Trail Run and Library Thoughts

Yesterday I had a chance to trail run through Discovery Park before work, taking in the sunny weather as the first days of spring have arrived. What a great way to start my day, to get my blood flowing and settle my thoughts. My usual route, the Loop Trail, is a 4.25 mile trail around the park, through the forests, down the bluffs, and onto the Lighthouse beach. Because spring has arrived, however, there were Seattle Parks Department workers clearing and maintaining the trail (thank you) so I had to diverge and explore some other trails that zigzag through the park. It was fun hitting up those trails for I haven't visited them much lately, primarily because I have been sticking to the outer edges of the park.

Today we had a branch staff meeting, so I had to work the morning rather than have a full day off. No matter to me really, because after the meeting was over I had a lot to ponder over and I needed a place to think. Off the Discovery Park I went and with a lot of time to spare.

I ran the park trails twice and had to resist going for a third. I have a hard time holding back because there is just so much beauty in that park and it is so calm and serene that no matter how I am feeling I always leave feeling at peace. Now with spring here, a lot of the plants are starting to bud and the forest is getting denser and filling up with life. This was the first run I've had in weeks that the route was relatively dry too; I had hardly any mud on my legs.

At the Seattle Public Library, we are gearing up for the launch of our new Strategic Plan, a plan that will guide us and challenge us to be the best at what we do. It is an ambitious plan, but it must be otherwise what's the point really. If you don't set goals, if you don't challenge yourself, then really are you striving to be the best? Library work is all about service and innovation. This plan puts down on paper our motivations for why Librarians do what we do. And this is the kind of thinking that will keep us relevant. If we succeed in this Strategic Plan, it is easy to believe that libraries would be around for many years to come.

Barefoot Running

Barefoot running is going through a sort of revolution right now. This is partly due to the recent success of Christopher McDougall's book "Born To Run," which is still on Best Sellers Lists' and circulating wonderfully. In addition to this, the release of Vibram's Fivefingers has torn apart the running shoe business, stripping it back down to the basics; a place where it should be.
The idea behind Fivefingers is a basic running shoe. You don't need all the cushioning that is prevalent in modern running shoes, which is overkill and also flat out wrong. We already have all we need when it comes to running...we have springiness and elasticity in our legs, both things that absorb and naturally cushion the impact of the ground. Your feet need to spread out when you run, reaching for the ground to stabilize your stride.
As a child I used to run around barefoot on my parent's property. I loved the way the earth felt under my feet and how I felt more in tune with nature. It just made sense. Having grown up it only makes sense to re-live that feeling. Once again, now when I run I run with a smile, a smile that was absent when I would wear modern running shoes because all the sensation was lost in the shoe.
It is funny how, as a Capitalist society, we are drawn towards the latest new thing. I admit that I fall victim to this sometimes too. Sometimes what we need we already have but it isn't until there is monetary value that we forget about it. People have been running for centuries barefoot while running with modern running shoes only since the 70's. What changed? Well, the business of running was born.
All I can do now is fight against this by running barefoot and running barefoot with a smile; a natural smile, a natural run.