Yesterday I loaded up my car with my beach gear and drove two hours to go to my happy place. I have been my own worst enemy lately and needed to go somewhere to reset and recharge. St. George Island State Park is where I go when I need to do a “hard reset” on my brain. Usually when I go to the beach, I bring a book, some music and my bathing suit. I lay out under the sun and soak up the much needed Vitamin D. I’ll play out in the waves and smell the salty air. I like curling up in my beach chair with a good book. St George is usually pretty peaceful and quiet. If I’m lucky, I’ll find a little spot and be able to enjoy the peace alone. Other people appear like little specks in the distance they are so far away.
Yeserday was a little different. I decided to add St George to my slowly growing list of places to go for a peaceful run. If you drive all the way to the end of the island, you’ll find a gravel trail that winds throughout. It was a great little trail to run on. It was also a great little trail to find out how much I don’t like running on gravel (my knees burned during that entire stretch!). About a mile and a half into my run, I found an off shoot and veered off toward the beach. I took a short breather and admired the beauty around me.
I stopped to breathe in the salty air. I was huffing and puffing a bit, but I felt good. Running reminds me of my worth. It reminds me of my strength and power. It shouts to me that I can do anything. I’m worthy. I’m strong. I’m good. When I’m running, I let go of the negativity and embrace my inner beauty. Every footfall crushes down the angry voices and instead fills me with a sense of accomplishment. Standing on the beach facing the gulf, I was able to let go of the hurt. I was able to fill my heart with good feelings and was able to release the negativity that has so recently been floating around in my mind. I continued down the beach and started to run again. My knees thanked me for this. Running on sand is no easy task – but it certainly cushioned the impact more than the gravel!
Thirty-nine minutes and 3.01 miles later (let’s not even talk about timing – I was there to have fun!) I ended my run. I did some light yoga on the beach to stretch out my tired muscles. I found a nice secluded spot and settled down to relax with a good book and some water. By the end of my trip, I was back to being “me”.
Loving to Run Through Every Footfall 