This is My Dirt

This post is part of the Trail Runner Blog Symposium for September 2013:

This is 'my' dirt

As I head out the door and quickly run towards my favorite trail just above my house, I get a bit irritated as I pass a handful of other runners running down 'my' dirt.  I mean for the sake of God, I was the one who dared to run past this 'scary' house, up the dirt road that connects to the trails above for the last 7 years.  I was the only one who would use this dirt, I was all by myself and I loved every step.

I was the one who neighbors watched as I headed up the trail, with my dog in tow.  It was me who would day in, amongst changing seasons, in snow, rain, and heat that would regularly claim this dirt.  I was the expert to other runners when they asked what is the quickest way to connect to the trails. I would only spill the 'secret' after multiple times of them asking.

Now, I find you stomping on my dirt, using my 'hidden' connection, and getting in the way of my running meditation.

Now mind you, I love being adventurous and finding little bits of dirt that no one else has found (or at least I think this in my mind).  The exploration of the foothills and connecting trails, are part of the fun, the draw and enticement of trail running.  In the past, there was only a handful of moments where I would pass another human on this trail to sanity and bliss - and I loved every step of that solitude.

A hypocrite, I am.  I  love it when other trail runners divulge their secret path and tell me about a cool new trail that will connect to 'my' trail.  I love being able to use this new information and explore, hoping that I'm the only one playing there.

Now this is bliss -
alone in 'my' stomping ground

As trail running and ultras become more main stream, I'm finding my running bliss less and less.  My escape from civilization is being crashed by others who too want an escape from reality.  My inner peace waivers with the increase of people running along 'my' trails.  I'm feeling this strange need to flee farther and higher up the mountain trail. What use to be a quick 40 minute jaunt up the trails to refresh my over stimulated cranium is now needing longer time and higher distances. Soon I'll be needing the join the Sky Marathons in order to escape from reality and find my inner peace.

For now, remember this is 'my' dirt, and I have a hard time sharing it.

Re-claiming 'my' dirt -
even whilst recovering from a broken metatarsal,
cause this is 'my' dirt