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| Navigational Street Art and Directions By Colleen Yorke |
From catching a train
or a plane, landing somewhere out of this world, and discovering new corners and niches, I love traveling the road
not taken. When I started running, I realized an entirely different way to sight-see.
From the canals of Georgetown through the wind tunnels of Chicago, through the
heat of Palm Springs, over the rocks of Arizona, and across the snow of Berlin, I have
traveled on many roads. Some grassy,
and some with more wear. Uncharted roads lead to new horizons and stretch our comfort zones.
Where modern interstates invade, the road often is reduced to a frontage, or just a stretch of disconnected concrete lines leading to nowhere. Repeatedly, in my life, I have followed a road that seemed to go against the flow only to be led to a dead end, or seen it disintegrate into raw dirt. But now and then, even if it is just in passing, I come across those stretches that retain a sense of steadfastness, loyalty, and untouched innocence. They remind of a time before drive-ins were replaced by drive-throughs.
Traveling and running broaden our repertoire and allow memorable adventures. It does not always have to be around the world. Selecting smaller, off-the-beaten paths in our home city can equally result in colorful, unique new experiences. Sometimes these less traveled by roads are peppered with enough twists, turns, roots and rocks to keep us on our toes and dazzle our senses at the same time. Infinitely accessible, easy to do, and entirely gimmick-free, in as few as thirty minutes per day, running can provide incredible physical, mental and emotional stimulation that will carry over into other parts of our lives.
So, in the spirit of Joni Mitchell and her Big Yellow Taxi, know what you’ve got, lace up your running shoes, and let your inner runner take you on a "run-cation".
