Cicadas under the stars...

This morning's jog was eventful on many levels...we entered our 4th week of the Couch to 5K program...we matched a PR (personal record) for distance and...we were literally cheered on by a group of cicadas that situated themselves strategically along our route. At least...that's how I'm choosing to acknowledge their existence. A few of the cicadas watched and encouraged us quietly...unwilling to give up their voyeuristic position. Were they expecting other joggers at 5 in the morning? Many felt the urge to "get up" and "cheer" us on with their tymbals. One got so excited to see us that its movement and sound caused me to jump right out of my stride. It was a clear morning so a cluster of stars decided to join the cicadas-watching us from above. Unlike the cicadas, the stars were content to just watch Steph and I as we jogged--their silence a form of appreciation for what they were witnessing. The combination of cicadas and stars got me wondering whether or not professional or amateur runners (the women and men we see on TV...even Olympians) acknowledge or are influenced on any level by the crowd that gathers to watch them? Or...do they see us merely as cicadas...under the stars?