Inquisitive Adventures

Miles 3-5

I continue the walk. Just my thoughts, the chirring of the cicadas in the background, and the crunching of the gravel under my feet. Every now and then, I am passed by distance runners.

My thigh muscles are the first sign of fatigue and become sore. I miss this feeling of achy muscles and sweat. Another runner passes. Then another. Every time I am passed, I feel a tinge of envy.

The envy I feel and the exhilaration of my aching muscles remind me of how much more active I used to be. I used to run and walk almost every day.

Reflecting on the past few years, I realize how overly structured my life became and how many rules I created for myself.I think I had this fear that when I entered my current season of life, I would lose this part of myself, and, to be honest, I did. I went from somewhere between ten and twenty thousand steps a day to averaging four thousand.

This part of the trail is uneventful, other than bikers and runners; it is very solitary. It is a mixture of open prairie and farmland. There isn’t much to distract me here, leaving plenty of room for my thoughts to wander. I make my way toward the last part of the trail before looping back toward the start.

One of the reasons I love this trail so much is that the end was once an old horse racetrack that was restored and turned into a bike/running track. I come to the training barn, which is the first marker before the racetrack.I find a sitting area, take a break, and drink some water.

Ironically, this walk will end up being almost the distance of a half marathon.

One thing I am unlearning from this experience is to create rhythms, not rules. I’ve decided to stop trying to measure achievement through steps, miles, and pace, and instead move for my enjoyment.