After a couple of days of grey skies and rain I woke up this morning to temperatures right at freezing and very clear skies.
After rushing through coffee and cereal and catching up on emails, I got geared up to go run at the base.
Walking out to the truck I realized that the temperature was rising rapidly, and by the time I arrived at the base I decided to take one layer of clothing off before heading out.
Running has been really hit and miss recently - good run one day bad run the next.
On this day I knew 3 miles into it that the run was not going well, and it was frustrating because it was a beautiful day and I wanted to be outside, but no matter what I tried my heart rate was still all over the map and my energy level was lagging.
By the time I hit a jeep trail I decided to take it instead of continuing straight ahead on single track, and I turned off the trail a little dis-spirited.
There was no real reason to have such low energy level but I felt sluggish anyway, and even though my run had gone so well the other day I found myself walking the jeep trail and drinking water wondering again for the millionth time whether I should just give up on this running thing.
I ran some. I walked some. Disgusted at myself for cutting my run short but enjoying the day anyway.
Green is starting to make its tentative reappearance in the grass.
Trees are proudly displaying buds that may still yet be shocked back into hibernation if winter ever does actually arrive here in Middle Tennessee.
Scenes of jeep trail and power line trail close to a single track that I had planned on picking up again.
I was still a couple of miles from the truck and in a lovely place on a lovely day, yet felt out-of-sorts and dejected................
As I slowly jogged closer to the single track that was hidden in the tall pine trees on the right I was surprised to hear the unexpected sound of multiple voices up ahead.
To that point the place had been silent and I looked beyond the trees searching for the source of the noise................
After writing in a blog entry yesterday that after all these years I have rarely run into horseback riders even though I see trailers frequently in the parking lot at the trail head, I realized today that I had run into horse riders on my last two visits to the base.
On Saturday I happily spent time talking to and visiting with an elderly man and his beautiful horse Casey.
Today four women riders..................
On the spur of the moment I decided to head down the hilly and grassy power line trail instead of running single track all the way back to my truck.
I was surprised to run into these riders and wondered briefly if riders were more common during the week.
Before heading to Juneau I worked during the week and trained at the base in the evenings and on weekends.
I had no idea, but we all quickly exchanged friendly waves and hellos before going our separate ways..............
One of many power line trails located throughout the base.
Right now they are filled with crunchy, dry, brown grass and weeds, and dense woods on both sides.
And continual rolling hills.
At other times of year these are wide open bright green spaces lined with leaf-filled hard woods.
Years ago (before a world of complex single track trails were surreptitiously built by an ex-triathlete retired air force man), that same elderly man brought me out to the base to mountain bike for the first time, and we rode these power line trails.
He could ride circles around me then, and can ride circles around me now...............
Deep burgundy in a world of grey and brown (and today) bright blue.............
I was headed towards UTSI road.
As I continued up and down knobby and grassy and prickly hills I passed first one and then a second single track trail entrance.
I knew that the entrance close to the paved road that leads to the University of Tennssee Space Institute in one direction and Wattendorf Highway and Tullahoma in the opposite direction would take me directly back to the parking lot and my truck.
The world was beautiful. And quiet except for my brain that was frantically churning and my energy level that was disappointingly failing.
And so I walked and enjoyed the walking.................
And then finally picked up the trail and ran the last 3/4 mile to the truck..............
Unsettled and dissatisfied, I climbed into my truck, drove out of the mountain bike parking lot and before heading home surprised myself by turning down a side road that I had never driven before.
I found water.
I was standing in a narrow cove looking out over water that was very shallow.
I spent a long time standing looking out over the lake.................
Rock towers will always and forever remind me of Juneau.
I found these unexpectedly while walking slowly along the shore...............
I stood by the water for a long time.
Longer than I expected or had planned to.
And sometime during that visit by the water I found the still and calm place I had not realized that I needed until I was standing in front of it.................
If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive..................Eleonora Duse
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