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in the spring, i went for a run and put up a wee post about it. as it happens, i have continued to not be a runner on a consistent basis since then.
this morning’s run was under grey skies, as seems to have been the mornings of late. it was also later than i prefer to run as i waited for both daylight and coffee to happen first.
crickets and cicadas provided the universal heartbeat backdrop to the run. starlings and
mourning doves hung like garlands in trees. the shoulder of the road was still littered with fallen trees, though power lines that had been broken and were hanging just a few mornings ago, all remnants of last weekend’s hurricane dorian, are now repaired, explaining the power outage yesterday.
i have been contemplating entering the pei marathon’s 10k event this year. i have done it twice before, once shod, once barefoot. i have even flirted with the idea of the half marathon. thankfully, my common sense and self care instincts kick in before i get further than a furtive wink with the 21 km demand.
i am not a distance runner, not being well suited to endurance events, except perhaps birthing labour.
years ago, when i first began training for a half marathon, i gradually added more kilometres to my week on a schedule slightly on the conservative side of most recommendations. weeks in, somewhere around the 13/14km mark, a wisdom deep inside my right hip flexor began to arise. i dropped back my weekly distance for a couple of weeks and then slowly began to increase it again. this inner wisdom was not to be denied.
i am not the sort to ‘work your way through that pain’ and, observing the ultimate outcome for those who do, i am grateful for the kindnesses, including abandoning the thoughts of half marathon training, i have offered my body as i age.
so, i continue to run. short distances which fill my senses and clear my heartmind. having nothing to prove to myself, these runs serve me well.
onward, then. headlamp and safety vest season is upon me.
learning to treat ourselves lovingly may at first feel like a dangerous experiment. sharon salzberg
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i step sweet gingerly
on the carpet of wild strawberry blossoms
strewn alongside the driveway
mourning doves scatter as i advance
they lift and spiral outward upward
like the dance of dandelion seeds on the wind
i run awkward
the soles of my feet
have softened in the dewy grass
and have awakened
to the richness of the textures
that is the asphalt
i run solely
my ears fill with the succession of cars passing
and then
they empty of the roar
the kirtan of birdsong rises all around me
and settles venticularly
vibrating
i do not know if it is internal or external
i run blurry
the air sits heavy humid
DCIM100SPORT
immediately sticky on my skin
my fingers tingle with the coolness of early
the sweet scenty aura
of apple blossoms warms me
and slugs hieroglyph
messages of love I leap over
i run hearty
i unfurl my mat on the deck amidst intoxicants
of barely blossomed lilacs
with just out fragrances
bumbling bees
as they buzz the sound of the universe
morning practice
the asphalt warm as it caresses the underbelly of my foot
a gentle south breeze slowly watlzing the laundry on the line
mating and nesting songs being passed in a stand of trees
foliage escaping once tight buds.
running. receiving. rejoicing.
hold fast to the mother
at the end of the run
i am not a runner.
yet every spring, song birds beckon me outside, to be their audience as they are mine. it is the same universal energy which led teenage me to cut high school classes in april and, for a short while in my adult life, led me to believe that ‘spring cleaning’ was actually a thing.
i generally wait until the morning temperatures reach 7°C; the encumberances of cold weather running do not suit me well.
today it was 14°C when i got up. and humid. go time!
the asphalt under foot was warm and the shoulder of the road was spring time soft; so pleasant to run on. the warm breeze from the south, the sweat gathering along my hairline, the birdsong.
running with the mind of meditation.
yoga for cool down.
a great start to friday.
may we all be happy just the way we are.
beautiful butterycup
i overslept this morning. my intention was to take a 5 or 5:30am run. my body needed more sleep than running. mmmmm
when i got up at 6:45, i passed on the run, did some happy chores with the extra time and headed off to the gym to teach classes.
i came home from work a bit earlier than expected.
so, the run happened.
for someone who likes the quiet runs of the early mornings, the world is an entirely different run in the heat of the late morning sun.
as the breeze fell, waves of heat washed past me. it wasn’t long before my body began to develop a humid microclimate of its own.
the birds were subdued, brief soft calls from high branches. do they nap in the heat?
the asphalt offered a cool, but friendly, shoulder in the short stretches of dappled shade where overhead leaves sang rainstick songs. this in contrast to the warmth the road is holding in places exposed to our accumulating days of hot bright sunshine. a natural inspiration for in-floor heating?
blooms. everywhere! perhaps the sparseness of birdsong and the sun higher in the sky allowed my attention to rest on the corridor of wild, and not so wild, flowers along the route.
winking brown eyed susans overshadowed by the graceful noddings of queen anne’s lace, impossibly statuesque on spindly stalks. white clouds of yarrow snuggled into the yellow buzzy busy-ness of st. john’s wort. shy fleabane peeking out from under the protective umbrella leaves of hostas. the march of goatweed and tendrilling crown vetch, delightful butter & eggs, abundant clover, laughing lilies. daisies and buttercups and dandelions, oh my.
a wsw wind, the compassionate sister of the churlish outbound breeze, nudged me home as my lower lids gathered and released, with each blink, the salty sting of sweat. my mind free and my bare feet singing a rhythmic song of solitude.
i am thankful for the new perspectives of the run. everyday is another opportunity to soften and open. blooming goodness.
eyelids still thick from sleep
into the morning damp sunshine
a braying cow and sense surround birdsong welcome me
bare feet on snow plow scraped smooth asphalt
hands catching the coolness of the early day
my mind, skidding softly to a stop up against these sensations
the shimmer of trails left by snails, glinting patterns drawing my eyes
the soft essss curve of a wee garder snake in permanent repose
regal, stalwart queen anne’s lace sharing the ditches with clouds of modest brown-eyed susans
a gauntlet of pine forests, overfull with the kirtan of morning birds
breezes riffling leaves
the steady fall of my feet on asphalt, still embracing some of yesterday’s heat, softly yielding beneath my soles
a warm sun climbing a morning sky
every reason for joy held in the freshness of the day
a sweet morning run in the chilly aftermath of andrea.
winds gusty from the north. greybluepewter clouds hanging just out of reach.
damp, mist-laden air. moisture gathered on my arms and face, traveling with long, juiced-up red worms.
thumbs numb and my soles soften on the wet asphalt. my toes chill through.
birdsong, ever optimistic, fills the air, calling down the sun. chirpy hearthappy trilling.
spring growth on pine trees, dressed in new greens, awkwardly erect.
no air to breathe in the lane but the heavenly scent of nearspent lilacs.
drizzled brown, they are beautiful in their surrender to another of many successful successive bloomings.
and i shake off the chill with my hands alternating between keyboard and a tall warm ceramic mug of bulletproof coffee.
march 29, 2013 run
i’ve been itching to spread my toes in an outdoor run. today, a rare day off, the sun was shining and enticing and my elbow was rubber.
i did not head out early. i needed the sunshine to take the sharp edge of chill off the asphalt and i hoped for the temperature to climb a couple of degrees.
at noon time, with a temperature of 0℃ and a pair of thermals covering my happy backside, i headed out.
the driveway was amazing underfoot. the cold, smooth mud of early spring, framed by squishy wet moss borders and dotted by ice-skimmed puddles, inspired me instantly.
there was a gusty nnw wind, on my right on the way out. a bit biting when the road was opened to not yet awakened farm fields. nipping the bits of my earlobe that pushed out of my cap. the asphalt, though, was warmed by the sun, dry and happy to be tickled by my toes. when the trees gathered along the shoulder, they cast patterns of chilly shadows to entertain me.
the run was short, sweet and satisfying. i was able to practice the chirunning form, focusing today mainly on my pesky shoulders which know not how to properly relax and allow my arms to be along just for the ride. adding the chirunning to the concepts of running with the mind of meditation made for a wonderful running experience.
so many blessings. such a good friday.
photo: wichitaksdailyphoto.blogspot.com
Click the link (above) for a lovely story about barefooting from the archives of the Winnipeg Tribune. Published July 12, 1939.
