Rainy Day Run

I'm not usually a runner. When friends ask me to join them on a jaunt around town, I tell them that the only time I run is if I can't bike or ski. And anyone living in Vermont right now (or maybe anywhere in the country, really) knows that these are not good conditions for either one. So, I went for a run today.

I set out with my iPod and no particular route in mind, other than I wanted to warm up by running down the hill by my house. Other than that, I paid no attention to distance, time, or any other measure of "success." I just went out with the intention of feeling good; with the intention of being in the moment. Each time I came to a junction, I had the choice of continuing on or heading home, depending on how I felt.

And I just kept running. I looped back on my route, and figure-eighted, and back tracked, until I actually ended up back right where I started. Only this time I was running up the hill by my house. And it felt so good to make my intention be to have fun. So often our goals are to measure ourselves, and maybe to compare against others. But can't having fun just be the goal? It's certainly mine.

Happy [soggy] trails!