I went for a run this afternoon. Right at 5 miles. 4.8, I think. Lots of hills. (Yes, Dorothy, there are hills in Iowa. Iowa stands for the land between two rivers. And if you look at topo map for Iowa you'll see as you move from northwest to southeast, where I live, there's an increasing number of rivers and river valleys all pouring into...the mighty Mississip. In this corner of the state, it's easy to see the land between two rivers. You can only drive a few miles before running across a river, and a few sizable creeks that have cut deep swaths in the farm fields...and there's the hills. Usually 1/4 to 1/2 mile in length, 45 degree or worse.)
Running is a great exercise that clears my head, renews and revitalizes me, and a few solutions to challenges find their way to the surface by the time I'm done running.
It's an easy exercise to maintain even if you're traveling. A pair of shoes, some shorts and a shirt and you can get a few miles in almost anywhere at any hotel. I spent some time traveling overseas in the 90's. And my favorite leisure time activity was to head out the door in a strange city in a different country and ...go for a run. That always took me away from the tourist areas and into the real parts of the city.
It helps to speak the language. Once I got lost in Lelystad, Netherlands. My marker, that I thought was a street sign was instead a sign denoting 'bike path'. Yes, you're laughing. There are just a few bike paths in the Netherlands. And after nearly 2 hours of running, trying to find my markers, wandering through the downtown, speaking no Dutch...I saw the highway and made it back home. I told my friends the next weekend at Easter Brunch in Amsterdam...They laughed till they cried. So, did I.
I am thankful for a good run.
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