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It's not what you look at that matters, it's what
you see. -  Henry David Thoreau

It's been raining in Palo Alto for the last ten days; and I am not exaggerating. Most days I ducked out for a quick three or four mile run during a brief lull, and I actually took two days off, but I finally got fed up. Not only was I not sticking to my running schedule – which makes me not like myself very much - but I also had cabin fever because I am currently staying with my son for a few weeks. His condo is nice, but it is just a one bedroom, and I just needed to get out, rain or no rain.

So, today, I bundled up – it was 45 degrees, put on a weather resistant hooded parka – because I had nothing waterproof - a stocking cap, and gloves. I put a $20 bill and my I.D. in a Joey Pouch around my waist, and I was out the door.

It was ugly. I mean ugly, very overcast, drizzling, and cold. I ran up Page Mill to Junipero Serra, the street that forms the back border of the Stanford campus. I took a circuitous route to add some mileage, and after only a mile or so I was loving being outside, even in the rain. Sometimes I even forgot it was raining until I tipped my head and rain water flowed off the top of my hood.

As I approached the campus the Dish Trail came into view on the left, and I was tempted to tackle that again, but instead decided to hang a right onto a lovely little trail that runs along Stanford Avenue, next to a stream. With all the rain, the stream was rushing along, almost spilling onto the trail.

At one point I came upon three orange caution cones stretched across the path. I stopped, wondering what lay ahead. A runner passed me, and ran around the cones. I thought about turning around, but then another runner went by, also ignoring the cones.

I figured they were probably locals, students, and they would know whether it was safe to go on, so I followed their lead. I never did see any reason for the cones.

When I got to the Stanford campus, I took a left and ran towards the center of campus, taking any path that looked inviting. And there were many. Ugly as it had been when I embarked on this little adventure, by the time I reached the campus, it was looking much better. Not really, but by then, although I was looking through the same eyes, at the same weather, my brain, thoroughly affected by endorphins, only perceived beauty in the same scene.

At one point a magnificent rainbow appeared. Spectacular. I like the people here. Lots of people were stopping to look at it, and that pleased me. Such things should be appreciated, and these people, hurrying along under umbrellas, stopped to look and comment.

Six miles into my run, I dropped in at the bookstore to warm up, enjoyed an excellent latte and even indulged in a tiramisu. Yum!

It was an impressive bookstore: two stories with the center area spanning the full height. The coffeeshop was on the second floor, looking down over the center area.

It took me several minutes to squirm out of all those layers – many more than I really needed, which I had realized when I left. But I know me. You see, I find that if I make myself comfy when I leave to run in cold weather, I'm more likely to get out in it. And if I have to peel off some layers and wear them hanging from my waist or around my neck, that's still better than being cold for the first mile or so until I warm up.

Alas, I am a baby, a Florida born wimp when it comes to cold weather. If it's colder than 60, my instinct is to stay inside.

I blame this on my mother. Sorry, Mom. Her magic number was 62 degrees when I was a kid. I remember one day when I wanted to go out to play tetherball, and she said I couldn't go out until the temperature got up to 62 degrees. I remember watching that thermometer all day. I don't know why that was the magic number.

My parents believed that the 'night air' was bad, too, and that we were likely to get sick if we got cold and wet. I don't know what made them think that, but I think that was the prevailing belief in their time. Even I knew it didn't make sense. How much did they miss, and how much did we children miss, because of those commonly illogical beliefs?

Anyway, I relaxed there for a while, appreciating the fact that I am at a time in my life when I could just sit there for a while if I wanted. I pulled out my iPhone and took my turn in the five ongoing Words With Friends games I was playing with Scubajo, KThomas, LilBrit, Tattles, and my husband, Davyvee. Words With Friends is really Scrabble, but I guess the people that made that app couldn't legally use the Scrabble name.

By this time I'd finished my latte, I was itching to get outside to explore some more. In my mind I kept thinking I was 'sploring.' Yes, that's what I said, "sploring," not exploring.

Sounds silly, I know, but when my son was about 12, he was on a swim team, and on the weekends we often found ourselves out of town for swim meets and staying at a motel. Ben and his best friend would always spend the first hour after our arrival 'sploring' the hotel. That word stuck, and it seemed a perfect description for that afternoon's adventure.

Anyway, I set out across the Stanford Quad; it was raining harder now, and I was really cold for a bit, until I had run a half a mile or so. I was just dazzled by the Craftsman architecture all around me. Lots of students whizzed by on bikes, some wearing shorts and t-shirts; I guess they get used to the cold, or maybe they grew up in colder climates.

It was dusk by then, and everything had a wet, intense, surreal look. Puddles everywhere reflected everything, amplifying every view as I logged the last couple of miles.

I stopped along the trail, in the rain, to take some time exposed photos, carefully holding one hand over the camera to try to keep it dry.

Then I hunted for the path that my GPS map had shown would deposit me at the intersection of University Drive and El Camino Real. There I took a picturesque little tunnel under the street to the downtown area and made my way to a nearby Starbucks.

I had looked forward to another cup of hot coffee, but, oddly, it was uncomfortably warm inside, so I opted for a table outside in the weather, and called Ben to arrange a pickup on his way home from work. It was 6:30. I settled down, played another round of Words With Friends, and checked my GPS. 9 miles.

Ben pulled up just as I finished my coffee. I reported my 9 miles.

"How was it?" he asked.

"Well, this will sound silly," I said, "but I've never felt more alive."

He smiled. I'm lucky. Both my kids share my love of adventure, exercise, and Mother Nature. He understood.

I will always remember that afternoon. Of running 9 miles in the cold rain around a town that was not my town, on unfamiliar trails.

No matter how long I run – and it's been over 30 years now - it continues to provide me with memorable experiences. Think about it. I was only out there today because I was desperate for a long run. I would not have been so driven to go out for a walk, although, I could have been. No, it was the desire to run that got me out the door. It was the difference between sitting inside all day, allowing the gloomy weather to control me, and running 9 lovely miles, the sensations of each one enhanced by the weather.

No matter how much effort I put into running, it always gives back more.

I did not write the description that follows. It's one of those things that I received in my email from a friend who sends interesting stories along. As I read it, I found myself wondering if it was a true story. It says it is, but we all know that many of the viral emails are not real, even though they claim to be. Therefore, when I finished reading it, I googled the info. Turns out it is true. A link to the Washington Post article follows. I think this account has greater impact, so read it first, but, afterwards, do click on the link to get all the details.

At a Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007, he played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes:  a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:  the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:  A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:  A 3 year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.

45 minutes:  The musician played. Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32.

1 hour:  He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $35 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments .....

How many other things are we missing?

Maybe it's just me, but do you ever think many people need to open their eyes, divert them from their cell phones, even from their daily focus on daily problems? I do. Sometimes you just need to look up or you'll miss something that you really would not want to miss.

Runners manage to divert their attention from work, physically, when they are running, but how often do they mindlessly put in 5 miles without ever thinking about anything besides work? Of course, running is a good time to think, and it's a great time to sift through problems and focus on solutions. But I wish all runners would focus on their surroundings a little more, especially when they are running on trails, because this often provides a real life mural of Mother Nature that, if they take time to allow their minds to record it, affects their consciousness in the best possible way for hours thereafter. It doesn't take long to forget the details of the scene, but the essence will remain, and their mood, their very happiness will be improved. This I truly believe.

As I said, this is a true story. It was a social experiment staged by the Washington Post, and it took place in 2007. Read the original Washington Post article here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html

Millions of people will make New Year's Resolutions. If you are reading this, you are probably a runner. Your resolution - or one of them - will likely be to train more, to train better, to do your first 5k, 10k, half marathon or marathon.

Maybe you will resolve to improve your training. Everybody can do that. That's my goal. I'll be more consistent, let fewer interruptions interfere, and do a better job of sticking to my training schedule.

However, I also resolve to keep my running in perspective, to prevent it from ever coming between me and my loved ones; rather, I will make sure that running provides me with the solace, the meditation time that I need to make me a better person. I will use that quiet, private running time to clear my mind, to de-stress, to improve my focus, and prepare me to make the most of all the other facets of my life.

Running can do that; it should do that.

I resolve to lose 10 pounds. Running is a great way to burn calories, and that will help me achieve all the other goals; so, in that sense, it's the most important one.

In 2010, I will run another marathon, and I will lower my time by ten minutes. I resolve to prepare for that marathon by building my base up to 60 miles per week.

I will also drop my 5k time 45 seconds. I will complete at least one Olympic distance triathlon, and I will spin more. Specifically, I will average one spinning class per week.

Notice that these goals are concrete and measurable. That's important because that way at the end of 2010 I will know whether I have achieved these goals.

If you have not considered what your 2010 will look like, it's time to start thinking. Here is an idea: Whatever your running accomplishments have been in the past, why not venture into another type of running? If you have been running on the road, why not plan to do an off road race? Why not try a longer distance race, a relay race, a triathlon, or an urban adventure race?

Why not resolve to join a running group? If you have not trained with a group in the past, you will be amazed at how it will improve your training, making it more consistent, but more importantly, making it a social experience that will enhance your life, perhaps even as much as the running does.

Why not resolve to mentor other, newer runners? How about resolving to volunteer at more races? There are plenty of ways to make your running life even more worthwhile. Start thinking. Make sure you set specific measurable goals. Rather than, "I will run more, determine how many miles you averaged in 2009, and set a goal for how many miles you will average in 2010. Then keep track. If you haven't kept a journal of your training in the past, that is a goal itself. Don't overdo it, but analyze your running life - well, your life - and consider what would be the most important changes and set goals regarding those changes.

Here is an idea: I will start a new page of this website where people can state their resolutions. Email them to me, and I will make it a new page for everyone to see the goal (s) you've set for yourself. Maybe that will help you stick to those goals. Have you ever noticed how when you set a new goal for yourself, it helps to say it aloud and tell your friends? That's a great idea; they will encourage you to keep your nose to the grindstone. That's what friends do :)

Whatever your resolution, whether you share it here or with friends, here's to your success. Pretend we're clicking champagne glasses - clink - and taking a drink. Cheers!