Is nothing more than stopping for
a moment to catch your breath."
~Dogs Eye View
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
~Laozi
...so do longer journeys.
On Christmas day of 2008, I posted the following entry in my journal.
"12/25 1 Mile S O&B w/S&M"
That translates to me running one mile, out and back from home, going south to start, my dogs Sunny and Misti were with me. I had not ran a single step in the week prior to that. Over the next few days, my journal entries looked similar.
"12/26 1 Mile TM Better than nothing...
12/27 1 Mile TM feeling good...
12/28 1 1/4 Mile TM 1/4 < 7:00
12/29 1 1/4 Mile TM
12/30 1 1/4 Mile TM
12/31 1 1/4 Mile TM" (TM means treadmill)
That is how my journey began. That 1 Mile run on a Christmas day, began my journey of 12,275 Miles since then, and has led to me running every single day for over 5 years now, and today (June 16, 2014) was day 2,000 without missing a day of running.
I struggle to put into words where this journey has taken me, and what my daily running means to me. So I will try to give you a glimpse of it through photographs, and although they say a picture is worth a thousand words, that still barely touches where running has taken me.
It was warm autumn days in the park, talking to my daughters, while recovering from the Top of Utah Marathon.
It was feeling incredible, while feeling like I was about to die after a hard fought battle with a friend. (I lost this one)
It was my best effort in a hard rain, the mixed feelings of overwhelming joy and bitter disappointment.
It was getting a hug from a loved one in the middle of a marathon.
It was running that marathon with a best friend, while having a really good day.
It was crossing the Grand Canyon with good friends, then turning around and running back to the other side. (R2R2R)
...and the surreal beauty of that day.
It was a beautiful run above Ogden on a warm winter day.
...and a run on the Logan River Trail on a cold winter day.
It was being in the local paper with my Dad. We were running back to our cars after having ran a small town race.
It was the smile of friends, both young and old (no offense Val).
It was many many miles on the Logan River Trail, and loving every step of it, even the ones that were much too close to unseen rattle snakes.
It was a crazy, unforgettable trip with my daughter, our quest for summer after a long cold winter.
St George Midnight 5K
Homestead Golden 15K (Midway, UT)
Arkansas River Bluegrass Half Marathon (Salida, CO)
Bolder Boulder 10K (Boulder, CO)
...and soaking in the Bolder Boulder vibe again the following year.
It was taking the long way to Bloomington Lake with some of my favorite people.
It was one of those rare good days where the Petersons did rather well at the races.
It was mile 19 of a marathon, on pace for a dream I had been chasing for years, running alongside a good friend, and knowing that I ran those last 7 miles too fast, the crash was coming.
It was the pure unadulterated joy at the start of a race.
It was the Peterson Turkey Trot.
It was the last warm day of fall on the Logan River Trail, with the worlds greatest running partner, Sunny.
...and the start of another running season.
What will the next 2,000 days bring?
Tomorrow I will get up and go to work. After work, I will put on some running clothes, a light pair of running shoes, and I will do some speed work. It's time to chase the next dream. ...and time to start the next 2,000 days.
Happy Running!
