As I drove home on Saturday morning, I felt a lightness inside of me. I had just ran an unofficial half marathon on the trails of our local state park. Thirteen days after barely hanging on in a long gruelling hot (and slow for me) half marathon, I ran 13.1 miles again for no other reason than I can. I set out that morning to run 12. As I approached mile 10, I felt like I could go on forever. I didn’t want my miles to end. My legs still felt fresh. My breathing was under control. I decided I’d run another 1.1 miles to run a half marathon on my own terms, for myself, and to grab hold of the feeling of accomplishment I knew I’d find when I found my own finish line.
My own half marathon carried me through rooty trails, up and down sand dunes, along a marsh, up and over wooden bridges, and had me completely submerged into the part of the world I love the most. In my 13.1 miles I got lost in a part of our planet that is protected, undeveloped, and safe.
It’s so much more than running.
Over the course of those miles, Heidi and I ran. We ran in silence. We ran in laughter. We ran in conversation. We talked about life, our boys (and her daughter), and hopes and dreams for the future. We discussed comfort. I’m comfortable in my life right now. It fits perfectly. While I dream about the future, I want to stay comfortable in today. I don’t feel the need to chase down dreams for the sake of chasing down a dream. I’m happy. Content.
That feeling of lightness I drove home with on Saturday carried over into Sunday. Sunday morning I was joined by all the boys in my life – husband, Cole, Chet and dog. We hiked the same trails (only less) that I ran the day before. Cole ran ahead of us. He ran up hills. He ran down hills. He awarded himself the polka dot jersey. Chet went for his debut ride is his baby backpack. Alex was so excited to be included in family fun.
As the weekend came to an end, I felt my roots reaching even further into my life. Rooting me deeper to family, to loving, to friendship, to nature and to living. Over the course of 13.1 miles, the busyness of life fade away and the things I love in life came into focus.
It’s so much more than running.
Kristy Maute 
I really enjoyed your More Than Just A Run post – that is exactly why I run myself. Thank you!
Love this. I’ve really come to depend on our weekend long runs- not just for the awesome workout, but for everything you wrote about above. It’s one of my favorite parts of the week!
Wow! I love this and love that you ran the extra 1.1 to do your own half marathon too! Very very cool.
Man, I love runs like this!