Life Is a Muddy Trail!

"Struggle ends where commitment begins."
Sumner Davenport

Do you want to know why I love life so much? Because it's like running a long, muddy trail in nasty weather.

Today I went on a trail run to Cable Peak, a rather obscure, out-of-the way peak south of Post Falls, Idaho. In trail running vernacular, my run today can only be described as "epic," meaning that I ran into a whole lot of challenges that I wasn't expecting and took just a tad longer than planned. (Well, okay, more than a tad.) I ran through pea soup fog, got rained, hailed and snowed on, slipped and slid up and down steep hills, and took a wrong turn up a long steep climb that turned my planned 13 mile trek into almost a 15 miler. Oh, and by the way, I also got to enjoy some sun breaks, views that took my breath away and a close encounter with a moose. And of course, there was the reward of bagging a new peak! It was a lot more fun than pounding predictable pavement.

Just like life, there were twists, turns, grueling climbs and unexpected obstacles right along with fun, adventure, stunning beauty and the deep sense of satisfaction that comes with reaching a challenging milestone. And just like life, it was exhilirating!

Through it all, I remained commited to reaching the summit of Cable Peak. The trip up the mountain was tough, but it wasn't a struggle. The challenges I faced are the very reasons I love trail running -- and life! -- so much.