Prompt 2

Even though it’s not home, I feel at home when I’m running. When there are so many things going on in my head, I go for a run to sweat them out.  Pittsburgh is the least “home” running place for me. One of the best places to run in the world (in my opinion) is in Erie, PA on Presque Isle. It’s flat, quiet, and most of the runners are girls. It feels like you are always running with a friend. People pass you or you pass people. Personally, I let people pass me, so I can pass them later on.

I’m home when I’m alone running. People can be around and that’s fine, but I run better by myself. I can go at my own speed. If I’m tired, I’ll slow down, if I just want to stop running, I can stop running. When I’m running with friends, I have to adjust to them. Runners are like snowflakes. None are the same, but they all look pretty.

When I think of Nature I think of a place where I can let go and be myself. Running to me is a part of nature. It’s second nature to me. The worse the weather, the more likely you’ll find me fist pumping with my Ipod on and running through the streets. I like paths. Those are my home. Pittsburgh is a place where runners have to look left and right three times before they cross, especially during the winter season. Just like how the Midwest we think of flatlands, Pittsburgh I think of curvy hills that go straight to cars. It’s not home for me.

That’s why I like my secret place. It’s in the city, and I find myself going back to it when I almost get hit by cars. You be surprised how many times I almost get hit by a car. Twice a week, twice a day during the winter seasons.  I go back here and I run around. I’m free to dance, sing, and run backwards without worrying what’s behind me. I gallop in the snow and get my socks wet. I can be myself and no one can see me. But a track would be better. A path in the woods would be nice. I do have this secret place, but I feel like it’s just a summer fling in the winter season.

Blog Place 2

It’s 2 a.m. on a Saturday. It smells like nature just threw up. This isn’t what nature is supposed to smell like. I’m pretty sure someone just vomited somewhere. I just can’t seem to find it. I was hoping to see if I can be at this place when it’s completely dark, but I forgot I lived in the city. No place is completely dark. I can’t even see the stars. It’s just blackish with a hint of orange/gray mist, which I think is pollution.  Oh is it the reflection from all the lights coming from Pittsburgh? I should look this up. I see other footsteps. A couple of people were here right before I came.

It’s freezing right now. I should’ve dressed for the occasion. I’m usually running to this spot with sweat coming down my face. Now I want to cry ice cubes from my eyes. I closed my eyes to hear the wind, but I can’t help to hear the cars driving and making out words like, “Hey!” and “French fries.”

I make a mental note not to come to this place at 2 a.m. again. I thought it would be more isolated, but it’s the exact opposite. Oh crap, I’m standing in vomit. I’m out of here.

Nature Blog Prompt 1

Sitting on the steps of my secret place, I’m not sure if the environment mixes with the culture. I know if I take a few steps back this place wouldn’t hold the same experience. I can still hear the traffic all around me. I’m not sure where the noise is coming from, but one thing is for certain, it makes the place less significant to me. I’m all by myself, which I think is surreal, since it’s hard to find places in the city to be by yourself.

It’s here where I can be isolated from the city. Maybe during the summertime it would be different. I can imagine people running around or playing Frisbee with their dogs. During the winter season, it’s much different. It looks like I’m the only person who has been here for weeks. I can still see the shoe prints that I made the day before. It’s a weird feeling knowing I was the only person here yesterday.

I mean it makes sense. It’s cold outside. Why would anyone want to walk around in the snow in the freezing cold? I ask myself this question while walking in the snow. Am I the product of the environment or is the environment the product of me? I enjoy the isolation of it all. I like the fact no one bothers me and I don’t see any cars. Will this place exist in ten years? I can see the higher people making this into a parking lot or maybe a tennis court. It makes me sad to think this place will soon disappear and I was the only one who got to enjoy it on this cold day.

Nature Blog 1

There aren’t a lot of running trails for me to get to without a car. The closest one is about three miles away from my apartment and unless I’m training for a marathon, it’s out of the way. I have to stick to running on sidewalks, something I don’t enjoy. It’s a constant run and stop. Each corner I have to look left, right, left again, and raise my hand up to thank the incoming traffic for waiting. Even if it’s a red light, I thank them for listening to the rules of the road.

It was around fall time when I found it. There’s a spot right next to the University of Pittsburgh where cars couldn’t get to. It’s a secret garden minus the garden. There is stairs leading down to it. If you look straight ahead, it seems like the field is swallowing you.  Once I put my headphones on, I forget I’m in the city. Today, it’s just me inside this mouth.

The snow is seeping into my shoes making my socks wet. I don’t mind because I have this field all to myself. The only footprints in the snow are mine. Well, that’s not’s true. Some kind of rodent has left their mark in the snow. Rabbits? Squirrels? A deformed hobbit? Whatever made the footprints knew I was coming. I follow the markings, but it disappeared right in the middle of the field. Maybe it was some sort of flying rat.

The cold air is like my personal water bottle. If I need a drink, I just take a deep breath. It’s good for days when I’m doing sprints, especially in the snow. I try to step in the same footsteps that I made. I don’t want to ruin the whole field. It was more appealing before I came here.

My iPod just died.

I hear the traffic. The cars are coming to get me. It’s time to leave.