Rise and Run

In Inspiration, Mobile
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I’ve just had a week off work, and during that time I have run every morning, sometimes with friends, sometimes along the beach (we went to the coast for the weekend), but mostly just by myself in our local park. No matter the weather I have been out there, often running as the sun rises. My friends and family think I’m crazy. I’m not training for any running event or even trying to beat a personal best. I’ve just been out there putting one foot in front of the other and enjoying how the autumn scenery changes in the dawn light.

Sometimes the view is so spectacular that I wish I had a camera with me, but that’s not really feasible when running. This year I’d been using an Apple Watch to track my activity, rather than taking my iPhone. But as the year progressed I realised I missed being able to take pictures while running, so lately I’ve started taking my phone with me again some days, so I can capture the amazing vistas I see when I’m on a run — which are sometimes enough to stop me in my tracks.

In the past couple of months I’ve been adding in some hill training, which is hard work, but worth it for the views from the top. Running also gives me a lot of time to think. It’s become my new form of meditation, in a way.

This week the autumn landscape has been particularly dramatic. Purple clouds, blue skies, red and yellow leaves on green grass. And as I’ve run through the park these past few days I’ve realised something: I’m running not just for myself, but also for my father. This weekend was the anniversary of his death in 1991. We used to go to the park together, and when I run past the places he used to take me as a child, I remember those times with love. If he was still around we’d probably be running together. But he isn’t, so I am running for both of us.

kirstin

14 Comments

  1. Beautiful. I lost my dad in 1990 and I think of him often — doing the crossword, cooking soup, taking photographs. I’m glad you can run for both of you. ?

  2. Every time I work with my hands, my right dad is over my shoulder. I understand this love, even if I don’t get the running so much. And I love these frames of peace I see from your mornings. They calm me, so I can only imagine the effect being in them has on you. xo

  3. Ah, Kirstin. This is just so lovely – the photographs, your habit and the thought about your Dad. My Mom died 6 years ago and I started marking the day by having a bottle of her favorite beer, Guinness Stout 🙂 Didn’t quite like it the first time, but it’s grown on me and has now become one of my favorites.
    Hope you continue to find sweet moments that keep your Dad’s memory and life alive with you <3

    • That is brilliant (even though I have still to come around to the taste of Guinness!). It is these moments that are so special.

  4. Running first thing in the morning is also a favorite of mine. I have never made a major decision in the last 2/3 years that was not on a run. Especially as a mom, gifting that time to yourself is immeasurable. So happy you can honor your father on your runs as well.

  5. running in the morning is such a perfect start to the day. How long do you run for each day?

  6. I’m always amazed at how much can get tucked into something like a run, especially one outdoors. So glad you have this for yourself, for both you and your father. What beautiful and peaceful photos you have to remember this special connection…
    xo

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