Run and run and run

Binzen - on the edge of the Black Forest

Having the Black Forest practically at our back door is a reality that frequently fills me with a desire to get out and explore it on foot. Thankfully the forest is way-marked with hundreds of miles of public walk-ways, so you are literally free to explore and with an area 260 km long and 60 km wide, no two routes need ever be the same.

For the past 15 months I have been discovering the joy of regular running. I have many options and traffic free paths on level ground but I find the peacefulness and beauty of the 'Schwarzwald' hard to resist.
In more recent weeks I have been making the most of our ministry trips to get out into the great outdoors. During the Easter break, while in N. Ireland, I ran one afternoon from the Giant's Causeway to the centre of Portrush (01:18:00 / 13.3 km), then in the Mournes from Meelmore Lodge to Hare's Gap - Brandy Pad - Glenn River - and finishing at Newcastle (Donard Car Park) (01:44:00 / 10.46 km more stats).

Recently in Romania I was able to explore part of the city of Sibiu with the help of a hastily printed out street plan from google maps. I folded the A4 page as small as the packet insert in a tablet box, small enough to hold in my hand and just enough visible to guide me at each juncture.

I love the outdoors and I am enjoying feeling much fitter and healthier these days. No exercise programme is any good unless it is accompanied by a healthy diet. Thanks to Claudia I enjoy lots of delicious cooking with lots of healthy options including a large leafy salad several times a week with an Italian or balsamic dressing. 
I never run with headphones – in fact I have an aversion to them. When I observe such runners I see people who are not enjoying their running but enduring it. The music is just another piece of noise, a distraction from the pain of overexertion. Perhaps in a noisy inner city setting I could be convinced of the merits but then all I can say is, be careful crossing the road! For me, running with headphones is as pointless as caffeine-free coffee!

Meelmore Lodge with the Hare's Gap in the background

Yes running is about fitness and weight control and personal discipline but it's much more than that. It is about taking 'time out' to 'take in'. To shut down the computer and to go out and 'take in' the sound of birds singing and the rustle in the undergrowth as a mouse or a small lizard scurries to safety, the smell of spring flowers or the stench coming out of an old wooden barn, the breath-taking landscapes that open up as you reach the brow of a hill and the colours that change with every movement of the clouds, the warmth of the sun on my face and the fresh air that fills my lungs, the refreshment that a mouthful of ice-tea gives from a hydration pack or the sugar rush of a power-bar. And the best thing of all, is just clearing my head and getting away from technological distractions that have become so much a part of our digital world (with the exception of my mobile phone for emergencies). Yes running is about much more than pain. I have learned my lesson about over doing it. If you pace yourself, build up your muscle strength slowly and find a pleasant route, it can be so exhilarating! Not to mention that there are 65 mentions of running in the Bible! That should make a good Bible Study for another post!!!