erectus

you fill the lungs of the day

flooding. 

forgive me.. these photos were taken from a cellular phone. and i am no photographer. 

tonight i went on a run with mason stoddard on the R mountain out west of rexburg. it was quite the night and quite the run. the dirt was soft and cool, we experienced a little bit of rain which was refreshing, and the clouds and sun demonstrated to us that they can still naturally create something almost more beautiful than anything we could purposefully create as human beings. the smell of  the wet sage in the encompassing desert. the beaverheads, lemhis, and lost river ranges further out west looking down on us. the snake and teton rivers covered in cottonwoods (which can consume 100 gallons of water per day, per tree..) and even the teton range to the east. to the north the centennial mountains, which (i was told) are some of the only mountains in the states that run east to west. and to the south, the snake river valley spills forth. its all so defining for me, because its idaho. the state of my nativity. though i cant compare because i have really only lived here and nowhere else, im still so happy to be from here. 

when you throw running into the mix then the final product is most liberating. earlier this year i read christopher mcdougall's book "born to run," and was most convinced of its message. He argues that we human beings, specifically our species, homo erectus, evolved as running machines and that as far as distance and endurance is concerned, are the best on the planet. Its an interesting story and study intertwined to substantiate that thesis. Mcdougall specifically argues that not only did we evolve and thrive as a running species, but that we did so barefoot, and that modern running shoes have become somewhat of a detriment to those who enjoy running by offering too much by way of support and comfort which weakens the foot and therefore causes a variety of injuries and difficulties down the road to various joints and muscles. A possible solution that is suggested is re learning what he believes is correct form in running, that is landing on the ball of your foot or even slightly midfoot as opposed to the heal, and doing so with minimal support around the foot. Thus styles of shoes like the vibram 5 finger and other minimal designs have become rather popular. - 

vibram five fingers

I was skeptical at first (like i had any reason to be...) but was eventually curious enough to do additional research, do my best at re learning my form, and even bought a pair of five fingers, and now stand convinced that christopher mcdougall's point is valid and has the potential to improve others abilities when it comes to running. 

there is no better feeling to run, and feel like you could just run forever. I could run for days throughout idaho with the music and words of mark kozelek flowing through my ears and into my heart. 

an excerpt from sun kil moon's song titled, "you are my sun"

admiral fell promises (album)

You are a swing
Sleepy porches, the warm light
On my face
You are a charge, of wild horses
You are the sun
You are my sun
Seeping over, spilling out
Over the mountains
You are my sun