I often get asked what it is that I like about running on the trails. It’s a pretty simple response I suppose.

• It’s freedom.

• It’s endurance.

• It’s rigor.

• It’s mental.

• It’s uncertain.

• It’s therapy.

• It’s technical.

• It’s scary.

• It’s cold.

• It’s brutal.

• It’s liberating.

• It’s suffering.

• It’s wonder.

• It’s openness.

• It’s laughing.

• It’s vistas.

• It’s valleys.

• It’s chafing.

• It’s joy.

Okay, wait! Maybe it’s not that simple. On any given day or weekend, the trail is what it needs to be for where I am in my life at that moment. It is the great equilibrium.

Recently I turned on my video as I was doing a bit of trail running on a beautfiul day in the Pacific Northwest and was just gabbing about what was going on in my head to share with someone a little visibility into the trail experience. Here is a taste of the morning to give you a sense of why the trail is such an energizing place to be.