Foraging Run

I'm not training for anything right now.  Exercise is about being fit, on my own terms.  It's about working out when I want to work out, because I want to do it, not because I have a race to train for or a scheduled workout or time goals to achieve.

Today I knew I wanted to run a bit longer, because I want to keep my endurance.  I'm also on call, so I wanted to keep my run nearby.  

My neighbors have a huge avocado tree.  Based on the quantity of avocados that have fallen on the street, it seems that they do not like to eat avocados.  But I do, and I've been picking them up, rinsing them off, and slicing them into my salads for the past couple of weeks.

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I hate to see delicious avocados go to waste!

If there were all these avocados just next door to me, how much available fruit could I find in my neighborhood?  So, today I decided to run with the goal of finding as much fruit as possible.

Now, normally I don't pay attention too much to the trees, or nature.  On a typical run I'm staring at my watch to see if I'm meeting my time goals or if my heart rate is in the correct zone.  Today my focus changed as I looked for fruit.

Once these oranges behind me become ripe, I'll be back!!!

I'm not sure how I never noticed the abundance of fruit, all of which is reachable from the street or sidewalk!!!  I found sweet grapefruit (as opposed to the sour grapefruit growing in my back yard and on most trees in the neighborhood), pomegranates, clementines, limes, pears, hachiya persimmons, and multitudes of oranges that aren't yet ripe.  I stopped at my house twice to drop off my haul, because I couldn't hold everything.

I love being able to change my focus from competition and training to just getting out and putting one foot in front of the other.  And, I love fruit.  Definitely a successful run today ;)