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As I was up early running around Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh (Menominee Park) and taking pictures of the beautiful scenery, a lot of things were crossing my mind. One was the fact that my knees hurt (nothing new), and that I should probably be running on the grass, because as all avid runners know, that is much easier on your knees. I then thought that I should start lifting weights to build up the muscles around my knees, because then I wouldn’t be putting so much pressure on my knees. My dad actually gave me that advice when I complained to him that every time I run lately my knees hurt. Well, I should probably get on that if I want to keep running as much as I do!

Then, as I was winding around the path next to a boat festival that must have been going on at the time, I ran past two men who were in wheel chairs. One of the men was a double leg amputee, and I thought that I am lucky to be running even though I’m having knee pain. Not that the man probably has a bad life or feels down on himself, but he didn’t have legs and I do. Even though I have to endure a little knee pain once in a while, I am lucky that I can be out moving whenever I want and can run as fast as I want. It was just one of those examples when you take something for granted and don’t think, what if I couldn’t do this anymore. I felt thankful.

My mind really does wander when I’m running – probably because I’m so at peace when running outside with gorgeous scenery. Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh is really a beautiful, peaceful place. Kids playing on the huge playground, feeding the ducks, and exploring wildlife at the Menominee Park Zoo; people out fishing, boating, reading, and just enjoying the lakeside view. The Zoo is a really cool place too, because it’s right on the lake and it’s free; just a fun place to go if you’re looking for something to do outside. They have wolves, sheep, llamas, donkeys, monkeys, goats, and other animals – some of them you can pay around $1 to feed. For more information on the Zoo, click here or here.

Stay tuned for my next destination in the Fox Cities. Have a great week!

—By Sara Stein