Go Where the Path Leads

I've always enjoyed learning about an area or town by taking a good, long run. It is so much easier to get a sense of a place when you run or walk through it rather than quickly drive by. Castle Rock, Colorado is not a new place to me, but it is like new every summer that we return here. Starting the endurance portion of the workouts has been a bit of an adventure, but now that I have only two long runs left, the path is getting worn a bit.

When you run someplace new you don't yet know exactly where you are going, and you cannot dread what you have left. Now that I have a path carved out that lasts the 45 minutes I need to complete it, I find myself thinking about those hills I have yet to climb, that wind-blown area and that intersection that slows me down.

The path today seemed a little harder and I enjoyed it less than I have the last two weeks. That means it is time for me to shake it up. I need a new path with different scenery and an entirely new perspective. So tomorrow I will run a new path, one that leads to the feeling of satisfaction, but that I can enjoy along the way too.

I have been really happy with the way the runs have gone so far. I shaved thirty seconds off the 7-lap test at the end of last week, and I am grateful for the building endurance because I've needed it on a couple of the hikes we've taken where my youngest has had to be carried in the backpack. I want to look forward to these last two runs because I know that the workouts are going to start to intensify and I won't be able to simply enjoy the scenery.