Modus Eundi

I am a trail runner. I run off road, in the country. I used to be an urban runner: a road runner. Mostly because it never occurred to me anything else and partly because I wanted to run early in the mornings all year round. The street lights in towns and cities made it possible.

I used to run seventy to eighty kilometers a week. It was an addiction. The resulting severe weight loss and bouts of pneumonia mean that now I can only run about 50k a week but I enjoy every step.

Today when I ran I listened to music. I do this particularly when I do not want to think. When I just want solitary exertion, numbness. I have an i-pod shuffle. I bought it because it is light and clips easily onto my running kit. Today I listened to this by Blue Juice over and over and over again for the tempo and the noise and the numbness.

I run through the woods. Up hills, down hills. The trail itself can only be accessed by foot. I have been running here for years and have never seen anyone else, ever. I try not to think.