The mountains have been speaking to me, through me, for a long time. I’ve decided to go home to them. In the next 20 days, I will be paring down, packing up, and moving north. Soon, Houdini and I will be calling the White Mountains our backyard! With this excitement comes the stress (positive and negative) of wrapping things up and shifting priorities. Through this, I turn to running as my source of grounding. I have learned the importance of having a positive outlet every day for both a source and release of energy. This past week flowed out of the previous week smoothly, with less miles, but more time spent with friends and lots of beautiful scenery and weather.
Campton, NH.
My body gave me some hints that the stress on my mind (moving, soon to be changing jobs) was seeping downward to my legs (tired) so I lightened up on the training for a couple days. I am an admirer of cycles, circles and rhythm. The last several days played naturally out of last week and I can feel that over the next few days my body will want more miles, and the with the full moon tomorrow, I’ll be happy to have plenty of light -day or night- to achieve the distance. During times of stress it seems natural that we seek and/or lean into outlets for our energy. I am mindful of the stress/running relationship and am being careful to not upset the balance that I have recently been grateful for. Sleep and nutrition are important always, but especially during times of great personal change.
Avocados are a great runner's food. The fat in avocados aids in the recovery and support of sore joints. Your body is your temple!
Systematically, there are feedback loops that exist between sleep, nutrition, and exercise. They support each other and also have the ability to detract from each other. My body is in a constant state of flux relative to its environment (inside the head and outside of the body!) and it seems like the needs for each of these categories change regularly. It’s only recently that I have begun to pay attention to each of the categories with equal import.
Everything was in order this past Saturday morning when Anne and I grinded up and bombed down the trails at Waterville Valley Ski Resort.
Ultimately, that's what it's all about, right?
Bring on the autumn mornings! Less sweat on the ascent!
IndiAnne deftly cruising the singletrack that runs the summit spine of Waterville.
I am looking forward to taking a hint from the perennial plants by sending my energy down to my roots this fall. The mountains really feel like my roots. On the other side of the stress associated with relocating, there are lots of open trails waiting.
