Before we had fire – we were running!

Before we had fire – we were running!

I was out for a lovely little forest-run yesterday, the first time I’ve got round to really getting outside and into the woods since our baby girl Merle was born two weeks ago. We’ve been so busy getting reorganized since then that I’ve never been away for too long.

While I was running I realized again how much I love running through the woods, or any natural surrounding. Still the woods stay special to me; probably because of the time I spent there in my childhood. There was not much greater than romping through the forests of England with my Dad and my Grandad.

Nowadays I go running as a part of my training to keep healthy and fit; I also practise martial arts and do blocks of high-intensity workouts for strength, speed, endurance and flexibility, especially using body-weight exercises, as they seem most natural and you can do them anywhere you like.

Still, whatever I do, nothing has the same effect on my mind, body, heart and soul as a run through nature, preferably the forest as far as I’m concerned. I think the forest has a special quality because of the tree-beings that live there at a much slower pace than us, their resinous odors stimulating our healing-powers. But basically I believe that running is so natural for us as human beings that it gives us something that connects us to our very roots; running must be as natural to us as fire, or even more.

Surely, even before we had fire, we were running; running for our meals and running for our lives!

Get outside & move to your roots!

wild-horse 12/2014