Tomorrow I run 13.1 miles on a trail out by the lake. While ‘in training’ for a much larger half marathon in two weeks, ever since I registered for this small event, it is all I can think about. Running a half marathon is exciting. Being one of 3,000 participants, running past eager onlookers with signs and bullhorns and cameras, racing to the finish line and festivities two hours later – it’s an accomplished and thrilling feeling. Running a half marathon through nature, on a narrow dirt trail, alongside your husband and with a very small group of dedicated runners is something altogether different.

I’ve done a few trail runs since I started running ten months ago, and each time I’ve felt this strange primitive yearning for additional trails to conquer. A recent article in Runner’s World articulated one significant benefit of running; the ease in which it is possible. While many get caught up in running paraphernalia, new gadgets, and the monitoring of vital signs, you don’t need any of that to run. It’s not necessary to record your body temperature, heart rate, miles run per week, and speed each time you tie your laces. There is great freedom, in fact, in simply allowing your body to speak to you and tell you how much further you can go.

That same freedom is felt on a trail. It’s oddly archaic, primal and such an incredible escape from the ‘real world.’ Tomorrow’s 13.1 miles will be a good way to clear my head, get a strong workout in (ummm….it will not be an easy run) and really enjoy the world in which I live.