I found my way back...eventually

If I'm going to get lost running, best to be in an English speaking country. No. Strike that. *I* wasn't lost. *I* always knew where *I* was, as well as the general direction in which I needed to head to get back to my hotel. But running in a country who's cities are not on a grid system does present its challenges.

For two of my Ireland runs, I aimed for Fitzgerald's Park. Both times I missed. My first journey was supposed to be a 3 mile run. I overshot and ended up running 6. Second time was meant to be 4 miles. To Fitzgerald's Park it would be 3.4 miles there and back, I ran closer to the 4. I was okay with that. My third run went better. This time I wrote down the street names and carried them with me so I would be able to ask if I missed a turn. Plus, I was running to a castle. Having a castle as a landmark certainly helps. Besides, it's not often I can say I've run by one. I wonder if the locals even bat an eye at that... 

Running in Ireland introduced a new concept to me (aside from the castles). That of running without a watch or even a particular route. My phone doesn't have service out of the US and it is the primary way I track my runs. Before I left for my trip, I couldn't even find my sports watch. So I ventured out with a general idea of location, my phone (for taking pictures), and some euro to grab a taxi if necessary. Not being "wired" left me feeling free. There was no pace, only forward. There was no distance, only the road ahead. I listened to my body and ran. If a view was nice, I stopped and took a picture. If a path looked inviting, I took it. My sole purpose for venturing out was the run. I don't run like that at home. My day is packed with schedules. My evening and weekend are packed with schedules. My run is scheduled. Having two weekends without schedules...lovely. I need to remember the importance of an untimed run.