Connection

What I have learned from the TRT 50 miler; I learned that I am stronger than I give myself credit for. I can achieve greatness and that greatness comes from within. When I am able to let everything go, all worries, all thoughts, even basic thinking, I am able to reach the point where I am one with the trail. Yes, it might sound funny, but that feeling of being connected with the trail is unlike any other. Being able to feel the movement of my body, the ground beneath my feet, the rocks with each step, hearing my breathing how at times it could be so relaxed, the way I could hear the wind rustling through the trees was unbelievable. Even the smell of the dirt and the smell of the pine trees were intensified. All my senses were connected and working together. There is no other feeling like it in the world!

One of the best feelings from that day was when my body was so tense, that each step brought painful shockwaves that flooded my body, but with one step I felt my entire body relax from my head all the way down to my toes. That feeling, that moment was a turning point for me. It was my body’s way of finally fully accepting the fact that I can do this. It was an amazing moment.
My brain felt my body relax and my brain also relaxed, I want to say that a smile appeared on my face. It was again the feeling of being connected with the trail. I was letting everything go, all my worries, all my frustrations, and just being in the moment. That is what it is about for me. The moment and soaking it all in. When that moment happened a transformation happened and with that transformation, my pace increased effortless, my breathing relaxed, the pain mysteriously went away and I became more focused, more in tune with my body and also more in tune with as I call it “race mode.”

That is what I take away from the journey of 50 miles. Connecting with my inner self and the trail, experiencing it with open arms, open mind, and open heart. That connection brings calmness and a focus like no other and I can’t wait to have that connection again. It is an amazing feeling.

Have you every experience a sense of calmness, a transformation, a connection during a run?