Sunday, December 7, 2008

Zen and the art of trail running

On Saturday I spent a wonderful day running along 31 miles of trails through Huntsville State Park. The weather was fantastic - sunny skies with temperatures in the 40's. I didn't run my fastest time, but I finished and that's what I had set out to do.

Few things are more relaxing than running through the forest listening to the caws of the ravens, seeing squirrels scurry about and smelling the scent of the piney woods. For a few hours on a late fall day you can lose yourself in the run and push all of the day-to-day stress away.

Trail running is very different than road running. On the trails your world consists of the 5-6 feet in front of you. You have to keep a constant watch for exposed roots, rocks, limbs and gullies. Lose that concentration for just an instant and you can end up eating a mouthful of dirt.

It's much the same in trial work. During trial you have to pay attention to the minutest detail. You have to listen to every question asked by the prosecutor and every answer given by the witness. At the same time you're listening for the narrative, you have to be ready to object at a moment's notice. As on the trails, lose the focus and you could cost your client his liberty.

But, at some point you learn how to focus on the details without losing sight of the bigger picture.

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