Feet On the Ground

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Tracy Abell

Out on the trails at 6:45 this morning,
concentrating on where I place my feet
as I run along the rocky, rutted paths.

Lifting my knees that are scarred from various falls,
repeating my internal mantra that keeps me focused and upright:
Feet on the ground, feet on the ground.
Head down and pumping arms as I push against the wind.
Feet on the ground, feet on the ground.

Running down into a ravine and up the other side,
calling out to the young rabbits I see there most days.
No bunnies.
I run past, slightly deflated by the missed interaction.
Slightly puzzled.

Then movement to my left and I think
Ah, they’re over on that side today.
I turn.
Two coyotes startled by my voice, leaping sideways
from where they’d been lying alongside the trail.
Just feet from me and my brain that’s focused on bunnies.
I lift my head and look around, spotting a third coyote farther away.

The four of us watch each other, uncertainty heavy in the air.
What’s the next move?

I offer a quiet apology and continue running,
my grin wide as I watch where I place my feet.

I’m still smiling fiifteen minutes farther along the trail
when a full-grown bunny jumps out in front of me and
races ahead, leaving me in her dust.

Feet on the ground, feet on the ground.

New Running and Writing Perspectives

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Tracy Abell

I'm developing new perspectives
regarding running and writing,
perspectives I hope will sustain me.

I am a creature of habit
and while there's no harm in my many years
of ordering aloo gobi at Indian restaurants
or my drawer filled with black shirts,

I'm realizing I do myself a disservice when I,
for example, get so focused on how fast I can run a certain
trail that I get locked into that one workout.

Last summer I ran three or four times a week
on the trails in the open space,
trails that include lots of rocks and inclines.
When it came time for the annual road race 5k to benefit my kids'
high school I was sure I'd kick butt.
Well, I did cut some time but nothing close to what I'd hoped for,
and I didn't know why.

Now I think I do.

Every run was on the same couple loops,
starting from the same place
and ending at the same point.
My muscles got used to those runs and settled in at that level.

Here's what the trail system looks like where I run:
Hayden Green Mountain trail map
image from BigDaddyMaps.com

While it's true there are many trails,
not all those trails are great for running.
Many are so steep I'd be faster hiking them than "running."
So I gravitated to the trails that had long sections of tolerable inclines,
wanting a decent-length workout.

This summer I'm trying something new:
I go off on tangents, even if those trails are short or quickly turn steep.
I'm keeping my muscles on their proverbial toes as I mix up my workouts.
As a result, I'm not obsessed with my time and allow myself the luxury of
watching coyotes or jumping sideways at the sight of a snake.

Jim Fixx cover
Every step I take is a good step.

So what does this lengthy screed have to do with my writing?
I'm back working on the project I set aside in April in order to focus
on other revisions, the project that's different from any other book I've written.

This project intimidates me and I really have no clue whether I'm hitting the mark.
But I'm using new writing muscles and that can only make me a stronger writer
(assuming I don't run screaming into the night).

Something else I've learned?
New perspectives are not only good for the muscles but nourish the soul.

Nature Nurtures

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Tracy Abell

It's crazy hot and windy here in Colorado.
Wildfires burning
air quality ever-changing
and frequently poor.

Woke to a smoky house in middle of the night
so shut off swamp cooler and closed windows.

Air was decent on Saturday and Sunday mornings
and I hit the trails early.
Saturday I was treated to coyote sightings – three in all
so stopped to watch them watch me.
I smiled the rest of the run (even on the uphill).

Because I don't run with a camera here's a coyote cousin from somewhere else:
Coyote - Hollingsworth, John and Karen - NCTC
Image by: John and Karen – NCTC

Nature most definitely nurtures my soul.

And on days like today
when I don't want to pollute my lungs
I stay inside and look out my window.

Mystery bird 014
© Tracy Abell 2012

What have you seen today?

My Secret to Mental Health

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Tracy Abell

As mentioned (ahem) a time or two before,
I don't do well with the short, dark days of winter
and try all sorts of things to keep myself from
collapsing into a weeping sack of Tracy.

My current favorite weapon for deflecting the winter blues
is to do a 20-minute cardio workout on the treadmill
(walk, jog, stride, sprint, repeat x 4).
I know, I know…big deal, right?

Wrong.
I don't do the workout just any old time: I do the workout
so it coincides with the sun disappearing behind the foothills.

Why?
Because even though the sun is leaving me for the day,
I don't really mind because at that very moment my system is flooded with endorphins.

image from morguefile.com

Take that, Winter!

Friday Five: The Street Running Edition

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Tracy Abell

1) The sun is shining and the sky is blue, blue, blue

but as a result of the excessive number of thunderstorms and downpours this week

2) the trails are too wet and messy for running which makes me sad, sad, sad
so I ran back and forth on the gravel portion just to get my bunny, meadowlark, wildflower fix

3) before heading back onto the neighborhood streets where I ran, ran, ran

up and down streets past parked cars and moving cars and boring old suburban houses

4) checking my watch every few minutes because I needed to run, run, run

for forty minutes before I’d let myself stop for the day

5) and by the time I reached my goal I remembered street running isn’t all that bad, bad, bad

because there aren’t any rocks or knapweed or holes to trip you up.

Still.

I’m hoping the trails dry out soon so I can get back out there where my heart sings, sings, sings.

Wishing everyone a joyful weekend!

Runner’s High

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Tracy Abell

This morning I ran the trails
and now I’m feeling so darn good.

I was serenaded by a Western Meadowlark,
scolded by magpies,
and raced by bunnies.

I was not attacked by any off-leash dogs,
did not stumble and fall,
and ran the entire way without stopping

(except for the 30 secs I always take at the turn-around point).

I realize there are few things more obnoxious than a runner on a high,

but I just had to document my feelings right here and now.

image from morguefile.com

I hope you all have an awesome day!

Friday Five: The Random Edition

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Tracy Abell

1) I have a piece up on Commentarista.com today. HEAVY METAL MOUTH chronicles my experiences as
a brace-face adult, and I hope you stop by to laugh at my expense.

2) Today is graduation day at Red Rocks and our friend Brian is graduating. He’s actually three weeks

younger than Wildebeest but started school at a younger age in California. We’re going to his party later where

I’m sure I’ll get teary and embarrass him. It’s Brian’s turn today, Wildebeest graduates next year, Brian’s sister

the year after, and then Zebu is the last of the gang. Time is whipping on by . . .

3) Earlier this week I ran the neighborhood loop for the first time in a month or so, and am here to tell you:

keep up with your yoga practice! I haven’t been doing yoga nearly enough and really felt the difference in my

lungs. Who would’ve thought?

4) I just realized I don’t like this type of unrelated list for Friday Five because when I read a jumbled

assortment on other blogs, I get overwhelmed thinking I need to comment on each and every item. So if you’re

equally neurotic and starting to freak out, DON’T! It’s all good!

5) Well, now it’d be kind of silly to add anything else, wouldn’t it? Let’s end with an assortment of produce:

image by morguefile.com

Have a colorful and varied weekend, friends!

On Running and Writing

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Tracy Abell

Zebu and Wildebeest are distance runners on the track team.

They have a teammate who started the season training with the sprinters.
One evening Zebu told me this kid (I’ll call him Whiz), accidentally missed the turnoff
for the sprinters during that day’s practice and instead ran the distance practice (4-5 miles).
With awe in his voice, Zebu said, "He kept up the whole way."

A couple weeks ago, the coach needed to fill some slots because of injuries and
put Whiz into an 800 meter race (two laps around the track which equals one half-mile).
Whiz won his heat.

A few days later, Whiz was on the 4 X 800 relay (each runner does two laps and

then passes a baton to the next runner on team).

The boy passing the baton to Whiz accidentally stepped on the back of Whiz’s shoe and

Whiz spent valuable seconds trying to get the shoe back on his foot before kicking it off

and running his two laps with one shoe on and one shoe off.

Whiz’s time in that race beat Zebu’s best time.

This past weekend, Whiz ran his first 1600 meter race (four laps which equals one mile).

He ran it in 5:11, beating Zebu and Wildebeest’s best times.

Zebu is proud of Whiz, a fellow freshman and super nice kid,

but is also flabbergasted by his ability to run so fast without all the miles

Zebu and Wildebeest have logged in their training.

I can relate.

Not just in my own running, but in my writing life, too.

I told Zebu that there are Naturals and there are Work Horses

(and, of course, Naturals who work very, very hard to get even better).

I told him about the hardworking top-runner on my high school cross country team

who was knocked from her number-one spot by a freshman girl who just showed up

and blew everyone else away.

Then I said, "It’s a lot like the journey to publication. There are some people who write

the perfect book at the perfect time, and their careers take off. Then there are those

who have to work hard for a long, long time to get there. I’m one of those work horses."

His silence told me maybe I shouldn’t have put it in those terms.

Zebu’s had an up-close and sometimes painful window into my quest for publication,

and my unpublished status probably makes me a not-so-good poster child for Work Horses.

It’s true.

I’ve worked long and I’ve worked hard, and publication still hasn’t happened for me.

But whenever I wonder whether it’s time to let go of the dream,

I think about my kids witnessing my efforts over the years.

And while I know hard work is no guarantee of success,

I also know I don’t want them to think of me as The Work Horse Who Never Reached Her Goal.

So I guess that means, at least for the time being, I’ll keep doing what it takes.

I’ll be the Work Horse with one shoe on and one shoe off,
running hard for that finish line.

Nature Nurtures

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Tracy Abell

When I start to panic and worry, I look to Nature for my calm.
Saturday I ran on the trails with Zippy while a Red-tailed Hawk soared above.

Today, I return to last week’s Starling visit for solace.
As long as there are birds in my life, I can find the courage to carry on.

And because I’ve been reading THE ANNOTATED CHARLOTTE’S WEB:

I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.

~ E. B. White

Sunday Funny (on a Monday)

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Tracy Abell

My mother is visiting from Albuquerque,
and yesterday went for a walk in the neighborhood.

She was approached by a woman who was lost.
The woman was visiting from San Antonio
and had been running the trails with her boyfriend.

(Our neighborhood is surrounded by 2400+ acres of open space
and there are lots of trails).

Apparently, despite him telling her to stay close,
when he headed onto a lower trail,
she opted for a higher trail.

She lost sight of him and had no idea where she was.

Mom brought her home.

After failed Google attempts to figure out name of boyfriend’s condo complex,
she remembered the major cross streets in his neighborhood.
I told her I could run back there with her and she was game,
but then I realized we didn’t know the exact location so running was a bad idea.

Instead, I drove her to the neighborhood and she was able to recognize enough
landmarks to find her boyfriend’s place (she turned giddy with relief when she saw
the horses she was looking for: "Horses! Horses!")

She knew his garage key pad code so could get in.
Which was good because he was undoubtedly driving around looking for her.

Moral of the story: When someone says "stay close," heed the advice.

Tracy Abell

Writer…Runner…Birder

Tag Archives: running

Feet On the Ground

New Running and Writing Perspectives

Nature Nurtures

My Secret to Mental Health

Friday Five: The Street Running Edition

Runner’s High

Friday Five: The Random Edition

On Running and Writing

Nature Nurtures

Sunday Funny (on a Monday)

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