Running Free

I am winding down at the end of a wonderful four days off of work, and am feeling relaxed, happy, and ready to get after the rest of the week once my alarm goes off tomorrow morning.  I had two main goals with my four days off.  One was to get back to my running roots and rediscover the original joy I found in it.  The second was to only do what I felt like doing.  I wanted to take the word 'should' out of my vocabulary.  I didn't want to tell myself 'I should run at least 8 miles today' or 'I should really do these dishes now instead of waiting until morning.'  I wanted to do whatever seemed great at the time.  That is so liberating!  And much to my surprise, these two goals joined together nicely. 

As I wrote earlier, my trail run at Indian Lake was wonderful.  I ran impulsively, taking whichever turns I felt like.  I took any pressure I normally carry on my shoulders and left them in the parking lot.  Running without the nagging pressure of the word 'should' helped me to run as I truly wanted. 

Saturday I felt like doing some yoga so I went to a class at Gold's that is Tai Chi, Yoga and Pilates combined into one class.  The combination of the flow of the class, stretching out my sore muscles, and having my mind focused only on the work I was doing on my mat was nothing short of centering.  I felt so energized after class that I did some work with my power wheel in the gym (http://www.lifelineusa.com/products/power-wheel.html) and then headed out for a 5 mile run. 

I used to live near Gold's and have run on the Military Ridge trail countless times.  This time I hit the trail with what felt like a new set of eyes.  I even came across an area of trails I have never run on before (which I later found out is Goose Lake).  I have run past the trail that leads to this area so many times, but I never even thought about turning there to see what was around the corner.  I was amazed to see a small lake, wide grassy trails, and a field of brilliantly yellow wildflowers dancing in the breeze.  At one point when I was running around the edge of the wildflower field I found myself laughing and closing my eyes to soak up the sun on my face.  I ran the exact pace I wanted, and didn't even hear the voice in my head say I should do anything - I just enjoyed the moment without having to frame it in reference to an end point I wanted to get to.  Why in the world has it been so long since I let myself run like this??  It was great!

Sunday I spend the afternoon hiking at Devil's Lake which was nothing short of perfect.  My boyfriend was great company as we took in the sights, pet people's wet, tired dogs, and took our time savoring the views from the overlooks along the west side of the park. 

I could get used to a view like this!

 

Today I was lucky enough to be able to log some miles with one of my best girlfriends from high school.  She is training for a marathon and is just about on the cusp of her taper, and I was happy to run a comfortable 7.5 miles with such good company.  Our miles and conversation were easy, and were punctuated by flowing streams, changing leaves, some gentle hills, and ideal temperatures.  We finished up our run with lunch at Villa Dolce in Middleton which was absolutely perfect.

 

It feels great to reflect on such a good mini vacation and know that I accomplished everything I wanted.  I was able to get to the core of why I love to run, and actively looked forward to my workouts this weekend.  Nothing felt forced, and nothing was done out of obligation.  I am looking forward to tackling some things at work tomorrow, and I'm very ready to coach my girls in the afternoon.  To still fall in line with doing what I feel like doing, I also have a horseback riding after cross country practice!

 

Now that my batteries are recharged and I have renewed focus, I think back to something that was written on one of the overlooks I saw up at Devils Lake yesterday.  It only gets better.