This recent memory is very potent. Went to the Rock’n’Roll Marathon Expo on Saturday late afternoon. For some reason I assumed it would be less crowded, more mellow and overall a pleasant experience. Boy was I wrong, parking was the first indication of something other than mellow. A long line getting into the lot with lots of people thronging around.

After entering the exhibit hall, I was engulfed in sound. Loud music from the DJ in the center of the melee; people having to speak up to be heard around all manner of sporting booths; cowbells for spectators. All this accompanied by the sea of shifting colors and blinking lights. I found the “must have” accessory this year is anything that strobes, flashes or sparkles.

I checked out a couple of booths, tried a few new energy bars, gels, drinks and then fled the scene. In year’s past I would thrive on the energy of all the excited runners, but recent races and runs have been a lot quieter – well, mellower. Trail running has brought a new kind of peace and quiet to my running. I usually do not listen to music, so it is just my footfalls and whatever nature sounds I can hear – airplane noise is by far the most pervasive of man-made sound invasions and can be heard almost anywhere.