Another entry from the running archives. This post was written on May 12.
Over the past few weeks
I’ve discovered another unexpected benefit of running. It’s so simple
it shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but it was something I’d just
never considered. Running is a very portable hobby, with the added bonus
that I end up exercising while out of town and exploring new areas at
the same time.

When the elliptical was my preferred method of
exercise, being out of town and away from the gym usually meant taking a
break from the workouts. Or if I had out-of-town access to exercise
equipment, it was a drag to break away from the time with friends and
family to work out.

A few weeks ago, we traveled up to Tennessee
to visit my parents for Easter weekend. I packed my new, fancy shoes and
Lee and I headed out twice to run. We enjoyed the opportunity to run
together – a luxury we don’t have at home. The hills were a real
challenge, but we were distracted by the scenery, with beautiful
wildflowers blanketing the rolling green fields around the neighborhood. I
was exercising, but it felt more like a treat to be outside enjoying
the pretty area, the great weather and Lee’s company.

The next
weekend we went camping and I packed the shoes again. The campground is
large and spreads out along the beach on Hunting Island in South
Carolina. I wanted a chance to explore the campground, so Saturday after
breakfast, I laced up and did my workout along the campground road with beautiful scenery to distract me from the difficulty of the run.

Last
weekend we went up to Winder to visit with the Valles family, and I got
to watch Andrew run a 5K. It looked simultaneously fun and
intimidating, but as soon as it was over I headed out for a run through
their neighborhood. I was thankful again for the new setting for my
workout, and ran with a little extra inspiration after watching the
racers that morning.

Lee and I have our 10th anniversary trip to
Jamaica coming up in a few weeks, and I’ve already been thinking I’ll
have to leave the shoes at home. There is nowhere to run in the small,
cliff-side resort, and I wouldn’t feel safe leaving the security of the
guard shack and heading out on the Jamaican roads myself. So I’m
lamenting that I can run that week – guess that’s a pretty good sign,
right?