Reflecting On a Poem

There's this poem I studied at high school which I loved beyond examination preparation. It spoke to me then. It speaks to me now, as a runner. For those who runs and searches out new trails and unexplored country roads and forested hills, this is for you!

The Road Not Taken
By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Run With Purpose

To run with purpose

Is a virtue in itself

Steely resolve

Birthed in a heart of flesh

Longer than any distance

Stronger with persistence

To be yourself

Each stride is yours and yours alone

To win the race

Smiles on your face

When your solitary run is done

You know it's been fun!

Beyond each daily run

Something deeper is done

Unseen by outside eyes

Of those passing by

Known intimately

Only by one who runs

Every drop of sweat counts

A healthier you 

For every mile you pound!

One Run

Running in the woods and off the beaten trail holds a special allure to me. It sure beats running along busy highways filled with speeding vehicles and massive smoke pollution. 

Once you are in the woods, it's a world removed from the trappings of modern civilisation. It's back to nature in the truest sense. Somehow the quiet of the woods, and the leafy greens soothes one's nerves and one's mind. The miles roll by almost unconsciously and effortlessly. There's no one to impress, no one to compete with. It's just you, your breathing, your pacing and your running. 

Personally, one run in the woods beat five runs in the streets, any time!