No, this is not a post about aging.
Ahem.
This is a good surprise.
I've been running for a year half now, with 24 weeks off for the last half of my pregnancy and the first bit after having the baby. I even know how many miles I've run - I like tracking things.
And you know what, I just discovered this afternoon - TODAY - a fantastic running trail a mile from my house.
Dope slap on my sweaty forehead.
But there's more to the story - there always is.
A while ago I asked my Facebook friends about running tips. My goal is to run a 10k this year and I am wary of hurting myself as I run longer distances, in hopefully faster times. People were so helpful and I learned some good things. And then I went for a run with my friend Wendy and she taught me some helpful things too, and then I had a great phone conversation with Ironman finisher David Rendall (who also wrote an incredible book The Freak Factor) and he mentioned lots of insightful advice including finding a trail to run instead of pounding the pavement in my neighborhood.
You know, when he said that I thought, "I don't think there is one near me."
But I was wrong. One mile from my house is the beautiful John Wayne trail which is a Washington state park and winds for tens if not hundreds of miles. Seriously. The vistas are incredible: mountains, hills, farms, animals. There is no traffic but foot, bike, and horse.
I guess what surprised me the most was I had been running for dozens and dozens of miles and never once thought I was so close to such a fantastic running trail.
Note to self: look around. You never know what surprises are out there.
And also, when you expand and stretch a bit, you find entire new adventures and situations to enjoy. I had to work up to a mile. The trail is a mile away. So, ya.
Onward and upward.
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