Take Me Home, Country Road

Back in Ohio for a long weekend with our parents and wonderful friends. Besides the great time with Karin, Todd, their sons and our families, it also gave me the chance to get off the W&OD trail and run beyond the normal chaos of DC's inner suburbs.

My parents live on the outskirts of a Columbus suburb, where two lane roads wind past a mixture of houses with a few acres of land, and small farms sporting horses, produce or both. Twice this weekend I set out for a 1-hour run and was amazed by the beauty and the near total quiet. No back drop of Metros or honking traffic. A cyclist or two, but not the congestion that can be the local trails here in DC. Cars came whizzing past but kindly gave me wide berth. Even the occasional stink of fresh roadkill was a pleasant change. We're just on the tipping point of fall...the mornings were cool, but I still managed a t-shirt and running skirt.

I grew up here (at least from 9th grade on) but never totally appreciated the opportunity to be out in nature. Then again, I wasn't exactly physically active when I was 14, either. It reminded me that I need to make the time on the weekends to find a trail outside the Beltway, pack my dog or my bike and get some workouts and spiritual renewal amid the peacefulness of a country road or quiet woods.