My Favorite Place to Run

Five mornings a week I lace up my shoes and head out my front door to run! First I head south, and in less than a mile, I turn right to run on the Luce Line Trail. Some mornings I run for hours, and other times, it’s a shorter out and back trip.

I know every 3 mile route, 6 mile route, 10 mile route, and of course, 20 mile route. Each crack and turn of this trail is well known to me because I have been running some of these same routes for over 30 years. After getting married 7 years ago, I changed my “Places to See” list (The Great Wall of China, Rome, London, Hawaii, Jerusalem, Thailand, Ireland, New York,….I have a long list) to “Places to Run.”

Since then, my husband has taken me to run on the The Great Wall, Rome twice, the wine country in New York, the mountains in Maine and Tahoe, Texas, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and a quaint little town in Florida, to name just a few, and we’ve only been married for 7 years. I am one lucky lady!

For a while, I believed the more spectacular the location, the more spectacular the run. Hmmmm…..maybe not?

The Luce Line Trail is far from famous and not highly published in travel brochures, but it’s where I call home. Hutchinson has no worldwide significance like Rome, Chicago, Boston, China, etc, but it is significant to me, because it’s home. This realization slowly dawned on me; since some of those destination marathons were quite unfamiliar, and definitley put another variable to running a solid 26.2 marathon, I was always glad to be back home running in familiar territory. You know..the same feeling about being in your own bed.

Luce Line Trail

After each run on the Luce Line Trail, I found comfort and satisfaction in running here. It just feels good!

My Favorite Place to Run….Luce Line Trail

Since the Luce Line Trial is not plowed in the winter months, I know that I will have to alter my route. When the snow starts of fall, or if it’s not quite dawn, I head in a different direction outside my front door, a route I also know all too well.

The most significant runs in my life have all happened here in Hutchinson. It’s here where I trained for all of my 24 marathons, here in Minnesota, and far away. It is here where I run from one town to the next and call for a ride home occasionally. It is here where I celebrated with family and friends after qualifying for Boston and it was here where I tried my best to come back from not such a good race. It was here where I ran for the first time after the tragic bombing in Boston in 2013. It was here where I run and remember my dad in heaven who I know is so very proud of me as I chase dream after dream. The closer I get to age 57 (the age of my amazing dad when he went to heaven so suddenly) the more I realize how blessed I am to Run. I miss you Dad!

The most significant runs in my life have all happened here. I get that no one is going to spend their savings to run-cation here in Hutchinson verses Rome, China, Boston, etc, but I honestly believe that my memories here have meant more than any medals I have earned elsewhere.