raindrops

On Monday I happened to be sitting on grass at the Skydome (of Northern Arizona University) when the first raindrops of the season fell.  So refreshing.

How did summer get here this soon?

It seems like just yesterday I was spending two days in New York

and hitting favorite Sedona trails on weekends

 
and exploring Petroglyph National Monument with my Uncle Pete

and appreciating spring at Buffalo Park

and enjoying my first long solo run in the Canyon

and returning to Hart Prairie via the Arizona Trail

and sojourning up Waterline

and squeezing in the Peaks loop

 
As these weeks turn into months and race preparations take shape, I am grateful for the array of providers who keep me healthy, for friends who get me out there when I'd rather be sleeping (Megan, Brinkmann, Bus, Keith, Neil...), for sponsors who support me (our wonderful local running store, Run Flagstaff, plus the Run Steep Get High Mountain Running Team), for the new US Skyrunner Series (an incentive!), for unexpectedly being part of the aha moment tour, for the plethora of training opportunities that exist in my small town, for the luxury to be lazy in my house one moment and out on urban trails the next, and for the validity of choosing to not run at all.

For me, running is about balance.  These days, I do everything in my power to honor that.  To respect life beyond running, to remember that the reason I run is to add value to my life (rather than letting it dictate my life).  Running is a great way to re-balance body, mind, and spirit.

Monsoon season is here, and I plan to savor it. Given all the choices - training options, strengthening routines, running routes, races, providers - I have become aware of the need to simplify.  To embrace success no matter the level of exertion.  To claim the day.  To feel the raindrops.
 
How about you?  What enhances your life?  Where do you go for renewal?