If you asked twenty people to explain why they run, I suspect you would receive twenty different answers.  In my time at Gazelle Sports I have heard nearly every reason possible, from “I want to get into shape”, to “because my boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife runs and they thought I would enjoy it”.  Despite the dearth of answers I’ve heard, I have yet to meet anyone who shares mine.

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.”

John Muir

I like to run, but I love to run on trails.  I like to run alone, but I love to run with the Dirty Herd.  This summer the Herd is running on Sunday mornings at 9:00.  We lost a few regulars because this time interfered with their church schedule.  The schedule change didn’t immediately vibe with my not-a-morning-person persona, but I found my flow when I realized one simple thing…the woods are my temple.  Don’t misunderstand me here, I’m no weirdo, and truth be told I’m more Buddhist than Druid, but the woods are spiritual to me. 

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.”

Aristotle

Ask me to run the 25K River Bank Run, and I will hem-and-haw about whether I want/can do it.  Now ask me to run a 50 mile trail ultramarathon and I comfortably agree.  I am, in fact, in the middle of training for the North Country Trail Ultramarathon, while having never run a regular marathon.  Eight weeks left to go and I’m starting to doubt whether I’ll make it to the starting line, but the training requires spending a lot of time in the woods so I’ll keep trying.

“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.”

Buddha

            So why do I run in the woods?  I choose nature for the air, the breeze, the trees, and the quiet.  I choose the trails for the switchbacks, the fast descents, the steep ascents, and the near silent pad of each foot fall.  The trails give me peace.  The trails show me clarity.  I run them to find my breath, my voice, and my self.  Trail running unplugs me and synchs me.  It taps my stress and fills me with calm.  The woods are waiting…are you ready for a run?