Running with Garbage

Interesting title isn't it?  So here's the story.  Today is a beautiful day.  The morning was cool, no wind, the birds were singing, simply a great day to run.  I head out to walk 1 and run 5 and I've decided to run from the house down a bit of the highway, through a very nice division with 2 acre lots and huge homes, and then down the road to the winery.  The traffic is very light in these areas (with exception of the stretch of highway), it's quiet, not many people up and stirring, and a few but not many dogs to bark at you behind their fences.  I love this route because of the peace it offers.  It also offers some nice but not too hard hills so it's a bit challenging but not overly frustrating.

The first part was perfect, enjoyable, refreshing, invigorating.  Running past the large homes is always fun, they are so pretty and with acreage they offer more than your typical neighborhood where homes butt up against each other.

Then it's off to the winery road.  All started out great, nice and quiet, cool weather, and then...I hear it.  The low grinding of the gears, the roar of the deisel engine, the squeak of breaks...behind me the garbage truck approaches...NO I cry inside, not this morning, not now!  And yet here it came slowly catching me.

Now on this road as you are running north there is only pasture and trees on the right but homes on my left.  The truck picks up on the right so it has to go all the way to the homes on the right and then turn and come back to get those trash cans that are on my left at this point.  "Good" I think, I won't have to put up with it for long!

The truck grinds past and all of a sudden the aroma encircls my head, I can almost see it's wrotten green/brown color is it dances in my nose.  It's the smell of wrotten meat, soured milk, molded cheese, soiled diapers, all mixed together.  I try not to breathe, but I am running so I really have no choice.  "AHHHHH"  I scream inside.  But the truck has gone on and soon the aroma fades.  And so I run until it's time for me to turn around to head back home.  And then I hear it again, like some big monstor just waiting for me to turn so it can fill me with dread once again.

It is coming back to get the trash on what is now the right side of the road going south.  Sure enough it catches me only to stop right in front of me to pick up a can and I have to run past it, again the aroma, it's as if it sees me and rushes to catch me as I'm trying to hold my breath.  And then I am past the truck, but then it has to move on to the next can and so again it catches me, over and over this happens until finally the job is done and the truck is moving on to the highway.  Sigh, holding my breath while running has taken it's toll.  I stop to take a drink as the truck pulls out and from the window I get a friendly wave.  I wave back doing my best to smile.

I know the man behind the wheel was not happy about ruining my peaceful run, I could see it in his wave.  I think to myself, what a job!  And yet he has one, and an important one.  So I finished my run, it ended up being a good run in the end as I made my way home with no more intrusion, and no pain in my knee...ah a great run once again!