I had another great run in Cherokee Park this evening. Only this one was spurred on by my bladder. In desperate need of a restroom, I sought a shortcut through the woods along one of the trails. Trails I have been hesitant to venture into but now sought out in desperation. With bladder empty (via bathroom not tree) and mind refocused back to running, I started along the pavement but took the first dirt detour I came across.

I started into the shrub and mud path, bounding down the trail. This was my first foray into the inner woods of the park, all my previous runs having been confined to the asphalt. What a mistake that has been. There amongst the branches, roots and rocks I discovered a feeling long lost in adulthood. Thursday August 20th 2009, was a cool summer evening, with a constant breeze flowing and being under the canopy of old growth hardwoods, hurdling over fallen tress, skipping over bulbous roots, jumping across washed chasms, running blindly down an unfamiliar path - all stirred an exhilaration not felt since childhood. Running breakneck through the forest made me feel like a kid again. I had no direction, no mileage goal, devoid of time constraints, I just ran wherever the trail went. Perhaps it wasn’t childhood I was revisiting but rather something more primal - the fight or flight of being chased by or pursuing something.

Whatever it was, I felt it and liked it. I ran faster and further than my normal “civilized” pavement runs. And running along a trail is not just forward progress, there’s a significant side to side bounce of the unevenness of the trail bringing new muscles into play (which are now sore). My new running shoes got muddy. My legs have a few scratches. My body aches in new places. But come Saturday - I’m doing it all over again.