I have a treadmill next to my bed and I haven’t even gotten on it in a year except to move things around on it…clothes, boxes, etc.

    What lovely creatures you encounter when you run. I’m only fifteen miles from downtown San Francisco but, thankfully, I still see the occasional deer, raccoons an skunks ( try to
    avoid those ). They are so cute, though, with mama skunk leading the babies.

    Nicest of all is that the Pacific Ocean is only three miles away.

  16. You DO rule John and you’ve certainly been an inspiration to me to WALK! Just received my New Balance walking shoes, now all I have to do is rise from my couch potato position and WALK. My walking shoes haven’t started TALKING yet…I’m sure they will though if I keep procrastinating!
    Love the signs and the road you run on…great photos!

  17. Good on you John! Nothing better than being one with nature….even though she can get nasty every now and then.
    Beautiful pics too.

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