Popcorn's Pedalin'

I've sort of been eating slightly differently for the past few weeks. And I feel, as Andy Griffith would say, "goooooo-oooed". Great even. I'm not eating additives of any kind, sugar, bread, pasta, no chemicals...which means not even chewing gum, no dairy, and no meat. That leaves fruits, veggies, and nuts. I'm drinking a little juice here and there but mostly I'm enjoying water with lots of ice and a slice of something fresh and pretty floating in it. An orange, a lemon, a lime...or all three at once. The only odd thing I've noticed about this big change is that running is harder, much harder. I ask my popself, "Is it just the heat or is it really my new food choices?" Temps here in our neck of the woods have been hovering right under 100 in the hottest part of the day, so it gets pretty hot pretty early. Running is my therapy, my time to think, time to learn my choir music, time to pray, time feel young and alive and strong and healthy. I like to sweat, I feel like it cleanses me from the inside out. Out go the toxins, the stresses, and the pent up worries. In comes fresh air and a fresher outlook. Most of all I like to run just because I can. But this new way of eating has "encouraged" me to seek another way to put my miles in. My big red "wicked witch of the West" Schwinn roadster bike! I love my bike. It even has a Toto basket! I can make a huge Tervis tumbler with water, a lid and straw, throw in my purse and a tiny towel, my beloved pink nano ipod, don my visor (sorry, I love my visor...let's my head have air while keeping sweat at bay) and off I fly. I can pedal like a fiend up the hills, well, ok humps, and down. I stay on the sidewalks under the canopy of the big gorgeous green trees and I sightsee. I look at houses, landscaping, which sprinkler heads I like, front doors, iron trim on the hugenormous houses, mentally choose which stucco color I like best, take note of the brick and mortar combinations, and of course almost wreck when a horrible squirrel crosses my path. I can even chat on my tiny cell phone, excusing myself from my chattee when I have to use two hands to jump a curb. It is extreme fun. I may never run again.