I love all the random crap I see on the road when I’m running around San Diego County. It keeps me entertained. Last week, I ran past a used condom.. It was on the last, long stretch of bike path coming into Buccaneer Beach (I also thought about writing headed into Buccaneer Beach...coming, headed... it’s funny either way). The odd thing about spotting a used condom there (as opposed to ALL THE OTHER PLACES one might expect to see a used condom lying on the side of the road), is that this particular stretch of road had houses on one side and the train tracks on the other.
I had to wonder, how did a used condom get there? Did someone toss it out of the train? A quickie in a car on the side of the road? Couldn’t whoever have used it, just hung onto it until a proper trash receptacle was located (like the one around the corner at Buccaneer Beach for example)?...
In truth, it wasn’t the first used condom I’ve run past recently. I’ve seen three. I ran past one in the parking lot was near Carlsbad Beach, and the other on Ocean Front Walk. Both of these I could sorta understand how they got there because one was near a parking lot and the other was near the beach...and there’s lots of high school and college kids around, and well...you know those crazy kids will do it anywhere! But still. It would never occur to me to just leave something like that lying around. First there’s the wildlife issue (what if a bird or some other small mammal ingested it?). Then there’s the whole, “Don’t Litter” thing that I grew up with. Then there’s just the eeewwww factor... and forcing someone else to have to look at the leftovers.
I have LOTS of time to ponder these things right now.
For example, you won’t be surprised to learn that I spotted a water pipe (yeah, yeah, yeah...go ahead and start with the comments about how would Alice EVER know what it was to begin with, blah, blah, blah) today as I was running through Ocean Beach, It was cracked and broken...just lying there in the middle of the road. But like I said, we were running through OB, so I wasn’t particularly surprised to see it. I just sort of thought something like “oh yeah, we’re in OB. I would EXPECT to see a water pipe lying in the street.
But again...I had to wonder, was it cracked and broken because a car ran over it? Or was it already broken and someone who wanted to use it, got frustrated because it wouldn’t work, and in their frustration, just tossed it out into the street?
I understand that kind of frustration. I’m going to have to apologize to a certain Academic Advisor (no, not Mejia, one of the other ones...the one who is MALE) because I sorta had a temper tantrum over his insistence that he needed to alphabetize some answer documents that I thought needed to go directly into Math teacher boxes (don’t laugh, it’s true) ...it’s a long story which I won’t go into here...but Clarence, Madge, Wilma, and Maccu Piccu (who all graciously stayed after school yesterday to help with the great answer document sort...and who I love for it, and for whom I will host a post-testing bash during which Mike, the pool boy, will bring us food and beverages...as soon as I tell him about it...) ANYWAY...They were all there to observe and be entertained by my minor melt-down, and let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. I haven’t pitched a public fit like that in QUITE A WHILE because I’m trying to be so friggin’ professional at work and all...
But I digress, back to the water pipe, maybe someone was moving, and it dropped out of a moving box, or a backpack, or a purse (it was a pretty small water pipe after all) and that’s how it got into the middle of Cable Street in OB.
Again, when you’re aiming to run 18 miles, you have PLENTY of time to contemplate these important, earth shattering questions....like how do condoms and water pipes end up on city streets?
One more thing, unlike the condom, it was the first water pipe I’ve seen.
Clearly, I need to look up once in awhile.
But I was looking up today, and I wasn’t expecting to see some woman put her car in REVERSE and back down the hill in front of Point Loma Nazarene College because she’d missed a right turn by, oh I don’t know, about 10 feet. That was pretty exciting. She was very polite however and waved at a couple of us who were running by. (LIke backing down a city street to make a right turn is a completely NORMAL and EXPECTED thing to do). I waved back, while trying really hard to not give her my famous WTF are you doing? look...
Me? I’d have gone to the end of the block and turned around and then made a LEFT turn...I’m just like that. I don’t like going in reverse down city streets. Call me old fashioned, or I don’t know, SAFE...
As for the rest of the run, I stopped paying attention to what I was seeing in the road because it was so darn HOT and I was out of water...and thank goodness I ran with water this morning, or I would have DIED. So, even though I stopped paying attention to random objects on the roadways, I had several flashbacks to keep me entertained (nice transition from the water pipe story, dontcha think?). Most of these occurred as I ran down Harbor Blvd. specifically, in front of the airport, because not only did part of today’s route follow the same path as the AFC 1/2 Marathon that Betty, BBJ, and I ran last August, but it was also the same FREAKING HOT TEMPERATURE, as that day, which, of course, really sucked.
On the other hand, I was pretty happy to not have to run through the AVIS parking lot this time. because that sun reflecting off of all the fronts of all those cars certainly COOLS THINGS OFF...Nonetheless...missed Betty completely this morning!
Oh yeah, we all ran far and I’m proud of us all. BBJ ran 20 miles; Mik ran 18; I ran about 16.5. I lost track of Alberta. I’m guessing that she ran straight back to her car after 18 because she was in a hurry to get back to La Mesa to help some seniors with their Senior Projects. I never saw her again after Sunset Cliffs and running UP into Point Loma Nazarene College (HAAAAATE Hills!). But I did have visual confirmation that she was there (and there are photos this time!)
UPDATE: My eye looks pretty good today. We’ll see what working with math teachers does to it this week.
Take care and have a good week everyone! Next week it looks like we’re running from H. Point to La Jolla and back.
Alice
I am so motivated by all of you who are running 18 & 20 miles that NO NO MATTER WHAT, I'll do 20 next week! I'm feeling like such a slacker with my measly 16 miles...boo hoo. So, next week, I'm going the distance (that would be "The Distance" by Cake...it's on my iPod too!)
BTW Alberta/American Gladiator Woman...you are HOT! No wonder boob-guy (and probably BBJ's running buddy, AKA T.A. Guy...) is looking at your headlights (and bumper-no doubt).
I have a bunch of decaffeinated Gu that you can have...I like the caffeine boost and it doesn't give me tummy troubles AND I need all the help I can get, so the no caffeine stuff all yours if you want it .
