Yesterday I achieved a goal that I have been working towards since the beginning of the pandemic. Literally days before we went into lock down in March, I signed up for a 50K trail race. That distance, 31 miles, is longer than I have ever run before. But when I signed up, it seemed so far away and I had no idea how the world would feel in 6 months. Looking back, I can see it was a gift to have committed to it then and have the training to anchor my time, especially in the beginning when things were so unfamiliar. Running is something I know so I just created a plan and followed it. I ran through so much uncertainty and unrest in our country and often used the time to unplug from the news or process my feelings. When I was on the course, I realized how grateful I was for this big task that caused me to focus on something I could control. The trail was along the Delaware Water Gap which was beautiful and the morning was clear and cool, such a refreshing change from the summer running. I met some incredible people since there were many sections where the steep and rough terrain required walking. When I was just a few steps away from the turn around, I saw a baby bear about 20 feet in front of me. The course was minimally staffed because of COVID and there were only about 50 runners total so often I was by myself. Fortunately at that point, there was another woman near me and we talked about how lucky we were that the turn around was before the bear and not after. Today I am stiff and sore but happy for the accomplishment and for the beauty and good fortune that still exists in the world.