Flying by the Seat of My Pants

     In general, I'm very analytical.  I like to know how everything works, and when something doesn't work as it should, I have to know why.  I've been that way for as long as I can remember, and I'm sure that each of my friends can tell you a few stories of me spending (not wasting) many hours/days/weeks trying to solve something just for the sake of solving it.  It's usually painful for them to watch, but it's genuinely satisfying for me.  You would think that this trait would lead me to be a planner--to map everything out in advance, down to the smallest detail--but as my mother will tell you, that's not me at all (and it drives her nuts).

     My parents and my sister are coming to Boston for Marathon Weekend.  I wouldn't be surprised if my mom already has a checklist for everything that she needs to pack.  She might even have started loading the car.  She's a planner.  I guess I didn't get that gene because I have absolutely no problem waiting until the week before a vacation to book a flight (as an example).  I'm usually fairly spontaneous, but for some reason I've gone against my nature when it comes to planning my runs.  For proof, look at my routes.  It's no coincidence that each one is planned down to the exact mile (not a hundredth under or over).  Each turn was meticulously calculated so that I would end at an intersection having run the exact mileage prescribed by the training schedule.  Maybe there's a little bit of my analytical side in that example, but there's no question that I planned each run.

     Well yesterday's run was much different (completely spontaneous), and I have to say I enjoyed it much more than any of my other runs to this point.  I left my apartment only knowing that I would run five miles.  I hadn't planned more than that.  I just started running, and I let the traffic signals dictate my route.  When I hit an intersection, I crossed if I had the walk sign, and i turned the corner if I didn't.  I honestly had no idea where I was going run, so I didn't know when I was 1/2, 3/4, etc. of the way done.  All I had to worry about was running until the voice prompt from my phone said I ran five miles.  The result: a zig-zag route through the Back Bay and the South End and one of my best runs yet (8:30 min/mile and I felt great afterward).  I guess I just wasn't meant to be a planner...and maybe I should stop over-analyzing everything.