When you move into a new apartment everything around feels new and fresh. You have to discover all the things again that run your life. Where can I get groceries? Where is the next bus stop? Ice cream, cafes, gas station? You name it. Another important aspect for me is of course: Where can I run? So I opened up Google Maps and looked around for options. Quickly I found a big green blob of trees close to our house. This big forest is only in a 2 kilometer distance from our apartment. So the mission was clear: Exploring the woods by foot.
In the beginning I had no idea how long or how far you can go in this forest next to our door. At first I tried to find a route easy to recognize that can become my main route. So I set out with my phone in my hand and found a pretty easy route to recall about 11 km long. A good way to start!
After getting used to this route I started to look further. Exploring the woods around me. Looking for shorter routes suitable for all kind of training sessions. What ever nature has to offer and I can use happily.
Running and exploring the woods is just fun
Soon I realized how much fun it is to run in the woods. Most of the time you are on your own. You see way less people than in the always busy city. For me it quickly became a place to recharge and to calm down. Clearing your thoughts from work. Just taking in nature around you and not worry about life too much. This also works at work during lunchtime.
Today I have a big repertoire of routes to choose from. Still I am not tired of exploring the woods further. It always feels like an adventure when you leave home, enter the woods and don’t know for sure where you will end up at. You always find something new or interesting out there. When I explore a segment further away from home I bring my phone with me most of the time though. So I do not get terrible lost all the time.
Recently I started to move away from the bigger paths through the forest to even smaller paths in next to the trees. There are dozens of paths still waiting for me to explore them. It is a really fun way to switch it up and not run on the same route over and over again. There is always something new out there you can see. And a new way to get lost out there.
When you also have a forest close to your home, you should definitely try exploring it more. It is a very rewarding task and keeps things interesting for a long time. See you out there!
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