In Heaven on Angel's Rest

It's been nearly two weeks since I've gotten out on the trails. More than that since I did a solo hike or trail run. There's an art of losing yourself in the woods that I've grown addicted to. Not actively getting lost, per se, but of losing some stress and maybe finding some clarity. 

Anytime I'm stressed or overwhelmed, I try to get out in nature ASAP! Some intense physical exertion, like running/hiking quickly/skinning uphill, is what it takes sometimes to get the crazy thoughts to subside. It's difficult to think about anything other than putting one foot in front of the other when you're sucking wind like the oxygen is disappearing. Which it was in Breckenridge (elevation of town, yes, town, was 9600'!). 

When I get to a place where I feel good physically (hit my stride) and don't have to focus on my feet, like running on the beach, I find myself working through some puzzling thoughts. My to-do list suddenly seems more manageable, blog posts are laid out and drafted eloquently, creative campaign ideas will strike me, etc. Hours after my run, though, I'll try to write out what had been written in my head, and suddenly it's not so eloquent. A lot of times now, I'll use breaks to write this stuff down in my phone notes because, like a dream, it's difficult to hold on to the details after I "wake up" from my endorphin high. 

Today was a perfect example of this cycle. I was jonesing for some time in the woods! So I took a few hours this morning to drive out to the gorge to hit up Angel's Rest. It's one of the closest trails in the gorge, is less than 5 miles up and back, and is pretty steadily super steep all the way to the overlook at the top. So all in all, a great bang for your buck. I ran on the few flats and lesser inclines, and hiked at a fast clip the rest of the time uphill. Definitely sucking wind and sweating like an absolute pig the whole way, but made good time! Got to the top of 2.3 miles with a 1,450' elevation gain in about 50 minutes! 

With trail running, you do need to keep your wits about you at least a little bit (which I learned the hard way after zoning out too much, tripping on a rock, and supermanning into some bushes last summer). But I got to zone out enough running downhill that I drafted out this post, mentally wrote out a to-do list for a couple of projects for work, and strategized my online dating profile (which my best friend is making me create this weekend). 

Not only did I get an awesome sweat sesh in AND was productive (relatively speaking), but I also got to gape at some pretty amazing scenery this morning. Definitely not a bad way to kick off the weekend...