Foreign Running

Back in 2005 before I got into running this go around, I used to run in London, Los Angeles and NYC. I never ran while at my mom's house, or while I was anywhere else. Just those cities and mainly when I Was in LA and London. I got a kick out of running out of the Savoy and down the bank and by the London Eye. I thought it was a great way to see the city and really see and smell and feel the city. Somehow when I stopped traveling, I also stopped running.

Fast forward to 2008. I changed jobs, met my boyfriend and signed up for a marathon all in the first week of November. I started running but running became a job. I had to follow a schedule, never could swap out a run for a great yoga class, couldnt run hungover, had bad run after bad run, struggled to get faster (still struggling!) and actually, as I realized this spring, felt running had become a chore. Even though I sometimes would remember the joy of running, i really was marathon training. Which is meticulous, exhausting and takes over your entire life.

Now, while I run a few races for charity a year, and try and run 2 half marathons just to stay in shape, running has breathed some life into my life. I am in Toronto currently and just ran along the harborfront. I remembered what it was life to run again. I felt the wind behind me and in front of me and felt, for lack of better words, alive. It's so rare that things in my life don't have purpose.  Because of my busy schedule every day is planned. Every am or pm has an errand, a task list, things to get done, errands to run, missions to accomplish. So rare is it, that I am disconnected enough to enjoy what I'm doing and not focus on what is next. That was the run I had today. A just under 5m run along the water, observing, listening to not fast paced music (Adele and Shakira based) and just a run.

Amazing. So while I reset my internal running dial this season to more enjoyment and less training (even though I am running the Phila half in November) I'll try and remember this run, carefree and blissful.