Running is a time machine

This morning I went to Paris, Moab, Martha's Vineyard & Sun Valley. All from the comfortable confines of my running trail along the West Side Highway.

Do you ever have those times when you are on vacation and you watch a movie while on vacation. And that heightened state of relaxation makes that movie so much more enjoyable. And then the next time you watch that same movie it takes you back to that relaxation & enjoyment of that vacaton. Its one of those lush pavlovian dog things. Well, I think running is kind of the same way. Every time I run the course I that I used to run while training for the marathon, it reminds me of that mental & physical space I was in and all those places along the way I ran to get me to that space.

So while I was really running along the river by the west side highway running trail yesterday, it was almost as if I was running in all these interesting places that I've been to and ran around in the past. First stop Paris. From Champs Ellysee through the Tuilleries, cross over the Place De La Concorde to the the Louvre, over to Palais Royale and then back over to the Seine. End up back down the Champs Elyssee and of course, I couldn't resist being that ugly American who does my best Rocky Balboa impression walking through the Arc de Triumphe. I could feel it, taste it, smell it, breathe it. It was like I was back in time of that amazing business trip where I set out to run and see all of Paris. It brought back the running, the cafe au lait, the chocolat crossaints, the daraude at restaraunt l'auguste, etc.

Running is a time machine. It takes me back to the places, sights, sounds feelings and emotions that I want to remember. It also takes me to where I want to go. Running is less about the end-destination but the journey along the way. I cherish those times running through Paris, or through the canyons of Moab, Utah or along a lazy river road in Sun Valley, Idaho. Across the mansions along the ocean at Newport. It also takes me to where I want to go. It empowers me to do, see, or be whatever I want to be. I like that about running.