the difference between inside and outside

Since the weather has turned nicer, I have moved from the treadmill to the roads around our house for my daily run. I've discovered a few differences that are notable.

On the treadmill, I tell the machine how fast to turn, which means that I can run faster. There are also no hills on my treadmill, which makes the run easier. While I'm trudging away on the looping beltway in my basement, I generally strap the laptop to the control panel and watch a tv show--42 minutes is enough time for me to log my 6 miles and cool down. The climate controlled environment is pretty nice, too.

But things are different outside. The running is simply different. I struggle to climb the hills (though flying down is pretty fun!) and the pavement makes me painfully aware of 40 year old knees. I have to avoid cars that fly around blind turns. And my pace is slower outside. For some reason, I can't convince the ground beneath me to move faster--I have to keep my legs pumping if I want to get back to the house. There's also that dang headwind that seems to shift as I meander through the twists and turns of Houserville Road, changing to keep a breeze in my face.

But we weren't meant to run on a treadmill. It's a good alternative when the weather is yucky, but life is found out of doors. As I run through Millbrook Marsh, along the Spring Creek, life is breaking out all over. The grass and flowers are coming back from their winter sleep. The gurgle of the creek greets me. The sounds of birds in the trees and kids playing in the park tell me that we're making the transition into warmer days. The smells of fresh cut grass and the sheep farm are welcome (call me weird, but I like the farm!)

There are lots of days that I find myself thinking "Why am I out here running? I want to stop." But I don't give in. I am using my run as a time to re-connect with God, to experience his goodness, to meditate on the world that he has created, and to try to figure out my place in it. It's a discipline that I have come to enjoy, and part of my rhythm of life.

Life is meant to be lived outside the walls, out where God's creation reminds us that he is making things new, that there is a cycle to life.

I want to get out there and LIVE!