#19: Halfway there

Ah, September.

The month that says good-bye to summer and our full weekends; shuffles kids back to school, businesses back on the track of finishing the year strong.

The month that heralds the beginning of autumn, as the days tip past equilibrium into the realm of more dark than light.

The month that makes me both wishful and wistful.

The earth seems to be showing favor to the penance we did in early summer, during the long water-logged days. Each morning, each evening, I've seen sights like this.

Colors upon colors upon colors. 

Speaking of colors.

I like seeing these colors. I especially like seeing the numbers in blue and yellow getting larger. 

I am right on track for being able to cross #19 off the list: Break 1:50:00 for a half marathon.

And on November 10th, in the Outer Banks, I hope, I plan, to do just that. 

The running has been going so well, I actually took myself to Umstead Park yesterday and met up with the Raleigh Trail Runners group for a 4.5 mile jog on single-track.

As with so many times before, running through that park causes an internal shift. Bounding over the tree roots, hop-scotching over rocks, whipping myself around a sapling for balance as I round a switchback - it flips the switch to gleeful joy faster than anything I know.

And to run it with a group of nearly twenty other like-minded folks was a real pleasure.

It was only 4.5 miles, but I was drenched and exhausted at the completion; my ankles and knees, rubbery and pulsing. Exhausted but exhilarated, I found sleep was long coming last night. 

It would seem that joy and hope are tangoing in my heart these days and I can only try to remain vigilant to watch and see where they twirl me off to next.