After spending three long days in a vehicle (Houston to Coram, MT), I needed to get outside and move my body. So, I laced up my running shoes and prepared to leave some rubber in Montana.

Fortunately, for running, the weather was perfect and the scenery was idyllic. Temperatures in the 50’s feel cold when getting started, but are great for maintaining a cooler body temperature. Although Houston is flat, the intense heat and high humidity make it extremely difficult to prevent overheating when running for any length of time. Exchanging the heat, humidity, and excessively congested roads for green rolling hills and cool mountain air was exciting and I was not about to pass up the opportunity to run here.

For additional warmth, I decided to wear a pair of compression tights under my running shorts and to don a long sleeve quick dry shirt. I planned to remove the shirt once I was warmed up, but before I began getting very sweaty. I wanted to have a dry shirt so I wouldn’t be wet and cold when finished.

The trail went along the state road about a few hundred feet from the entrance to our campsite. I had two choices, either run towards Glacier National Park which was about 7 miles away or go 2.5 miles towards the town of Corum. Being unfamiliar with the area without a cell signal I chose the more conservative, shorter route towards town. That way if I ran into trouble, I’d be more likely to find help.

I stopped at the reception tent for my traditional pre-workout cup of black coffee then set off to experience the beauty of NW Montana.

I’m unable to adequately describe the beauty of this place so the photos below will have to speak for themselves.

For the second time in my life, I lost track of both time and distance while running. I believe it’s referred to as being in a β€œflow state”. A state of being completely immersed the current moment where my actions feel effortless. I felt as if I was doing exactly what I was required to be in harmony with the universe. The sense or awareness of being separate from everything simply dissolved.

I remember looking at my watch after feeling nice and loose at about 2 miles. Then, the next time I looked at my watch I’d been running for more than an hour and was just beyond mile 6! I have memories of seeing the beautiful gullies and the gentle curves of the road. I even recall crossing the highway, but all of that occurred in what felt like 15 minutes, not 60 minutes.

Although I was still feeling fresh and energetic at six miles, I decided to stop at roughly 7.5. My plan was to do an easy one hour run. The ease at which I completed 7 miles amazes me. I don’t ever remember it being so effortless. I want that feeling again. I think I found my runners β€œcrack”. People speak of a runner high which is a flood of endorphins, but I want this flow state experience again. I would prefer to be aware of being in the state rather than noticing it after it’s over…#goals