When I started my long runs I would find myself running by this massive cemetery halfway through. I had driven past it a million times but this was the first time I was ever right next to it.

I started thinking "can I run through there?" And "is that considered poor taste?" Well being a pro at poor taste I finally bit the bullet and looped my way in. And oddly enough, it was awesome.

Does that make me a weirdo?

Something about the quiet, the winding never ending sequence of trails and scenery just did me in. Why doesn't everyone run through the cemetery? Did I just tap into a hidden gem in the world of running? At first I thought "what if someone stops me?" And I had a whole scenario worked out in my head, thinking I would say a family member was buried there and it was my way of visiting. But then I thought, I shouldn't have to lie - and it probably isn't a good idea to lie in a cemetery. (Using both meanings of the word).

Since that time I've been through a few other cemeteries. Some are boring - small with similar headstones all in a line. Others have grand monuments and massive trees lining the footpath. I think I must be a wacko for finding such solitude in such a sad place. But sometimes I think "some of these people never have visitors. I read their names aloud in my head. Atleast someone is acknowledging their prior existence." Sappy? Sure. But if I'm anything, a sap is certainly it.

Today I signed up for a 10k race on November 2nd in Southwest Detroit (a traditionally Hispanic neighborhood) celebrating Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead). It's a holiday celebrating those in our lives that we've lost. The race winds through two cemeteries, the neighborhood surrounding and a park. There is music, food, and people dressed in the traditional garb (think skeletons with a Mexican flair).

I don't know what it is, but I'm addicted to the cemetery runs. Maybe I've had too many suburban neighborhood runs this summer. Or maybe I like being the only one who gets out alive.




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