A Prophet Said...

You shall go out in joy
And be led back in peace;
The mountains and the hills before you
Shall burst into song,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

These were the last words that I had read prior to running the 25K of the Turkey Swamp races. I had an awful summer of running but continued to persevere through the struggles of a hamstring issue, decrease in motivation, summer weather and generally just not feeling great. I did run a couple of races and felt like they went alright although my expectations were not great. I ran the Belmar 5 miler in about 39 minutes on a sun-drenched beach day at the shore. Prior to my family reunion, I ran a respectable sub-23 minute 5K in Hagerstown with my nephew Shawn and his friend Tony. Of course, the hamstring issue at the time reared its ugly head but I finished in good shape.

I posted a DNF at last year’s Turkey Swamp 50K, my first DNF, and I knew that I was in no shape to run the 50K or even the 20 miler this year. I even questioned running the 25K, on trails no less, where muscles are used differently and my hamstring might be more prone to injury. Vacation was the week prior in North Carolina and although I ran some, they were not great runs. I could have given up running very easily this summer – but I didn’t.

I got back late on Saturday the day before Turkey Swamp. Although not pre-registered, I was committed to getting up early Sunday morning and making the effort to run the 25K. It was a perfect August morning with low humidity and temperatures in the high 60’s – one condition right. Before I left I read the passage above in a book that I had been reading. It was so appropriate because that is the way I always viewed my running – except this past summer. It was a reminder as to why I do this – go out in joy and be led back in peace. Although I have experienced it the opposite way also – go out in peace and be led back in joy. Maybe life should be approached this way. Of course, this is the intent of these prophetic thoughts but it took faith in running the Turkey Swamp 25K with these words lingering in my mind to fully understand it. We need to find the joy and the peace in each day no matter how and what we traverse in life. We need to find the Dee Dah Day moments, however few and however small.

I had a great 25K experience and for that brief period from when I read those words to arriving at the park with all of the other runners, lining up for the start, running 6 - 2 ½ mile tree-lined, soft, sandy, pine-needled, root-laden trail loops in 2 hours 19 minutes I rediscovered the peace and joy of running – maybe even the peace and joy in life, however difficult at times it is to find.