Brooke's Thursday Hike

I stepped out of my car, drawing in a long breath of the fresh coastal air. It's a Thursday evening. About 7 pm. Every thursday I go on a long hike, or walk, or run. The name isn't important. The point is, I've made a habit of going out and just... going on a 'something' on one of my two days off every week. The only limit is that it has to take between 3 and 6 hours, or longer if I am committing to a bigger trip.

The location chosen today, is a beach run I like using in the summer time, when the sun is out long enough that it seems to set at least 3-4 hours after I wake up in the middle of the day. The path starts near the more tourist-centric part of town at the north, then winds along the beach all the way along to the south end of the island. It's a long hike though. 5 miles there, 5 miles back. All over the soft sandy beaches of a slowly setting dusk sun, which would become a soft summer night sky by the time I was halfway into headed back.

I liked to mix up my hiking spots. I had a mountain spot that was a long drive, full of beautiful scenery. A forest hike that offered some real terrain challenges. I even had a 'city hike', which was really more just me walking through the city when I really didn't want to leave town for another area to walk in. All carried their own routines. For the beach hike, I would jog along for the whole length of the island, reach the demarked endpoint that led into off limits nature reserve, take a short swim, and head back. On the way back I grab a fruit smoothie from a nearby beach shack/bar. It's easy!

See. I changed just one tiny thing from normal. Today I am not wearing my bikini I normally do the beach run in. No, today I wore my white tanktop, and black athletic shorts, and nothing underneath! Why? Well, to prove a point. I wouldn't be swimming today, since as of my recent history, putting myself into a situation where I'm wearing just a swimsuit would be inviting a scenario where I end up assisting someone in a state of undress again. My bikini could wash off, get caught on something, or some other incident could happen, and I'd be asked to help someone in need without it! This time, I'm just going to do my run, wearing a tanktop and shorts. That way, I won't even THINK about trying to swim, and I'll even be fully dressed! It's a pretty good plan, I think...