Humbled

At the end of the running in Africa, I had badly strained my right Achilles, and my left one wasn’t too happy either. Since returning more than 6 weeks ago, I hadn’t run until a few short runs last week. It’s felt good to rest my body and listen to the necessary rhythms after having a rather phenomenal year of running and adventure.

Sunday’s are when the Mindful Runners meet. Where we go and how far we run vary depending on the weather and time of year. It’s often a pace where everyone stays together, we enjoy each other’s company, and relish in the experience of where we are. I hadn’t run with this group for more than 2 months, since before leaving for Africa and missed running with them. Today I decided to stretch a little bit, run a little farther to see how my legs were doing, and catch up.

The run for today was a trail running up to the Flagstaff amphitheater from the backside off Boulder Canyon. It’s up all the way there and then a pleasant return downhill. I started off slow letting my body, my legs and Achilles warm up. About halfway up I suddenly that the realization of how slow I was actually moving and how humbling this experience was. Over the summer I’d run this hill several times and felt strong. The experience today was quite different – it was one of knowing the deep reservoirs held inside, but ones that hadn’t been used in weeks. It was one of feeling my experience more deeply, sinking into the feeling of just being out and just running. And it was one of humility. While I certainly would have loved to have run faster, I enjoyed the humility and the slowness to take in the Boulder mountains deeply.

As I start running again, I imagine this feeling of humility will arise again so I run my favorite trails, but with a different idea in mind. For that, I’ll just enjoy the run!