A Paranoid Runner

I realize this is true,  but I have a little story. I ran my best time today. 5 miles in 49 minutes (hey!  it's good for me...). I think it had something to do with listening to NPR's TED talk on "The Violence Within Us."  It was all well and good until I hit a more isolated section of the loop and passed a guy who could look a little rough, with tattoos on his hands. It left me feeling paranoid. And I'm pretty paranoid anyway. When I run alone I wear my hair in a bun (I've heard that rapists look for girls with ponytails because they're easy to grab). I only run during daylight, in public areas. But that combination of listening to violence and passing someone to seemed a little rough sure made me speedy (for me). Especially not knowing if he was coming up behind me until I worked up the courage (around a good string of oncoming cars) to look behind me and see that he was no where in sight. But, those TED talks are so great! I love that it's 50 minutes of a good story, well done in the fantastic NPR style. It's thought provoking and entertaining enough to keep me moving. It's my new favorite way to run. I highly recommend it.