I have to give credit for this title to one of the owners of Frontrunners Nanaimo: Norm. This was something he said and I thought, yes, that is exactly how I feel.I call it getting my bearing's.
When I move to a new place I need to take a little time to explore my surroundings. I need to learn where the best coffee shop is, what the hours of the recreation centre are, the closest point of access to the ocean....and my new running routes. Establishing running routes not only allow me to explore my new community on foot, but they make me feel at home, where ever I am. It is an integral part of my settling in process.
I sometimes build superficial connections with people or things along my routes, such as a couple I say hi to when we pass in the mornings, or a dog that I know will bark as I pass this house, or catching this one spectacular view when I run down this particular street. I find satisfaction when I return to these places and run my old routes, even if I don't live there anymore. It becomes a small sense of comfort to realize that as much as some things change, some things remain the same. I think that is one thing that draws me to running as well. No matter what type of chaos my life is currently in, I know what running will bring me. I crave the familiar burn in my lungs, the tightness in my hamstrings, the sweat on my face and the clear head when I am finished.
As I settle here, no longer in Nanaimo, but Tsawwassen, British Columbia, there is much that has and will change in my life. But my running is one thing that keeps me grounded and brings me home, wherever that may be.
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