Probably my favorite part of my favorite morning running route is a short stretch through a small neighborhood park.

One thing that I like about it is that it puts me onto my community’s ever-expanding trail system.

I live in a small to mid-sized city—Eau Claire, Wisconsin, population 68,000–that boasts more miles of fitness trails than any city in the Badger State other than much-bigger Madison. That is definitely one of the big things that I love about living here.

Another thing that I love about it is that it has a good amount of natural beauty. Two large rivers flow through the area—the Eau Claire and Chippewa rivers. Adding to the natural beauty are pastoral, gently rolling hills with plenty of green grass, green trees, and green corn and soybeans. Oh yeah, there are a lot of cows too!

I live and run in the city now, so I don’t see cows anymore on my daily run like I did for many years when I lived in the country. What I do get to see on my current favorite running route, though, is a thick forest of tall trees. It’s not a big forest—about a block long by a block wide—but it definitely is a scenic one.

It’s where I often see wildlife—mostly deer. Where I find shade on hot morning runs. Where I often see and say hello to other runners, walkers, and bikers. And where, most importantly, I get to soak in some of God’s amazing natural beauty.

In wellness circles I’ve been hearing the term “forest bath” being used for describing the benefit of getting out in nature. While that term may be a bit “new agey” for an old-school native Midwestern like me, it is an excellent way to describe it.

I definitely consider myself blessed to have a convenient place to take a “forest bath” on my run most every morning!