important reason to run. When I run regularly, my day in the office or at home goes more smoothly. I think it's when I get away from left-brain activity (logic, planning, control, predictability) that my runs do what they're supposed to do. So letting go of the maps, turning away from the watch (except as a rough gauge to tell me if it's time to turn around or not), and having a much more flexible running schedule has helped me get in touch with a more feeling side of running. In so doing, I have also begun to appreciate the exhilaration of discovering new routes, the spontaneity and freedom of being able to take a turn just because I see something interesting, and the great views.The only problem is that at this time of year, it's always dark when I run, and it's hard to enjoy the view. I am forced to run down dimly lit, icy corridors, and I can't see past people's front yards... I can't orient myself using the hills.
Still, I try to focus on perception, feeling, imagination... the sights, the sounds, the cold wind or 
rain against my skin. Normally this is in the dark, but on the weekends I usually run a bit later and can often enjoy the views. Yesterday I decided take a shot at something that I thought may be a bit out of my range. It's the next big hill around here I haven't conquered, Fort de Rosemont. It may be the tallest one... anyway, I didn't know exactly how to get there ('cause maps ruin the fun) but when we were at le Petit Fort de Chaudanne last weekend I noticed a sign that pointed to this next fort, so I figured that would be a decent way to go... up and down one big hill, then up another! I got to the top of Chaudanne in about 30 minutes. At the bottom I got lost. The sign seemed to indicate I could just go straight 
on through, but the road forked and I didn't know which way to go. I veered onto the road that seemed to be a switchback, only to find out 10 minutes later that it was a dead end. My current range is 45 minutes (if I run more than 90 minutes I'll get hurt). So I'm on a dead end to the end of my range... but decide to go on anyway since a turn-around would surely use the rest of my range, and maybe this road will bump into a trail. Well, the road turns into a dirt road in between paddocks, and I can't tell if it's private property or not... soon I'm under tree cover and it's a footpath. I'm waiting for a dog to come barking, but so far I see no lights or any sign of inhabitation. So I continue on to finally hit an official trail to the fort. Hooray! I got to the top of the hill before sunrise, and got some amazing views. It's funny, seems like this is a fort built to protect little Chaudanne, to protect big Chaudanne, to protect the citadel... I guess they didn't have a lot of confidence in whether this works or not... um, looks like arms races don't work in any century!
rain against my skin. Normally this is in the dark, but on the weekends I usually run a bit later and can often enjoy the views. Yesterday I decided take a shot at something that I thought may be a bit out of my range. It's the next big hill around here I haven't conquered, Fort de Rosemont. It may be the tallest one... anyway, I didn't know exactly how to get there ('cause maps ruin the fun) but when we were at le Petit Fort de Chaudanne last weekend I noticed a sign that pointed to this next fort, so I figured that would be a decent way to go... up and down one big hill, then up another! I got to the top of Chaudanne in about 30 minutes. At the bottom I got lost. The sign seemed to indicate I could just go straight 
on through, but the road forked and I didn't know which way to go. I veered onto the road that seemed to be a switchback, only to find out 10 minutes later that it was a dead end. My current range is 45 minutes (if I run more than 90 minutes I'll get hurt). So I'm on a dead end to the end of my range... but decide to go on anyway since a turn-around would surely use the rest of my range, and maybe this road will bump into a trail. Well, the road turns into a dirt road in between paddocks, and I can't tell if it's private property or not... soon I'm under tree cover and it's a footpath. I'm waiting for a dog to come barking, but so far I see no lights or any sign of inhabitation. So I continue on to finally hit an official trail to the fort. Hooray! I got to the top of the hill before sunrise, and got some amazing views. It's funny, seems like this is a fort built to protect little Chaudanne, to protect big Chaudanne, to protect the citadel... I guess they didn't have a lot of confidence in whether this works or not... um, looks like arms races don't work in any century!
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