Day 5: Day-to-Day Bore

One of my regular trails

I can't let a gratitude series go by without writing at least one post about my gratitude for running, and this works as the category to slot it in because this gets to an aspect of running that I appreciate - it's the same thing, over and over. I will occasionally try a new trail or get out for a run on vacation or see a new route via a race, but generally I do the same 3-4 routes every single time I run. This familiarity allows you to notice things - the changing seasons, the people who do really creative and beautiful things with their yard, the little tucked away green space that's not officially a park. You get to know the landmarks that you pass each time and gauge how the run is going based on how you feel when you hit that point in the route.  It allows you to zone out of the activity itself and either work through things in your mind or attend fully to music. It makes it very easy to get out the door when you're just grabbing your shoes and heading to the same few places - no time or energy used up in planning. And it's comforting, when you're going through stressful and chaotic things in work and in life, that running can be a space that is not stressful or chaotic. I'm grateful for the day-to-day bore of running.