A couple of trips to nowhere.........Thank goodness!.................

On my first trail run of the day this morning, I tripped twice. The first time was only a blip on the concern meter, but the second time I was air-born for a good ten seconds; arms and legs flailing, heart leaping, brain panicking, ten seconds, before managing to land on my feet instead of my hand and knees. I was so proud. They say with trail running, that falling is inevitable, but I really hope to postpone the experience for as long as possible. Why do I do this to myself you might be asking by now? The simple answer is that I like the way completing these runs makes me feel. The more I push myself, the more I realize what I am able to do.

As I was reading my hand-me-down copy of Runner's World, I came across the monthly comments of the Penguin (Real name John Bigham) and they explain to a LARGE degree why I run. I am going to copy them for you to read, remember the words are his, they just explain me really well:

"Our running shoes are really erasers. Every step erases a memory of a past failure. Every mile brings us closer to a clean slate. Each footstrike rubs away a word, a look, an event, which led us to believe that success was beyond our grasp.

As it turns out, many penguins weren't running to anything. We were running from bad habits, and bad relationships; from the worst of ourselves in a desperate attempt to find the best of ourselves. Ultimately we discovered that running was the means to that end.
The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

Known as the Penguin Credo, it captures the spirit of the new breed of runners. For penguins, the miracle is that we found our way to the stating line. Getting to the finish line is simply the frosting on the cake."

Nothing more I can add, except to again plagiarize and end this blog the way he ends his pieces and say "Waddle on."