We will have 2 or 3 session before December 21.
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.
It all started with the words, “we should put on a biathlon” or maybe it was “you should put on a biathlon”. From there it just developed a mind of its own. We went running after and so the idea festered in my head – running will do this to me as I don’t listen to music. Free to explore, it just mulled the possibilities over and over. To finally come to the conclusion that we must, just must, do this. It had to have a date – lots of our ideas just never make it out of the starting gate and fizzle, a possible venue and a serious talk about how to, and what to – well, details….. pesky, pesky details.
From there my mind started to ponder the possibilities in different directions. I really would like to get a lot of my running friends involved in this. Have beginners feel adventurous enough to throw caution to the wind and sign up for the adventure. But also have gunning friends embrace the thought of trying to run and gun. Not sure who would feel more up to the challenge. Then of course there is the thought about having rank shooting beginners start trying out something new at an event, so the idea was born to start a blog and a monthly group to teach interested parties the how to of gun safety and practice running and gunning. Breath…….breath…….front sight……front sight
Also from this the idea formed to embrace a writing challenge – easy stretch of the imagination as I am part of the fitness challenge right now and one of my friends is doing a photography challenge. Ah writing, I used to do this all the time for classes, for newsletters, for fun, hey even the odd letter or two for my German friends or family. Lately though I have fallen into the same trap as a lot of people – we of the text messages and tweats. Short, often abbreviated messages. We have all encountered that our emails of more than 3 lines are not read, regardless of how much we implore the sender to please, please do so. Here I am starting a blog, starting to put ideas and adventures on “paper”. Trying to inspire people to read, to do, to participate, to experience new things, to grow and expand their horizons. One of the most important things I have learned in the last bunch of years it that you are NEVER too old to try something new. NEVER too old to feel adventurous or jump into an experience that scares you. NEVER too whatever (insert what applies to you) to seek fulfillment and happiness in whatever endeavors you choose.
Wow, writing for 15 minutes straight is hard…..but my musings are certainly heartfelt. This is how the idea for Sin City Run and Gun was born…..
