"Life and Trails"

A few weeks ago I penned a brief reflection, and thought I would share it here. It goes something like this:
"31 May, 2012: I ran in the woods this morning, and found the experience both enjoyable and exciting. Like all training surfaces trails have their challenges, of which some they share with other surfaces, and some which are unique to itself. I especially enjoy running on trails (well usually anyway) because it is often the case that the challenge is less about running fast, so much as making the most of each footfall on the undulating surface.

In some ways perhaps that makes trail-running analogous to daily life, in that we are each of us faced with choices everyday of how best to use the resources and opportunities at hand. At times we make comparatively "good" choices, and find ourselves zipping along a techincally-gruelling course. At others we make poor choices, misjudge the terrain, or indeed just get plain unlucky, and find ourselves flat on our faces and skinned at the knees. In the worse case scenario (perhaps) we find ourselves falling over a cliff. I personally don't run near cliffs, but if I did then falling over the edge of one would almost certainly be a bad day.

I suppose the point is that in living as in trail-running, we have a fairly limited control over some things, and over others no control at all. Perhaps the matter over which we have the most control involve the choices we make in allocating scarce resources as they become available. I say "scarce" only to indicate that these resources are finite, and that using one naturally precludes us using the same quantity of another. For this reason it would seem we must choose how best to utilize what we've got, given the "trail" on which we're running.

Today's trail was pretty fast, but on others I've run in the past I could only manage a slow, albeit hoppity, trot. I find it easier and more enjoyable if I take whatever the course has to offer, and make it something special in my own mind. Perhaps life is like that too."

Entitled "Life and Trails," reading it this morning made me want to go for another trail- run this instant. O would I were it not already 90 degrees F. In any case, I enjoyed the reflection, and perhaps you will too.

Happy Thursday, friends :)