Have you ever gotten lost while you were out on a run? It is by no means a bad thing, and can be a great way to learn a new area. If you are going to get lost, then I recommend doing it on your long run day…

This morning, not very many people showed up to run. It was 6°F and windy, so I suppose that I can understand that. Of course, when not many people show up because it is cold, it tends to be the people that are in better shape and are more serious that do arrive. As such, I fell behind around four or four and a half miles into the run. Five miles into the run, the road branched, and I had no idea where I was to begin with. I went the wrong way.

I never did catch up with anybody, and they were all gone by the time I got back. There was a gentleman out in his driveway that pointed out to me when asked that I was going the wrong way. He told me to turn around and take a nearby dirt road, which would let me back onto the road I was looking for a bit less than a mile further east than where I was supposed to be let out onto it. Now I know a longer loop. After looking at the map, there is another easy loop if I kept going the wrong way and am willing to make a couple of extra turns. Maybe I will try that route next time I am out that way.

Getting a lost is a great way to learn new routes and to get to know the roads in an area you are not completely familiar with. When we run in that town, now, I can run in a few different directions for a few different distances in each now without having to worry about where to go or how long it will take me. You should make an effort to get lost on occasion too.