I don't often like to rehash grueling races. Most of my favorite runs are done at places where I'd never dream of racing - those normal routes around one's home or your secret little getaway trails. Since I needed to get one last long run in before the Gazelle Girl Half Marathon, Zach and I decided to run part of the Riverbank 25K course backwards. During the run I kept asking Zach if this was really part of the course; everything just looked different. I started to notice things around me that never stood out in the past. The river even seemed altered. 

Our approach to life can take a hard lesson from this running route. Facing the everyday doesn't always have to be experienced the same way. If the end goal is met, does it matter the way we pursued it? If so, what will we see if we trend down a different path? Strolling down the crowned road back to the trail head, I thought about how I want every route I run to look this fresh. How I'd want each day to be unchartered; filled with unknown possibilities. 

Running is truly where I find myself. It's where thoughts like these happen. It's where I throw off that old baggage and start to run down an alternate path in hopes of finding something new. It's time to shake up your routine! Who is with me?!