Runner's High

 When I used to run in Bristol, runner's high was elusive. Maybe it was because I had tired legs from commuting by cycle in hilly Bristol, but runing in Bristol would leave me knackered. The exhaustion after a run would hit once I had showered and eaten, and I would plan my runs so that I didn't have to leave the house after returning. I would not be very productive for the rest of the day, but that was also an unproductive period of my life. So, I am pleased to report that running in Amherst has been a very different experience. Firstly, the landscape--pine forests, streams that would be called rivers in England, and solitude. Secondly, I run early in the mornings when I have the whole forest to myself. In space-constrained Bristol, it is impossible to get away from people. For the first weeks here, I ran on trails close to my house, and I had begun to feel a bit bored. So, today, I cycled to a trail that is a but further from my house and it was a short but beautiful trail. It was also a relentless ascent, which I prefer to trails that go up and down. And, on the trail itself I felt the strongest runner's high I had felt since my holiday in the Peak District and in Scotland last year, which is when I discovered trail running. Cycling to the start of a trail opens up many more trail options for me, and I am keen to explroe more trails.  It might also push me to get a car so that I can access trails which are even further out. And, that is a much cooler reason to buy a car than, say, grocery shopping.